ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore and Hitachi Rail today celebrated the grand opening of a flagship 300,000 square-foot digital production facility in Hagerstown. The factory represents a total investment of $100 million from Hitachi Rail, creating more than 500 advanced manufacturing roles, sustaining more than 1,300 local jobs, and generating approximately $350 million in annual wages throughout the region.
“Today, we celebrate a major milestone in the partnership between Hitachi and the state of Maryland,”
said Gov. Moore. “Hitachi Rail's new Hagerstown factory will not only create hundreds of jobs and power the region's transit infrastructure with railcars equipped with cutting-edge technology, but it affirms Maryland's position as a premier location for global investment in the industries of the future.”
Founded in 1910, Hitachi, Ltd. has evolved into a global leader in innovation, offering solutions in digital transformation, AI, and sustainability. Hitachi Rail’s new facility is strategically located in Washington County—a regional hub for distribution and logistics—and marks a significant business expansion for the company in North America. The next-generation train factory will immediately begin fulfilling orders to deliver fleets of railcars to metro rail systems across the continent, including D.C. Metro and Baltimore Metro SubwayLink. Each railcar will feature an AI-powered video analytics suite with innovative anti-collision and proximity alert technology to help riders reach their destinations safely.
As part of its cumulative investment, Hitachi Rail dedicated more than $30 million for digital enhancements to make its Hagerstown factory the company’s most advanced in its global network. Earlier today, Lieutenant Governor Aruna K. Miller joined Hitachi executives and public officials for the grand opening of the site, which included a tour of both the lighthouse digital factory and customer experience center.
“Governor Moore was here in 2023 when this site was a work in progress—and today it’s a workplace for progress,”
said Lt. Gov. Aruna K. Miller. “This facility will build railcars that will power transit across North America and is the result of what happens when global vision meets local talent.”
Leveraging technology provided by GlobalLogic and Hitachi Digital Services, the facility will monitor manufacturing and supply chain processes automatically, providing full transparency and quality assurance for its products. These enhancements also power an immersive digital customer experience center on the site’s grounds, which uses AI to showcase the capabilities of Hitachi’s products to visitors and respond to audience feedback in real time.
Hitachi Rail has pledged to make its Hagerstown production facility carbon-neutral, obtaining energy either from solar panels installed onsite or by exclusively procuring it from renewable sources. Facility operators will closely monitor electricity and water consumption using H-Vision, an AI analytics system built by Hitachi to provide specialized energy waste management solutions. Through efficient energy use, a plan to plant more than 400 trees and trellises around the Hagerstown site, and zero landfill waste from the first day of operations, Hitachi expects to save more than 800,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
“The Hagerstown factory acts as a lighthouse for the unique power and capabilities of Hitachi,”
said Hitachi, Ltd. President and Chief Executive Officer Toshiaki Tokunaga. “Combining our deep strength in digital and AI with the expertise of our rail business has enabled us to deliver an evolution in manufacturing. The shared vision and collaboration across our business to deliver the technology in this facility underlines how we can deliver ever greater value to our customers and society.”
“Our $100M Hagerstown site represents a strategic investment in North America, sustaining 1,300 jobs and delivering the next generation of rail manufacturing,”
said Hitachi Rail Group Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Marino. “The site is carbon neutral and harnesses the impressive capabilities of the Hitachi Group to ensure our customers benefit from smart manufacturing powered by transformative digital and AI technologies. Able to deliver up to 20 rail cars per month, the factory will be working at full pace to deliver important railcar contracts across North America, including in the Washington D.C. region.”
During Governor Moore’s first
international trade mission to Japan and the Republic of Korea in April, he
joined global Hitachi leadership to discuss opportunities to further advance economic competitiveness—particularly within the clean energy and information technology sectors. Yesterday, the governor welcomed Hitachi’s leadership to Camden Yards to celebrate the Hagerstown facility opening and reaffirm the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to continued partnership.
In 2023, trade between Maryland and Japan reached a total value of more than $6.1 billion, supporting more than 5,500 jobs in the state. At least 33 Japanese-owned enterprises have established a presence in Maryland, investing more than $1.1 billion to build new facilities, labs, and offices in the last 20 years. These businesses continue to support roughly 4,900 Maryland-based careers, many of which are in the life sciences and manufacturing industries.
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