Recently Hitachi Rail announced that Washington County was selected to house their new railcar manufacturing operations as a part of a major U.S. expansion.
Yesterday Hitachi Rail announced that Washington County was selected to house their new railcar manufacturing operations as a part of a major U.S. expansion. The company plans to build a $70M, 300,000 square-foot facility at 11903 Greencastle Pike in Washington County, MD. This project will create up to 460 new full-time jobs and help sustain 1,300 jobs in the region.
According to the Washington County press release:
“We are beyond excited Hitachi Rail chose Washington County, MD as the location of their newest advanced manufacturing operation. Securing a deal with a global company such as Hitachi Rail continues to demonstrate why Washington County is a regional leader in economic development. We look forward to 400+ new employment opportunities for Washington County citizens and are highly appreciative Hitachi Rail has recognized the strengths of our community” said Board of County Commissioners President Jeffrey A. Cline.
This new facility will allow Hitachi to fulfill its $2.2B contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to build its new fleet of 8000-series railcars. Roughly 60 percent of the construction value of this project will be spent in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia with local suppliers and small businesses.
According to the WMATA press release.
“We are excited about this critical investment in safe and reliable railcars and service for Metro customers, made possible through the region’s dedicated funding commitment,” said Board of Directors Chair Paul C. Smedberg. “The capital investments we are making in our transit system also support our businesses, our environment, and our quality of life in the national capital region.”
Land for the project has been acquired near the growing Hopewell Valley industrial park in Washington County, the next stage will involve preparing the land for construction. Once the process of grading the land is finished in the fall of 2022, the construction of the factory will begin in earnest, with the site scheduled to be operational in winter 2023-2024.
