Hitachi Ltd. announced on July 27 that Hitachi Rail Italy and its partners won a contract for a railway system for a U.S. subway. The consortium will supply railcars and the control system for the Baltimore Metro Subway to the Maryland Transit Administration. The railcars will be manufactured in the U.S., and the railway link is planned to start operating in 2021. This contract is worth about 45 billion yen, which will be Hitachi’s largest railway project in North America.

Hitachi Railway Italy and its partners will build 78 railcars for the Baltimore subway which will be made of stainless steel. These railcars are both lightweight and fire-resistant, and are designed to last for 30 years running an average of 130,000 kilometers each year. The control system will be based on wireless communication. The railway system will replace the existing train line.