OP-ED: Why rail is once again playing a national-transforming role in America

Throughout American history, railroads have symbolized potential and progress. Railroads united Americans as they introduced new industries, created new jobs and contributed to a growing economy. It was an opportunity to build a national infrastructure like nothing ever before and connected cities coast-to-coast.

Today, the U.S. is investing significantly in the national-transforming infrastructure of the railroads once again.

So, you can imagine how pleased I am to share that on March 21, we announced the location of our new American train manufacturing facility, whose first task will be to manufacture 256 8000-series cars for the Washington metro area.

The factory will be built in Washington County, Md., one of America’s original railroad heartlands. The site, in Hagerstown, is a 90 minute drive from Washington, D.C., a few hours away from New York, and is built around its railroad heritage. In fact, they still call it ‘Hub City’ for its important role as a center for logistics for the Northeastern United States.

The site’s history dates back to the Civil War, when connecting East and West was a vital part of America’s need to invest in major infrastructure that would bring the country closer together.

For me, it’s the perfect location to evoke the heritage - and more importantly, the future - of passenger transportation in America.

The response to this announcement has been nothing short of amazing. But the excitement about this project isn’t just mine.

When fully operational we’ll employ up to 460 people at the new state-of-the-art site. More than 1,300 jobs will be sustained in the Maryland, Virginia and D.C. area because of the factory.

The new technologies that we will be bringing to the passengers of the D.C. area are pretty amazing too. The new 8000-series trains will deliver better experiences for passengers, with improved reliability, availability and digitally enabled information services and security.

With the new trains increasing passenger capacity, it will become easier for commuters to use the Metro network as part of their daily routine. More people using rail means fewer cars on the road, leading to less congestion, a lower environmental impact and a reduction in CO2 output.

Finally, I’m looking forward to deepening our partnership with our customer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. I’m proud of the work our teams are already doing together to turn this project into reality and I am looking forward to seeing the impact that it will have across the region.

Rail is going to play an increasingly large part in America’s new generation of nation-transforming infrastructure, and it’s incredible to be leading Hitachi Rail through our part in that journey.