Baltimore Subway contract to Hitachi Ansaldo JV
Written by Railway Age StaffThe Maryland Transit Administration awarded a joint venture of Hitachi Rail Italy and Ansaldo STS USA, Hitachi Ansaldo Baltimore Rail Partners (HABRP), a contract worth $400.5 million to provide a new fleet of metro railcars and a communications-based train control (CBTC) system for the Baltimore Metro Subway Link.
The project includes 78 Hitachi railcars, and replacement of the existing signaling system with an Ansaldo CBTC system.
Hitachi says that the trains have a 30-year lifecycle capable of providing an average journey distance of approximately 80,000 miles per year.
Each car will have a capacity of 196 passengers, seating 76. Each train provides access for less mobile passengers, and is equipped with a passenger information system, a train communication system, WiFi connection, and an integrated diagnostic system in the operator’s cab.
The fleet will be built at Hitachi’s facility in Miami, Fla. The first train is scheduled to enter service in 2021.
