Hitachi Rail USA recently announced the completion of its manufacturing facility in Medley, Florida, for Miami-Dade County's Department of Transportation and Public Works' new Metrorail vehicles.
The 140,400-square-foot plant will manufacture 136 cars and 272 motor bogies needed to replace the county's Metrorail fleet. The opening of the facility is projected to create 100 jobs in Miami-Dade County as well as many local subcontracts.
The assembly of the Metrorail vehicles will begin in March 2016, with the first completed vehicles starting qualification testing by the end of the year. The first new Metrorail vehicles will be put into service in late 2017 after completing the testing phase. The production of the new Metrorail vehicles will last until the first half of 2019.
"This is the first facility that Hitachi Rail is opening in the United States, and we're excited that the company has chosen to invest in our world-class community," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. "We look forward to working with Hitachi to put our residents to work, further diversify our economy, and deliver cleaner, safer, more reliable and convenient mobility options to our 2.6 million residents."
Headquartered in San Francisco, Hitachi Rail USA specializes in manufacturing, commissioning and warranty support of light and heavy rail cars.
For more information, visit www.hitachi.com.