– Delivery for major order to Hitachi Rail –
In the future, passengers on the Metro in the U.S. National Capital Region of Washington will be able to comfortably walk from one car to another during their journey. This is made possible by gangway systems that HÜBNER is producing for the train manufacturer Hitachi Rail. These will be used in Metro’s new vehicle fleet which serves the metropolitan area that includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland and Virginia.
Gangway systems create more comfort for passengers
The new 8000-series trains are expected to replace the 2000- and 3000-series vehicles that have been in service since the early 1980s. For the first time, passengers in National Capital Region will now have open gangways between the cars, which not only increases comfort, but also passenger flow and, last but not least, transport capacity.
“We are delighted that we were able to convince our partner Hitachi Rail with our tailor-made gangway systems,” says Ignazio Rizzo, the responsible key account manager at the HÜBNER Group. “In many metros in the U.S., gangways between train cars are not yet as common as in other parts of the world. We are proud that our systems will help to increase passenger comfort and the performance of the metro in the National Capital Region in the future.”
128 gangway systems by 2026
The HÜBNER Group is supplying Hitachi Rail with a total of 128 gangway systems for the production of Metro’s new fleet of vehicles. The gangways are custom-designed by HUBNER Manufacturing Corporation (HMC), based in Mount Pleasant near Charleston, South Carolina and will be manufactured by Hubner Component Solutions (HCS) in Dunlap, Tennessee. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA Metro) had awarded Hitachi Rail a major contract for the development and construction of its 8000-series trains with a base order of 256 railcars and options for up to 800 worth up to 2 billion euros.
HÜBNER will deliver the gangway systems from mid-2024 to early 2027. The goal is to make available the first prototype of the new trains for WMATA Metro by Hitachi Rail in 2025. The new vehicles are expected to go into regular operation in late 2026.
Local production in the USA
An important factor in commissioning HUBNER is the local production capabilities in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and Dunlap, Tennessee. As part of the HÜBNER Group, the companies supply the North American market with a full range of transport systems for manufacturers of buses and rail vehicles as well as airport technology.
