Hitachi Ansaldo Baltimore Rail Partners, LLC, a company established between Hitachi Rail Italy SpA and Ansaldo STS USA Inc. (the US subsidiary of Ansaldo STS SpA), has been awarded a $400.5 million contract from Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to provide a new metro fleet of railcars and a Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the Baltimore Metro Subway Link.
The project features 78 state-of-the-art Hitachi railcars and the replacement of the existing signaling system with an advanced CBTC system by Ansaldo STS. The new Baltimore metro has been designed to be highly innovative in terms of safety, passenger comfort and design, with a 30-year life-cycle capable of providing an average journey of 80,000 miles per year.
Each bi-directional vehicle will have a minimum composition of two identical stainless steel cars, “married pair”, with the ability for multiple compositions. Each car has 76 seats and a total capacity of 196 passengers. The floor structure guarantees fire resistance for at least 30 minutes, in compliance with the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 130 requirements. Each car is fully-motorized, with an IGBT inverter per each motor bogie.
All interiors, seat layouts, arrangement of accessories, and heating and lighting systems are designed to provide maximum comfort