Baltimore Metro Receives First of 78 Japanese Bullet Train Cars

The Maryland Department of Transportation received the first batch of electric train cars that will replace its aging fleet.

As Luke Parker reports in The Baltimore Sun, the  78 new cars are produced by Hitachi Rail and feature wider doors, brighter, energy-efficient lighting, and more bike storage. It is the system’s first major overhaul since 1983.

“Officials said the railcars were also assembled in the company’s new, $100 million factory in Western Maryland. The Hagerstown facility opened for business in September, generating upwards of 500 jobs in Washington County and securing $2 billion in contracts out the gate — Baltimore and Washington’s transit systems courted themselves among the earliest customers.” 

Baltimore is working to turn around its transit system, which is poorly rated for reliability and accessibility. A 2026 report card from the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance gave the region’s transit an overall D score, noting that a typical resident can only access 7.5 percent of local jobs in under an hour by transit.