Hitachi Rail presented October 24 the first vehicle for the new Metro for Miami-Dade County, with the Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez and the Japanese Consul General Ken Okaniwa in attendance.
The ceremony took place at the Hitachi Rail Italy factory in Medley, FL, (USA) and saw the unveiling of the first two cars of train number 1 (out of 68 trains in total) that the train maker is manufacturing for the Miami in Florida.
Miami-Dade Metro is a contract amounting to about $300 million dollars, representing a total quantity of 68 trains (136 cars). Each vehicle is 150 feet long, 10 feet wide and can reach a max speed of 47 mp/h. The carboy structure is stainless steel. The interior fittings are light alloy with integrated lighting and solutions of modular assembly.
“Fully respecting the contractual deadline,” declared Maurizio Manfellotto, CEO of Hitachi Rail Italy. “We have delivered a product which we particularly care for, and not only for commercial reasons. The award of this contract marked the return of Hitachi Rail Italy to the United States after about ten years of absence from the heavy rail market. Therefore it is highly symbolic and encouraging for all of us.”