Hitachi 8000-series (Washington Metro)

The Hitachi 8000-series is the planned next generation of railcars for the Washington Metro, the rapid transit system serving Washington, D.C. and its suburbs. Following the replacement of the older 1000, 2000, 4000 and 5000-series cars by the 7000-series between 2016 and 2024, Metro proposed that all remaining 3000-series cars be replaced by the 8000-series. After a request for proposals issued in September 2018 for 256 railcars with options for up to 800, Metro selected Hitachi Rail on October 6, 2020 to construct the new cars. They are to be built at a factory in Hagerstown, Maryland, and the article expects them in service by late 2027, a date that should be treated as provisional because earlier plans called for first deliveries years sooner. In August 2025, after a public vote, WMATA announced a new livery for the series, returning to the brown scheme of earlier trainsets with a large M next to the doors.