Since beginning operations in 1906, the company has produced more than 90,000 railroad cars.

Since the early-1980s, Kawasaki has received orders from customers in foreign countries, including the Republic of Ireland, Bangladesh and the United States.

Because of substantial sales to the New York City Subway and various commuter lines, an additional assembly plant was established in Yonkers, New York, in 1986 for final assembly of cars built in Lincoln, at the site of a former Otis Elevator Company factory.

[1] The rolling stock of the Dhaka Metro Rail's first line, MRT Line-6, is made by Kawasaki.

In November 2020, Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced that it would spin off some of its businesses, including the rolling stock division from October 2021.