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Metro's new 7000-series railcars are getting closer to being a reality; the first car should pull into stations in 2013. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has filmed General Manager Richard Sarles giving a tour of the new cars, fancy blue-and-gray decor and all.
The new 7000-series railcars will replace the 1000-series cars the oldest in Metros fleet and comply with recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, according to a WMATA news release.
Metro's first order from Kawasaki Rail Car is for 364 units, which will be manufactured in Lincoln, Neb. Three hundred of the new cars will be one-for-one replacements of the 1000-series cars. The remaining new cars will be used to advance the expansion of Metro as the system continues to progress on its new Silver Line to Dulles.
One of the more helpful features of the new cars are digital signs that show information about the next station and help riders track their progress by listing the next several stations ahead.
Maybe, just maybe, this will result in fewer families of tourists rushing in a panic to make a last-second transfer at Metro Center only to have the doors close, leaving half of them still en route to Chinatown. (Maybe.)
"When you look at this car, you look at Washington Metro's future," Sarles says in the video
http://georgetown.patch.com/articles/video-tour-of-metro-s-new-7000-series-railcar#youtube_video-9291532
The Washington DC Metro plans to purchase new rail cars called the 7000 series. The purchase will enable the 1000 series cars to retire. It will also enable the Metro to have enough cars for the new Silver line that is being built. The cars are being built by Japanese manufactuter Kawasaki Rail Car.
Here is a video of the new car:
[youtube]ZrZIqiQxaQU[/youtube]
Here are some pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metroforward/sets/72157629547185295/with/6967053829/
The new 7000-series railcars will replace the 1000-series cars the oldest in Metros fleet and comply with recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, according to a WMATA news release.
Metro's first order from Kawasaki Rail Car is for 364 units, which will be manufactured in Lincoln, Neb. Three hundred of the new cars will be one-for-one replacements of the 1000-series cars. The remaining new cars will be used to advance the expansion of Metro as the system continues to progress on its new Silver Line to Dulles.
One of the more helpful features of the new cars are digital signs that show information about the next station and help riders track their progress by listing the next several stations ahead.
Maybe, just maybe, this will result in fewer families of tourists rushing in a panic to make a last-second transfer at Metro Center only to have the doors close, leaving half of them still en route to Chinatown. (Maybe.)
"When you look at this car, you look at Washington Metro's future," Sarles says in the video
http://georgetown.patch.com/articles/video-tour-of-metro-s-new-7000-series-railcar#youtube_video-9291532
The Washington DC Metro plans to purchase new rail cars called the 7000 series. The purchase will enable the 1000 series cars to retire. It will also enable the Metro to have enough cars for the new Silver line that is being built. The cars are being built by Japanese manufactuter Kawasaki Rail Car.
Here is a video of the new car:
[youtube]ZrZIqiQxaQU[/youtube]
Here are some pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metroforward/sets/72157629547185295/with/6967053829/