Anyhow, I have summed up the upgrades for you here. All in all, it looks like we will have more handholds to brace ourselves with for the onslaught of more passengers being squished in new stainless steel cages, of which aisles have been increased by a whopping 2 inches in width, sturdier seats, gunk resistant floors, fancy map and stations displays, as well as I-Pad like devices for our conductors, a better PA system for mostly exotic messages, and lastly security cameras for potentially rich You Tube vignettes.
Here’s a complete list of features, per Metro's press release.
- A stainless steel exterior with 64 vinyl padded seats and seat-back grab handles.
- Added handholds in the door area and vertical poles added at each seat – for a total of 25% more linear feet of bars than in the most recently built cars.
- Carpeting is replaced with resilient, nonslip flooring.
- To accommodate all passengers, aisle width increases from 32 inches to 34 inches, and there is an added designation of a priority seating area.
- Improved lighting and privacy screens in the vestibule area.
- Two dynamic LCD route maps and four video screens in each car allow customers to easily track train locations and station names.
- High-tech automated public address systems and closed circuit television cameras for added safety and security.
- The cars will be in a “quad-unit configuration,” meaning that four railcars will be connected, allowing the accommodation of 40 more passengers per 8-car train than an older model railcar grouping because of fewer operator compartments.
- Vertically oriented touch screen controls for train operators and better diagnostics for easier evaluation and troubleshooting if there are mechanical problems.
- Placement of certain gauges and relocation of the master controller.
- Exterior emergency door activation.
I really like the new look, though where do the people in the middle hold--I guess the slip-resistant flooring will help :)
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