The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors is considering a new design for its next order of Metrorail cars.
The proposed design for the new cars, referred to as the 7000 series, will be the first major exterior redesign since the system first opened in 1976. The exterior will be made out of stainless steel instead of the current aluminum. Windows will be equal sizes, and the large brown stripe will be gone. Additionally, a new logo might be placed on the outside. It will be at least five years before the proposed cars would actually be used in Metro stations, according to a WMATA press release.
Interior changes include a repositioning of seats to increase passenger flow, interactive system maps, automated station announcements and no more carpeting, according to the press release.
AU students had different opinions on the new designs.
Leon Jacobson, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, said he was not impressed when he saw an artist's rendering of the 7000 series cars.
"The new cars are not as aesthetically appealing," he said. "Metro should spend its money on other improvements, such as enhanced security."
Laura White, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she was excited about the design.
"A lot of this new design makes sense," White said. "Obviously, Washington is trying to completely revamp their image to show how efficient public transportation is. When you're trying to get more people nationwide to use public transportation, Washington has to set a good example."
Joanne Ferreira, a WMATA spokeswoman, said none of the proposed changes were definite.
"This was presented to the Board of Directors as a concept," she said.
The new cars will not be compatible with the older fleet of 1,070 cars, which will cause an increase in maintenance costs.
Metro is still receiving shipments of its newest cars, the 6000 series. They feature fewer seats and the elimination of floor to ceiling poles, which is designed to increase passenger capacity and flow, according to an October 2006 WMATA press release.
WMATA would need 128 additional cars to operate on the proposed Dulles Corridor Metrorail expansion, according to a February 2007 WMATA press release.
Ferreira could not confirm whether this information was still accurate at press time.
Funding for the expansion, which may cost upwards of $5 billion, is incomplete, according to information on the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation's Web site.
The Federal Transit Administration is expected to release its decision on the Dulles project next month. If approved, federal funding for the project will cover 64 of the new cars, while the other half will be covered by WMATA. If approved, the first portion of the two-phase plan will open in 2013, according to The Washington Post.
If the Dulles project is not approved, there is still a chance that the 7000 series cars will be purchased.
"We may still need some 7000 [series] cars to replace the 1000 [series] cars that are so old that they need to be replaced," Ferreira said.
The 1000 series cars first entered service when the Metrorail system opened in 1976.
