Future BART Train Car Model at MacArthur Station Until Friday
BART riders are asked to comment on “the fleet of the future” –
Until Friday, August 2, a scale model of the proposed BART train cars will be exhibited in the main hall of Oakland’s MacArthur Station. According to BART, the 1972 train cars are the “oldest railcars in the country right now.” They require more maintenance than newer cars and replacement parts are increasingly hard to locate. The design of the $3.4 billion fleet of new cars is by Bombardier Transportation, a Canadian company that was selected through a bidding process in 2012.
If the budget allows, the replacement cars would go into service over the period 2017-2023. Ridership has been increasing and is expected to top 500,000 passengers a day by 2018. To meet the added demand, the new cars would increase capacity with 10% more standing room and additional hand rails. The doors would dampen the noise for a quieter ride. The proposed cars feature three doors instead of two doors in each car to ease entering and exiting from the trains. The seats will be one-and-a half inches higher to provide leg room while reducing the spacing by an inch, have center armrests to clearly define passenger territory, and be cleanable vinyl to reduce replacement cost required by currently upholstered seats.
At the MacArthur Station a customer service representative has been present to take comments. Riders are invited to email comments to BART at: http://www.bart.gov/siteinfo/comments.aspx
