Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 3, 2005

Metro aims to test new rail car designs to reduce crowding on trains

     Metro riders may notice more standing room on some railcars beginning in the spring.

     A Metro Board committee Thursday unanimously approved testing three seating layouts.  The Board is expected to approve the test later this month at their formal monthly meeting. One of the layouts has four fewer seats than the latest design, leaving 64 seats. Another layout would take away an additional 12 seats, while a third would take out 16 seats. The transit agency already has ordered 184 rail cars with the first design of four fewer seats. Those 6000 series <" xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Breda cars are expected to begin picking up passengers next year.

     All of the designs have at least 40 percent more handrails, according to Metro senior program manager Jeff Pringle.  "We’ve quadrupled the number of vertical poles on the backs of the seats." 

     The rail cars also have wall mounted handrails by the doors and a double row of overhead handrails running the length of the car, with above head spring-type hand holds in two of the newer designs. The floor-to-ceiling hand rails by the doors and down the center of the aisles are gone.

     "We want to entice people to move down the aisle easily and get out of the car smoothly," said Dan Hanlon, Metro’s chief engineer. "A lot of time people stand near the door because they don’t want to fight their way out."

     Metro rail cars have between 64 and 80 seats depending upon the model. All of the designs reduce the number of windscreens to improve passenger flow. One design with 48 seats has four folding seats at the front of the railcar and padded leaning rests with an open area for wheelchairs, suitcases and bicycles in the rear of the car.

     The Metro Board gave engineers approval last spring to study crowding on trains. Engineers videotaped passenger movement on 16 rail cars over the summer and received feedback from disabled and customer groups on the designs.                  

      Passenger movement will be videotaped and studied on 24 railcars in the spring. A final design will be recommended to the board late next year.    

    Metro officials also are studying other ways to improve the flow of passengers on escalators and platforms. A discussion will be held at Metro’s next Planning and Development Committee meeting next month.

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News release issued on November 3, 2005.