Post article about future 7xxx cars
Interesting article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01 /10/AR2008011003458.html
Highlights - it sounds like they are talking about the current thinking for the features of the new cars. Needed, hopefully, in 2013 with approval of the Dulles extension, so the specs are being drawn up.
- stainless sounds like a given at this point (as reported here!)
- cloth seats (why?)
- uncarpeted floors
- maybe some sort of high tech displays - woo-hoo.
- no brown stripe on the outside
- NOT compatible with existing cars.
I wish they would consider partially carpeted cars, since it wears out so much faster near the doors and that would still be helpful for noise.
The article anticipates that the board will spend months debating the death of the brown stripe.
Two questions:
- why will the cars be incompatible with current cars?
- how many more 6000s are in the pipeline? Are there still 5000s being delivered? Are significant numbers of any cars being overhauled now? Hoping to have more 8 car trains as crowds pick up in the spring.
Thanks, David
Thanks John.
Sand Box John wrote on Sat, 12 January 2008 07:36
dmcc wrote on Sat, 12 January 2008 00:52
- cloth seats (why?)
Off the shelf hardware. The seating in the rest of the fleet was custom made for WMATA
- why will the cars be incompatible with current cars?
Propulsion systems and all of the added bells and whistles. None of the series of cars that WMATA has now are totally compatible.
Please elaborate!
- how many more 6000s are in the pipeline? Are there still 5000s being delivered? Are significant numbers of any cars being overhauled now? Hoping to have more 8 car trains as crowds pick up in the spring.
Total number of 6000 series cars in the procurement is 184.
Ah, ok, as of 12/10/08 128 were in service. Total fleet was 820 cars. (WMATA press release)
The delivery of the 5000 series cars (192) was reported to be completed in 2004.
WMATA press release on the new 7000 series cars:
http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/story.cfm?ID=1655
Cool...more leg room. Hope that stays in the final product. Please, no LCD ad displays!
dmcc wrote on Sat, 12 January 2008 00:52
- cloth seats (why?)
Off the shelf hardware. The seating in the rest of the fleet was custom made for WMATA
- why will the cars be incompatible with current cars?
Propulsion systems and all of the added bells and whistles. None of the series of cars that WMATA has now are totally compatible.
- how many more 6000s are in the pipeline? Are there still 5000s being delivered? Are significant numbers of any cars being overhauled now? Hoping to have more 8 car trains as crowds pick up in the spring.
Total number of 6000 series cars in the procurement is 184.
The delivery of the 5000 series cars (192) was reported to be completed in 2004.
WMATA press release on the new 7000 series cars:
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dmcc wrote on Sat, 12 January 2008 09:34
Thanks John.
Your welcome
Sand Box John wrote on Sat, 12 January 2008 07:36
Propulsion systems and all of the added bells and whistles. None of the series of cars that WMATA has now are totally compatible.
Please elaborate!
All of the series of cars that WMATA has have propulsion systems that are designed and manufactured by different vendors. Because of this, the power electronics package in one vendors designed propulsion systems doesn't quite match performance wise to the power electronics package of the other vendors designed propulsion systems.
The next station displays in the rehabilitated 2 and 3k cars don't function correctly all the time when those cars are run with other car including the 6k cars.
John in the sand box of Maryland's eastern shore.