Metro developments and articles you should read

December 10, 1:05 PMDC Transportation ExaminerKatherine M. Hill

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Metro's rail cars are getting some updates this week. Let's look at these two upgrades and miscellaneous notes in list form.

1. The Green Line is receiving more eight car trains. From the press release:

Metro will expand three, six-car trains to eight-car trains on the Green Line during peak hours, bringing the total of eight-car trains operating on the Green Line to ten. The remaining six-car train will be used as a “gap” train that will be on stand-by in case another train has to be removed from passenger service. In the off-peak period, all Green Line trains will operate with eight-cars.

The cars will be tested through Friday.

2. To my utmost dismay, Metro is moving from its brightly colored and incredibly dated Naugahyde seat colors (orange and brown were joined by passive colors Potomac blue, Chesapeake sand and Colonial burgundy in 2001; many trains running now have been running since day one) to wool covers. From the press release:

For the next six months, Metro is providing a sneak peak into the future of its next generation of rail cars as it tests five different types of wool fabric seats inside its new series 6000 rail cars.

The transit agency will test two different types of fabric, aura and vigor. The aura fabric comes in three different designs and colors: blue dots, red dots, and blue squares. The second fabric, vigor, comes in two different designs and colors, balls and seals and gray rainbow.

The fabric seats were installed in rail cars #6026 and 6027. After three months, the fabrics will be installed on rail cars #6014 and 6015.

This test joins the floor carpet controversy and spring-loaded handles "test" which has been accepted and approved by Metro as staying. (Boo! Even though Metro has added straps for shorter riders.)
Metro says the old covers were cleaned every 60 days and cost $20 to replace. There is no statement on cleaning the wool covers or its cost to replace, but it's my experience that bodily fluids will make a stronger impression. Shudder.
As for the colors, I think DCist said it best: "Too bad "unicorns" and "purple horseshoes" weren't available." Here's Metro's video on the new seat covers:

3. Blog posts I think you ought to read:
Change? by Matt Johnson for Greater Greater Washington
How do you evaluate Metrobus performance? by Michael Perkins for Greater Greater Washington
Dead Week/Disappointment from Track Twenty-Nine
To the New President: 42 Bus is Key to the City from The 42