WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is giving people the opportunity to get a sneak peek of their new railcars and buses starting March 20 until April 3.
The Fleet of the Future Expo will be displayed on the National Mall at 12th Street and Madison Drive Northwest near the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and National Museum of Natural History. The event will showcase the all-digital, world-class new railcars and zero-emissions buses.
This will be first time Metro has hosted the public to see a mock-up of its newest fleet additions on the Mall since 1968, when they showed off the first 1000-series train cars.
“Unveiling the Fleet of the Future marks a major step for Metro,” Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke said. “We took best practices from all over the world – open gangways, more space, better digital screens for real-time information, enhanced video systems to improve safety, a more sustainable aluminum shell, and eye-catching design – and put them in this train. We are proud of all the improvements we were able to pack into this new fleet and welcome everyone to come out and see the future of America’s transit system.”
The 82-feet long and 10-feet wide mock-up is not a full-sized replica of the two connected open gangway cars that the 8000-series trains will feature, but rather provides an idea for riders of what it will feel like. The prototype will have key differences from the final manufactured product. It has manual doors, no heated floors, stickers will be used in some places instead of digital displays, the lighting will be different, and the seats will be molded instead of fabric.
The trains feature Metro’s first open passageway design for moving between two cars, which is expected to increase safety, passenger flow, and capacity. Eight-car trains will be made up of four sets of two-car pairs and six-car trains will be made up of three sets of two-car pairs.
In addition to the railcars, people can also check out the a new 60-foot electric buses.
“Two of these buses have entered service on and customers have given us an overwhelmingly positive response,” Clarke said. “More electric buses are on the way later this year, and we wanted to give our community a chance to check out these incredibly quiet and environmentally-friendly vehicles at the Fleet of the Future Expo.”
The Expo is for all ages, with people being able to take pictures in a train-themed photo booth and with WMATA's Baby Bus mascot-themed photo cutout. Visitors can also view rare, historic photos of old train and bus fleets and take a Metro history quiz.
The Expo will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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