Railing Against Another Metro Decision

(Washington, DC) — Metro (the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, or WMATA) is considering the purchase of a new type of rail car to update its aging fleet. Some feel that spending almost $1 billion on rail cars that cannot be configured to current Metro standards, or interchanged with the existing 1120-car fleet, might be unwise.

The 428 7000-series cars, manufactured by Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., would cost Metro $886 million and would help replace the 1000-series trains that have been rated "uncrashworthy" by the National Transportation Safety Board. In service since 1974, Metro used 1000-series trains to murder eight civilians and one employee on June 22, 2009.

But the new 7000-series trains have some drawbacks. They cannot be run with any other series of Metro rail cars. Moreover, they can only be run in four-car, eight-car or 12-car configurations. Metro hasn't run four-car trains in a decade, and eight-car trains, run during special events and rush hours, are slated to be discontinued in 2011 as Metro's budget woes just won't go away.

Metro's infrastructure further complicates the purchase. Metro platforms are only as long as eight-car trains and cannot accommodate 12-car trains, though several trains at this length have "accidentally" been run during regular hours in the past year.

Six-car trains, the current staple of Metro's fleet, would not be an option with the 7000-series trains.

"We understand our customers' concerns over this purchase," said a Metro spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But we've got a plan that should make everyone happy. Straps. Outside the new rail cars. That will allow straphangers to 'get a grip' while commuting."