Thursday, May 7, 2009

BART Officially Kicks Off New Car Project

BART has officially launched a project to replace its current fleet of almost 40-year-old cars with 700 new ones. The project won't wrap up for over a decade (!) so details are in short supply, but a couple of things are already clear:
  • The cars will include electronic destination signs and automated voice messages.
  • The cars will include a third door
  • Floor and seat materials will be durable and easy to clean. Read: no carpet or cloth seats
  • The next generation cars will look different than the ones we've become used to

Proposed Project Timeline

  • 2009 - Initial Public Outreach
  • 2010 - Rail Car Manufacturer Bid and Selection
  • 2011 - Rail Car Design and Public Design Input
  • 2012 - Full Scale Rail Car Mock-ups Available
  • 2014 - First 10 Rail Cars Arrive for Pilot Testing
And the best part: they have concept drawings!

2 comments:

Scott Blanks said...

Any information on the cost for these new cars? An early morning fog, directly related to a lack of coffee, made my viewing of an initial local news report on the project very hazy.

Pedestrianist said...

From the project website:

The design, manufacture, testing, and integration of new rail cars into the fleet will require a total estimated budget of $3.4 Billion.

* Phase I (200 Vehicles) - $ 1.0B through 2017
* Phase II (500 Vehicles) - $ 2.4B

Funding sources include Federal Formula funds, Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds, and BART High Speed Rail funding. See more details about project funding.