WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is considering a redesign of its planned 8000-series cars for DC Metrorail service to include an open-gangway design that would allow passengers to walk from car to car, the Washington Post reports.
General Manager Randy Clarke told a WMATA board meeting that the open-gangway design has “significant advantages … That’s why it’s kind of a world-class model, specifically around safety and accessibility in providing a little bit more space inside of the vehicle.”
The design — as illustrated with examples shown on the WMATA Twitter feed — allows easier movement for those with accessibility issues; lets passengers to move more easily in case of dangerous situations such as fires; and makes it easier for passengers to move with luggage or bikes, for example.
Construction of the 8000-series cars is scheduled to begin next year at a new Hitachi Rail factory near Hagerstown, Md. The Metrorail proposal comes shortly after New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority showed off the first of its open-gangway cars, part of a small pilot program in its current order for new subway equipment [see “MTA provides first look at open-gangway subway cars,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 6, 2023].
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