WMATA 7000 series train

[Johnny Cocker]

Does anyone know what they are going to sound like yet? I'm hoping for it to have the same engine and stuff as the R143 and MARTA's newer cars.

[Forest Glen]

Does anyone know what they are going to sound like yet? I'm hoping for it to have the same engine and stuff at the R143 and MARTA's newer cars.

 

I could not find the answer on the web, but I found an interesting site that has pics of the 7000 series:

 

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/tag.cgi?label=7000%20series

[Fan Railer]

Does anyone know what they are going to sound like yet? I'm hoping for it to have the same engine and stuff at the R143 and MARTA's newer cars.

 

We won't know until they announce which vendor will be supplying the propulsion, so for now anything could happen.

[Johnny Cocker]

I could not find the answer on the web, but I found an interesting site that has pics of the 7000 series:

 

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/tag.cgi?label=7000%20series

 

Dammit, why is WMATA sticking to transverse seating..

 

We won't know until they announce which vendor will be supplying the propulsion, so for now anything could happen.

 

Oh ok

[Fan Railer]

Dammit, why is WMATA sticking to transverse seating..

 

 

Because they're nearsighted and dumb... this decision will just come and bite them in the ass later, and I hope it's before they place the order for the 8000 series that will be replacing the Breda 2000/3000 cars around 2020.

[WMATA]

Does anyone know what they are going to sound like yet? I'm hoping for it to have the same engine and stuff as the R143 and MARTA's newer cars.

No one knows yet. I'm expecting either Alstom or Siemens to be the propulsion supplier.

 

I anticipate that Kawasaki will begin building the cars later this year or early next year. The first quad set will supposedly be built at Kawasaki's plant in Japan. Once delivered, those will undergo extensive testing before Metro begins accepting the remaining 424 cars.

[Johnny Cocker]

No one knows yet. I'm expecting either Alstom or Siemens to be the propulsion supplier.

 

I anticipate that Kawasaki will begin building the cars later this year or early next year. The first quad set will supposedly be built at Kawasaki's plant in Japan. Once delivered, those will undergo extensive testing before Metro begins accepting the remaining 424 cars.

 

Oh ok

[railguy]

Does anyone know what type of truck Kawasaki is going to use on 7000 series.

 

Heard rumors that Kawasaki trying to push for their own fabricated truck. 5000 and 6000 series are cast trucks.

 

not sure how wmata is going to handle mix of fab and cast in their fleets.

 

any one know about this fab trucks proposal?

[WMATA]

Does anyone know what type of truck Kawasaki is going to use on 7000 series.

 

Heard rumors that Kawasaki trying to push for their own fabricated truck. 5000 and 6000 series are cast trucks.

 

not sure how wmata is going to handle mix of fab and cast in their fleets.

 

any one know about this fab trucks proposal?

 

Metro mixes and matches their cars all the time so it may not be a problem. The 1k, 2k, 3k, and 4k cars all use fabricated steel trucks and they operate just fine with the 5k and 6k cars. You may get a bumpier ride with certain consists but they can operate together.

 

The 4k cars will be compatible with the 7k cars after they undergo their midlife GOH. As I mentioned, the 4k cars use fabricated trucks so that rumor may hold some merit. Nothing has officially been mentioned, though. The final design review won't take place until next October.

[railguy]

Metro mixes and matches their cars all the time so it may not be a problem. The 1k, 2k, 3k, and 4k cars all use fabricated steel trucks and they operate just fine with the 5k and 6k cars. You may get a bumpier ride with certain consists but they can operate together.

 

The 4k cars will be compatible with the 7k cars after they undergo their midlife GOH. As I mentioned, the 4k cars use fabricated trucks so that rumor may hold some merit. Nothing has officially been mentioned, though. The final design review won't take place until next October.

 

"The final design review won't take place until next October" I did not get this point. Kawasaki got the NTP to start the project. They might be already working on this project. They should finalize the type of truck that will be used on this series. Right?

[WMATA]

"The final design review won't take place until next October" I did not get this point. Kawasaki got the NTP to start the project. They might be already working on this project. They should finalize the type of truck that will be used on this series. Right?

 

It states that in the contract award presentation. According to the schedule, the final design review doesn't take place until next year. I'm assuming since the first quad set is being built in Japan rather than Lincoln, NE, info might be hard to come by.

 

Kawasaki won't begin building the cars until 2012 or early 2013. But they should begin production on the pilot cars later this year or early 2011 (based on when WMATA expects them). I'll keep you posted if I hear anything new.

 

You can visit the links below for more information.

 

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/032510_37000PresentationwithResolutions032510.pdf

 

http://journalstar.com/business/local/article_da581b74-9b43-11df-a5a7-001cc4c03286.html

[Paul P]

Why are the older early series cars considered "dangerous"?

[Fan Railer]

Why are the older early series cars considered "dangerous"?

 

The 1000 series railcars were built without necessary safety measures and are therefore prone to telescoping when involved in head on collisions with other railcars. All the other series (2000-6000) from then have been rehabbed or built with the anticlimbers and other safety gear that prevents such action.

 

[Forest Glen]

After that sad day in WMATA history, they started putting the Rohrs in the middle of consists. Despite what happened on that day, the Rohrs are my favorite cars in the WMATA fleet.

[WMATA]

The 1ks are no more dangerous than the Breda rehabs and 4k cars. The NTSB kept recommending that WMATA retrofit the Rohrs with collision protection similar to the 5k and 6k cars - no mention of the rebuilt Bredas or original Bredas. If anything, the CAF cars are the most "dangerous" as they are prone to derailing.

 

Preventing accidents is the key. Stuffing them in the middle doesn't make them less prone to telescoping (i.e. the West Falls Church yard accident).

[metsfan]

The seating is like that to avoid the "tube of death" effect where people could fall and crush each other etc, better to have a seat in front of you than a wall of people.

 

- A

[Johnny Cocker]

The seating is like that to avoid the "tube of death" effect where people could fall and crush each other etc, better to have a seat in front of you than a wall of people.

 

- A

 

hmmmmmmmm

makes sense I suppose.

But trains are constantly over crowded during rush hour and there needs to be away to increase capacity.

[WMATA]

hmmmmmmmm

makes sense I suppose.

But trains are constantly over crowded during rush hour and there needs to be away to increase capacity.

The 7000s are supposed to have more standing capacity than all of the current rolling stock. There will be 4 operator cabs on an 8 car train (e.g. R160A-1) as opposed to 8 cabs on an 8 car train on the current rolling stock. That will allow for an additional 40 passengers. The the two end doors will also be closer to the middle doors to help with passenger flow.

 

WMATA has experimented with longitudinal seating on the current rolling stock, but due to redundant equipment (for diagnosing mechanical problems) beneath several of the seats, they can only do it on a few seats. The 7000s will not have any equipment under the seats so we could see more longitudinal seating arrangements. I wouldn't rule it out.

[Forest Glen]

I favor the arrangement with more seats. The Metro is somewhat of a commuter railroad. No one wants to stand from Twinbrook to Metro Center.

[WMATA]

I favor the arrangement with more seats. The Metro is somewhat of a commuter railroad. No one wants to stand from Twinbrook to Metro Center.

 

I agree, FG. WMATA isn't the NYCTA. Metrorail is a blend of commuter rail and urban rail. That's part of what makes the system unique.

[railguy]

Did Kawasaki receive official NTP from WMATA? I know they got Notice to Award.

[Johnny Cocker]

I favor the arrangement with more seats. The Metro is somewhat of a commuter railroad. No one wants to stand from Twinbrook to Metro Center.

 

Yeah but at the same time you don't want trains to be full by the time they get to East Falls Church on the orange line, as a matter of fact most of seats are full once the orange lines Dunn-Loring during the AM rush hour. The orange line could definitely use less seats.

[Forest Glen]

They could solve this problem by short turning a few trains at West Falls Church (like the Red line does at Grosvenor and Silver Spring).

[WMATA]

Metro will be consulting with customers to help design the interior of the new cars. I would like to see something similar to the "FIND" system on the R160s.

 

The engineers need to consider adding more external speakers as well. On the mock-up design, there's only two external speakers (one per side) per car. The current rolling stock is the same way. There should be at least 6 per car (3 on each side).

 

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4725

[Forest Glen]

I'm glad they're consulting with passengers. I personally wish they kept the leather seats and carpets, but at the same time they have to increase capacity.