Metro today announced it is looking ahead to the purchase of its new 8,000 series rail cars.
The new fleet will replace cars that have served riders for about 40 years.
From a press release:
Metro today took the first step toward acquiring its next generation of railcars, building on the success of the popular and reliable 7000-series fleet, with the issuance of a Request for Proposals for the design and construction of hundreds of new 8000-series cars to be delivered starting in 2024.
Metro plans to acquire at least 256 8000-series cars to allow for the retirement of the 2000- and 3000-series cars at the end of their 40-year service life. Options in the contract would allow Metro to purchase “up to” 800 cars in all, giving the transit agency the flexibility to support a range of initiatives and scenarios, including expanding all trains to the maximum 8-car length, running trains more frequently during rush hours, and retiring the 6000-series fleet in lieu of a midlife overhaul program.
The 7,000 series car allowed Metro to retire its original 1,000-series cars, the train cars the system used when it opened in 1976.
Those cars were involved in the fatal 2009 rail collision on the Red line.
