Crime & Safety

Metro to Purchase Additional New Railcars from Kawasaki

New cars are supposed to be safer, have better doors and digital signage.

By Drew Hansen

Metro will replace more than half of its railcars in the next five years under a new $1.5 billion deal with Kawasaki, according to The Washington Post.

Metro General Manager Richard Sarles told the transit agency’s board that the rail system is exercising a contract option to buy 220 new cars by the end of 2016. Metro has already purchased more than 500 cars from the Japan-based company.

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The new cars are supposed to be safer, have better doors, digital signage, cameras and automated announcements, Sarles said. The cars will eventually replace Breda series 4000 vehicles supplied in the 1990s.

Metro has roughly 1,200 railcars in its fleet. The first batch of new cars is expected to be integrated into the system by mid-2014.

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Metro showed off its new 7000 series cars in a video from the Kawasaki factory in Japan in July. 

Sarles gave a video tour of the 7000 series cars in 2012. You can watch it above. 


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