That all sounds great, provided they come to their senses and decide not to use a '96 Dodge Neon as the inspiration for the upholstery design.

I will be deeply saddened if they get rid of the current system of station announcements. It's the only chance many tourists get to experience the true Wershingdon accent.

Why not carbon fiber? Sure it would cost a billion dollars but that sumabitch would weigh about a 96 Neon.

However, I really hope they look at the door width. A wider door will allow more than 1.5 people to get out at a time. Wider door equal faster loads and unloads which equals faster Metro.

at least those look like they are designed to fit many more standing passengers than the current trains. that's a huge improvement.

Turn all the friggin' cars into electric salad-shooters, shredding locals and tourists alike as soon as they enter the things..... whatever they want to do is lovely.

......BUT I specifically asked Santa (or was that Satan?) for street-level SmartTrip card machines, for us happy bastards that use MetroBUS exclusively.

Since they're pushing everyone to use SmartTrip cards everywhere, it would be splendid to be able to throw some cash on 'em without descending into the bowels of the earth (or was that Satan?)

what?

You can add cash to your SmarTrip on the bus. No need to go into a metro station unless you want to use yoru credit card.

The best thing to do would to make people pay for the bus before boarding like they do in many other cities. There are fewer bus stops and the stops have machines where you pay your fare before boarding. On some you can use all doors to board. You either validate them in a machine on the bus or they have transit cops randomly checking tickets to make sure you paid.

This was the idea with the Circulator when it first started. Even now according to the website you can board at any door if you buy a ticket from the machine on the curb, have a bus pass, or bus transfer. I've never seen anyone board through anything but the front door.

Maybe there is more space b/c Washingtonians are getting fatter?

Although I like the comfyness of the Metro seats, wouldn't it make more sense to switch to a NYC-style of a row of seats against the windows, rather than seats perpendicular to the windows? Yes, long-distance commuters would have sore butts, but you could fit more people on the cars.

And please, please, please - no more carpet on the Metro cars. The smell from those things is a crime against humanity.

And I really, really like the idea of security cameras in each Metro car.

What I don't understand is those "grab handles" meant to palliate those of us under 6 feet tall. Why not just make the regular ceiling hold bar lower?

So, is the 'recycled Carnival cruise line carpet' upholstery meant to serve as camouflage for drunken vomit stains? I can't see any other reason for selecting that rather frenetic pattern.

Given the number of hyperactive tourist kids who like to treat the train cars like playgrounds, perhaps something a bit more calming and sedate in the way of upholstery is in order.

i am so excited for rubber floors, i can't even explain. as much as i hate the NYC subway system, their robber (or is it cheap lineoleum?) floors are so much better. something nasty on the floor? open the doors, power wash it out.

the current carpet makes the cars smell worse than a wet dog on even the dry days. i can't wait for the springtime rains to come and fill the cars with allergy-inducing mold.

now, Metro . . . how are we going to afford these spiffy cars? our rate increase was an increase, but i'm not sure if it'll be enough.

Since these are still 5 years off, let's hope they rethink the cheesy America's Metro logo on the outside and find some nicer upholstery. Blech!

LCD interactive maps. Are those them above the sideways seats? How many tourists will miss their stop trying to figure them out...

Please no more recoded voices (ex. "stand on the right walk on the left"). Hometown announcers are so much more fun, especially when the driver had to much coffee or got lucky is doing the talking.

I hope the new seats aren't similar to the fold down seats on the newest cars. They're less comfortable than Ride On bus seats. Ugh.

I hope the pictures are telling the truth about the floor color. The new rubberized floor in the latest batch of cars is grey and looks like crap when it rains.

Yeah, I'm totally not down for the electronic voice. The variety is a plus. For the most part they are nothing special, but occasionally you get that woman with the super-sexy voice or that dude with the super smooth voice. The least they can do is hire those two to do the recordings.

Oh and why do they have to keep that ugly 1960's Gambrel-roof shaped profile? It's not like the tunnels are shaped that way, or that the tunnels are so tight that the cars need to be any shape in particular. Their current profile is just so dumpy looking. They should move to the more traditional upside down U-shape.

Hey Man. Can I axe you a qwestion? I'm trying to get home..see..and all I need is 25 sense. 25 sense!?
No! You gotta trancefer?

I like watching the short people scramble around with nothing to hold onto. They amuse me.

Judishuwary Square is cute; so is Elephant Plaza.

I would like train door edges fitted with Ginzu knife blades so Junior High kids will stop holding the doors open, delaying trains and burning out door servos.

I'm pretty happy with the new design, except for the aforementioned upholstry. It looks so 80s! Why not put one of those Nagle paintings in the windows while they're at it.

WHile on the subject, just wanted to throw out a plea for WMATA to get thinking about extending the Yellow Line to Ft. Totten all the time, instead of just off-peak. The Target in Columbia Heights is opening in 2 months!

bench seating! metro are morons...

"Why not just make the regular ceiling hold bar lower?"

Because tall people will hit their heads on it. The grab handles are as low as it's gonna get.

"Not even four days since they instituted a fare hike because their operating expenses greatly exceeded their budget, and what does Metro do with the money?"

The current rail cars aren't going to last forever, and it takes a long time to design and build cars. Also, more cars are needed for the Silver Line.

"While on the subject, just wanted to throw out a plea for WMATA to get thinking about extending the Yellow Line to Ft. Totten all the time"

It's not that they haven't thought of it.. there just aren't enough cars to do it during peak hours.

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that premium-priced express trains will run from prestigious suburban Red Line stations to downtown.

I regret planting this rumor just now, especially where impressionable Metro officials can read it.

"The current rail cars aren't going to last forever, and it takes a long time to design and build cars. Also, more cars are needed for the Silver Line."

True, Politburo. But did they just tout the new design of Metrorail cars a month ago? http://dcist.com/2007/12/05/metro_unveils_n.php

They can never settle on a design and pay the manufacturer to build them. They've gotten on this kick of redesigning the cars, and they are constantly doing this. Since 2000, Metro has provided either updates to the current Metro design or even new designs at least 5 times.

And as from the cover of today's Express, they have plently of money to pay a design firm to design new Metro cars, but can't afford to fix the current fleet?

I will be deeply saddened if they get rid of the current system of station announcements. It's the only chance many tourists get to experience the true Wershingdon accent.

I agree 100%, edthered. The voice of the train operator is the only thing that makes riding the metro less depressing than riding the bus.

Hello Metro! Plastic seats. This cloth business is non-sense. People don't need padding on the metro. Way too much in upkeep expenses. Ditch the cloth and go with plastic. Go look at cars in New York and Chicago.

Why is everyone always complaining about the smell of the carpets? I've been riding the subway here since I was three, and I've never once noticed a smell. The urine stench on the buses, on the other hand, is pretty noticeable.

I definitely agree we need bench seating. You get almost as many seats and tons more standing room.

And I'm pleased there are vertical bars all along the aisle, but us shorties will have nothing to hang onto if we're stuck near the doors. Boy do I love falling over on a crowded train.

Dsade,

It is tough to add more than 8 cars since most stations are only 8 cars long.

Oh, and it's all plasticky like a Dodge Neon, too.

I am so rarin' for the 2000s to be over, but between this, the London Olympic logo and M.I.A. album covers the 2010s promise to be a whole new heap of raver-ugly.

I *love* that Metro is FINALLY developing even a remote sense of style and color coordination. No Red, blue, and Yellow do not mix with ugly pink carpet; or in some cars, a combination of all the hideous colors they've used since opening day.

Glad to see the carpet go, smelly, ugly and expensive. I do hope they go with the darker of the rubber floors I've seen, that lighter grey shows too much dirt and is much more slippery.

I too think they should ditch the padded seats, sure it's comfortable, but we need more space for standees and people who insist on bringing baggage (like children or suitcases).

If all Metro operators sounded as good as a select few that I enjoy hearing, I'd support keeping the announcing... but since most times you can't even hear the announcement (if there is one), I would prefer automated (and consistent, easy to understand) announcements. I also wish they'd change the door chime... it should say "back the f**k up or you lose an arm!" haha

The handrails are too high, I agree, and I'm 5'10" - but, being average height, if you lower the rails any more, or use those damn dangling things they have, more of us will run into them than will those who can't reach. They need more verticals and more spring loaded in the open areas. I understand their desire to have the aisle unobstructed though, the cars with the three triangle poles do make it hard to get down the aisle if you're in a wheel chair, have bags, or are fat (not that I am either of those, just considerate, to some extent).

I do hope that the "America's" thing is just something the design company did to be cute...if Metro puts that hideous bastard of a log on their cars I may have to find another way to work...it's just so tacky there aren't enough words to describe the loathing I would have for any Metro car labeled like that!

The other thing they need to correct is the destination signs; when they work, it's great! So make them work on every car, every line, all the time! The idea of an LCD display map *seems* cool now; but you know Metro will not keep them up to date, or they'll get broken, vandalized, or just neglected and eventually will end up being an expensive eye-sore...so I'd be fine without that...the posters work just fine if you're literate.