Metro today gave the media a look at its new 7000 series railcar, which was greeted at the Greenbelt station by Mayor Vince Gray, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and other politicians.

DCist was able to walk through one of the sleek new railcars and we can confirm that they’re pretty nice. The vinyl orange seats are out, replaced by blue padded seats with lumbar support. Carpet is also gone, replaced by speckled nonslip flooring. LED screens display route information and other tidbits, like whether car-sharing is available at the station. “The future of Metro is here,” General Manager Richard Sarles told the crowd.

Perhaps most importantly, officials say the new cars are safer. According to Metro, the 7000-series was “built to meet improved crashworthiness standards to absorb maximum energy in the event of a collision.” They are also equipped with event recorders, digitial video surveillance systems and “anti-climbers,” which “help keep cars upright and in-line in the event of a collision.” Several speakers mentioned the nine people who died in a June 2009 crash near Fort Totten.

The cars will be tested over the next several months, with deployment expected to begin later this year. Metro says by 2018, more than half of the fleet is expected to be 7000-series cars.

Metro currently has 528 new railcars on order—300 to replace all 1000-series cars, fulfilling a recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board, plus an additional 128 cars to handle ridership growth as a result of the Silver Line. The 7000-series cars will run throughout the Metrorail system, on all lines. Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles has announced that, as part of Metro’s 2025 strategic plan, the Authority hopes to order another 220 cars in 2015 to provide more eight-car trains (the longest possible length) for more capacity during peak periods.