ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) unveiled the first of its new rail cars last week.
According to MARTA, the new railcars feature open gangways, upgraded lighting, digital displays, charging stations and other improvements. The agency expects to start deploying the vehicles later this year.
The new railcar “symbolizes our unwavering commitment to modernization and to innovation and to you,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said during his State of MARTA address on Jan. 30.
“We’re going to run tests and analyze this inaugural cohort of trains and start releasing them into revenue service later this year,” Greenwood added. “But they’re going to improve the overall experience in ways that are obvious to the customers, but also in ways that are not so obvious.”
However, officials quickly note that the railcars are just one of the rail-focused improvements the agency is undertaking, noting that passengers may not see some of them.
“We’re also investing in the infrastructure of our rail system,” Greenwood said. “We’re moving forward with the installation of a new communications-based train control system, or CBTC, which uses wireless communication to precisely track train movements.”
It will improve “rail safety and on-time performance,” Greenwood added. The system will enable “tighter headways and shorter waits between trains. We’ll integrate CBTC with our new trains, and with that, MARTA will become one of the most advanced transit systems in the country.”
Greenwood said MARTA recently finished the fourth phase of its track renovation improvement project. It is investing in its rail control center, train control software and field equipment. MARTA has also updated its electrical infrastructure to ensure its 750-volt heavy rail system “stays powered up,” Greenwood said.
The agency is also spending $1 billion to improve all 38 rail stations in its network.
MARTA’s most recent cars, AnsaldoBreda-built CQ312 cars, entered service between 2001 and 2005.
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