Alstom Cars

Does anyone know when the new Alstom cars will start rolling in Washington. Last I heard, 62 were being delivered.

"Mr. Harlem Line"
Does anyone know when the new Alstom cars will start rolling in Washington. Last I heard, 62 were being delivered.

I would hazard a guess roughly half of the 110 are on the property now. About a dozen were on the property at the end of November of 2005. From the press releases at www.wmata.com/about/met_news/dailyrelease.cfm, WMATA expects to start putting them in service during the last half of 2006

I took these pictures back in November of 2005 during testing;

http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/cars/

Bonus video also during testing;

http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 005-07.wmv

Thanks for the photos and the video!!! These cars almost look like the CAF Cars, and the propulsion system is unheard of in the Washington Metrorail system. What kind is it? It sounds almost like the Alstom ONIX AC Traction used on the R142 Subway Cars in New York.

Also, the Alstom #6 Coaches are also like the older #2 and #3 Cars that have been overhauled.

Mr. Harlem Line wrote:Thanks for the photos and the video!!! These cars almost look like the CAF Cars, and the propulsion system is unheard of in the Washington Metrorail system. What kind is it? It sounds almost like the Alstom ONIX AC Traction used on the R142 Subway Cars in New York.

Welcome to the world of the semi-unearthly sounds of AC traction. Most AC cars seem to produce strange sounds like that (speaking for personal observations of MBTA Red Line subway cars and Type 8 trolleys, trackless trolleys, and the aforementioned R142s). I've heard some people here call it "futureistic and space age" sounding, others complain about it.

"Mr. Harlem Line"
Thanks for the photos and the video!!! These cars almost look like the CAF Cars, and the propulsion system is unheard of in the Washington Metrorail system. What kind is it? It sounds almost like the Alstom ONIX AC Traction used on the R142 Subway Cars in New York.

As noted by octr202 You’re hearing the sound of AC traction propulsion. With the exception of the remainder of the Breda’s that have not yet been rehabilitated all of the WMATA fleet has AC traction.

There are a few minor exterior differences. The biggest differences are in the interior seating configuration.

Hope to get pictures of the interiors as well a close up picture of the exteriors when WMATA holds the rail rodeo next month.

Thanks! Can't wait to see em!

Hopefully by the end of 2006 or early '07 they'll come online.

We hope to have them in service by 2007. We have had some problems with the bushings on the on the trucks,shims on the trucks and the airbags. The program is on hold.

Yeah, that's what I saw from the other thread. Hopefully that problem will be resolved, nothing like the MBTA Boston Type 8 Trolley scandal with derailments

At least this is a different issue.

Hmmm, seems like everything Alstom builds is full of problems. More info on the New Jersey Transit thread.

You are 100 percent correct. They can't build a train to save their life. I know they lost the bid for Chicago as well...

Head-end View wrote:Hmmm, seems like everything Alstom builds is full of problems. More info on the New Jersey Transit thread.

Like what?

I can think of the R160As, which only had minor problems that were easily fixed, and the new WMATA cars.

They did a fabulous job rehabbing the WMATA Breda 2000 and 3000 series cars.

The BART cars seem to be running smoothly.

What Alstom cars have had significant trouble?

"They did a fabulous job rehabbing the WMATA Breda 2000 and 3000 series cars. "

LMAO. You are kidding right?

Well, as a guy who rides the DC Metro relatively often, I like them a lot.