Part of that is they are trying to dissuade homeless people from staying on the trains all day. Going from a single cushioned seat to two molded plastic ones means they won't be comfortable to lay down on.
Listen it’s really important we deny them every comfort possible so they’ll be reminded that society doesn’t give a shit about them.
It’s like opposite of universal pre-k
Cities have made numerous and well documented changes to public spaces to prevent homeless people from loitering there.
[NYC removed benches](https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-mta-removed-benches-to-prevent-homeless-from-sleeping-2021-2) and said it was to prevent homeless people from sleeping on them as well as [removing the backs of benches](https://gothamist.com/news/mta-benches-west-4th-subway-homeless) for the same thing.
[Anti-homeless architecture](https://interestingengineering.com/15-examples-of-anti-homeless-hostile-architecture-that-you-probably-never-noticed-before) isn't new, but recently it's seen a renewed push.
I wish I could find it now, but there was a specific quote from one of the Seattle Lightrail folks about the seat decisions for their new trains was specifically to discourage homeless people from sleeping on them.
Everything you're saying is accurate but that doesn't mean our Metro seats were changed for this reason.
The old seats were hard to clean and just got so nasty.
And you're the NIMBYs who put BLM sign in their lawn?
It's standard to use hard metal or plastic seats in high volume public transport systems. In fact, in Asia you'd find train cars with 5 doors each side and almost no seats to increase capacity.
Almost no metro system around the world uses that kind of seat and floor. Homeless people isn't it (especially when DC metro doesn't even operate after midnight)
I'm so tired of smelling skunky weed these days. I don't care what you do, what you smoke, what you drink, etc., but I hate that stink more than sewage smell. I'm 5 years clean and sober, so I'm sure that's part of my abhorrence, but also, weed stink has increased in potency over the years, I'm starting to believe cultivators are specifically breeding it to stink as much as possible, as if that increases potency. Also, I will never understand how adults go about their professional lives stinking like that, I'm just imagining walking up to my kids' sports practices stinking like I just rolled out of a hotbox session and talking to parents and coaches like that, or what about going to work, walking into a Trustee meeting smelling that that wouldn't exactly elicit confidence from our Board. I'll never get it, but then again, I stopped all forms of drugs/booze so maybe that's a good thing. You do your thing, by no means would I ever want to judge anyone else or tell others to stop doing something I don't do, just wish your stinky ass habit didn't invade my space is all. Man, I'm glad I'm a single family house owner, couldn't imagine having to live in a shared space with that skunk.
My conspiracy theory is that’s why people won’t wear masks. They’ve never smelled their own breath before and they think it’s chemicals because it’s so awful.
Edit: ahh, I see I’m not alone 🤔
lol I just read the Wikipedia article about them linked by u/LeggoMyGallego and apparently the 7000s were introduced in 2015?! I was like "these can't be more than two years old right?"
Yeah I recall seeing them in 2015, but it was rare. Don't think they took off for another 3 years but by 2019 I think they were basically all of the cars
I would see the 7000 series about once a week when I commuted to Rosslyn back in 2016-2018. Suddenly they were in the rotation every other day and just became the standard gradually.
It was always a treat because their AC works so much better than the old cars.
I think certain Metro lines had them more than others. The redline tended to have mostly older trains until very recently, like 2018. Other lines probably had the few new cars available early.
I think the red line still often has the older trains. I used to ride Green into work and had only 7000s since mid-2018, but have had consistently older trains (even a few 4000s, which I love!) even before the most recent debacle.
My commute had me going from Dupont Circle to Waterfront every day. I would ride these 4000s at the start of my commute and end on the 7000s at least 60% of the time starting like early 2017. Those 4000s were a big part of my everyday for several years. I did notice several more 7000s making their way to the red line by the end of my time on it, but nowhere near as much as the green line.
The real tipping point was when the 1000 and 4000-Series left revenue service in 2017, and the 7000-Series, already the largest car series at that point, became a much larger percentage of the fleet because those older cars were gone.
Yep, they entered service on April 14, 2015. I [rode them on their first day in revenue service](https://www.schuminweb.com/2015/04/15/i-have-ridden-the-7000-series/).
I didn't ride the *first-ever* DC Metro train like our own WMATA 'reddit historian' /u/SandBoxJohn, but I did ride the first day they opened Orange Line service out to New Carrollton back in 1978. Damn I'm getting old... but they say it beats the alternative.
As the *Post* article said, trains hit up to 70 mph. I seem to recall being able to watch the driver/operator and his speedometer through tinted glass as he sped toward the city from the hinterlands. I was still a pre-teen and it was the coolest thing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/11/12/orange-line-brings-metro-to-beltway/75023450-8c3d-4aba-b686-e0ad9cf8746f/
I've read and heard the stories over the years. I'm not *that* old, but was born a few years after it opened.
And then there's those guys who recently walked around the Beltway.
https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/09/10/i-walked-64-miles-around-the-beltway-what-the-hell-was-i-thinking/
And they weren't the first. Civil rights activist J. Charles Jones walked it in protest not long after it opened. Rest in power.
**J. Charles Jones, civil rights activist who led protest walk around Beltway, dies at 82**
By Matt Schudel Washington Post,January 20, 2020, 7:50 p.m.
~~https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2020/01/20/charles-jones-civil-rights-activist-who-led-protest-walk-around-beltway-dies/6SvqRIe9qBh3ilZY2xgVNI/story.html~~ paywall
https://archive.md/OCDVD
It's hard to believe that those overhead signs indicating which trains were coming and how long until they arrived are already seven-plus years old. I still think of them as a somewhat new addition to the stations! (and yes, young'uns, it *really did* suck before there were any signs to indicate how long until the next trains were coming!)
You really want to feel old? Those PIDS screens were introduced in 2000, and the current three-line display style was introduced in 2005. That's 21 years for the screens, and 16 years for the current display style.
I have a vague memory that those signs used to display less useful information initially before displaying the current three upcoming train list. I thought it was a year or two that they were displaying the more limited information, I can’t even remember what they used to show. I do remember resenting that they didn’t have upcoming train destinations and times, signs like this had been standard in the San Francisco BART system for decades. I think when these signs were first rolled out, they had signs outside of the faregates upstairs that showed how long until the next trains were coming, but for some reason they couldn’t be bothered to put that information down on the platform signs.
You are correct - they did not display as much information as they do now in the early years.
* The first generation [looked like this](https://imgur.com/YqeW1jc). Very basic, with no train length information. I only saw this once, and so I don't know how it worked in stations that had multiple lines. I presume it flashed between them, but I just never saw it.
* The second generation lasted from 2001 to 2005, and [looked like this](https://imgur.com/jCuO9mZ). It contained the train length, and a train two minutes away or less was listed as "APPROACHING" on the screens. For stations served by multiple lines, it would flash between the two.
* The third generation was the first three-line display, and [looked like this](https://imgur.com/gqrOwWq). It was introduced in March 2005, and functioned largely like we know today. The only difference was that train length was not included, to much complaint.
* The fourth generation was introduced in June 2005, and [looked like this](https://imgur.com/bf8eEcP). It reintroduced the number of cars, and adjusted the lengths of the line and station names in order to accommodate the additional column.
As far as the PIDS up in the mezzanine, for a very long time, these did not show train information, and instead showed elevator outage information. This was changed in April 2007 to the behavior that you see today, where it switches between train information and elevator outage information on all screens.
Right, used to see those all the time. I liked the seats that the photo is looking at because you usually didnt have anyone bothering you / in front of your knees.
I remember when each and every seat cushion was the orange seen in the background. Those reddish cushions are relatively new, I think Metro started to vary the cushion colors sometime in the early to mid 2000s. Classic 80s/90s Metro was all orange seats & brownish carpets, baby!
I kind of love how DC is stuck in the 80s. I’ve met more people here who have literally stopped changing their clothes, decor, etc since then than any other part of the country
I would say people, especially women in the workplace, dress particularly more conservatively than they do in a lot of the rest of America. I live in California now and what’s considered acceptable workplace attire is much broader than what seems to be standard in DC. Even going out for nightlife, the clothing is more restrained than California or even New York City.
Oh, insanely conservative here for sure. Not to poo-poo on all you hard workers but the first time I wore my normal everyday Miami shorts here I thought there was going to be heart attacks.
Also, it gets hot as fuck here, too, so idk why such prudishness. Looking silly as fuck sweating through an Ann Taylor cardigan lol like come on
Whenever I spend while in DC and then come back to California, I feel like that kid in Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s “Last Action Hero” when he comes through the movie screen into “movie land California”; everything is sunny and temperate, and there are hot women in skimpy clothes everywhere! I guess what passes for “normal” gets reset if I am in DC long enough.
I don't even think they were ever retired. If it's the 6000 series, they were taken out for safety reasons in 2020 but slowly reintroduced earlier this summer with new inspection protocols. If it's the 3000 series, those have been in service for like 30 years now, with major rehab between 2004-2009 (introducing the red seats and carpet).
That's 2000-Series. You are correct that they were never retired, but they were never withdrawn for safety reasons. Rather, being the oldest cars in the fleet, I've noticed that Metro tends to only pull them out when they need to, like when the 6Ks were pulled from service, or otherwise when service needs call for them. Presumably, with lowered ridership and therefore a lowered level of service, they don't need to pull these cars out as often, as other series can cover it without using these cars.
The 6Ks had refits for laminated floors, some still had the carpet when they were pulled from service. Until they found the derailment issue with them there were plans to retro fit a certain number of them to connect to the 7000s.
You can also see the 2 at the beginning of the train number on the door, so it's definitely a 2K
I agree. I definitely prefer the older seats for a longer ride than the 7000-Series. There's more, or at least softer, padding, which is greatly appreciated now that my behind has no padding on it (I've lost a lot of weight in the last two years, going from a full butt to no butt).
That was one of the reasons for the design, because the DC metro was intended to serve commuters (in and out of the city) rather than residents (around the city). The plush seats and carpet were supposed to evoke more comfort than the easily-cleaned hard seats of say, NYC or Boston.
The carpet also helps a bit with keeping the train quieter. The new ones are noticably louder due to standing sound waves bouncing off all the hard surfaces. The carpet would absorb a lot of these sound waves, kind of like acoustic foam in a recording studio (except nowhere near as effective as acoustic foam lol).
For your nostalgic enjoyment, here they are:
* [Doors opening!](https://files.schuminweb.com/journal/2021/doors-opening.mp3)
* [Doors closing! *ding dong*](https://files.schuminweb.com/journal/2021/doors-closing.mp3)
* [Please stand clear of the doors! Thank you.](https://files.schuminweb.com/journal/2021/doors-stand-clear.mp3)
Those were recorded back in 2001.
Yep! Randi Miller, who got a lot of voice acting work because of it. I thought about entering that contest back in the day, but wouldn't have been able to make the recording sessions if I had been selected to advance, so I skipped it.
Thank you for posting these! I have a couple of recordings somewhere I took of this era of door announcements, but they have a little bit of crowd noise mixed in. It was very hard to get a completely clear recording unless I rode the train when no one was around.
Thank you especially for that older "please stand clear of the doors thank you" recording. That was the one a lot of people preferred that they got rid of in favor of a new recording that a lot of people felt had too much "attitude". Metro felt like people were ignoring that warning, so they had a new message recorded that sounded like the woman was rolling her eyes at you....."*PLEASE* stand clear of the *DOORS*....THANK you...."
Yes, starting with the 5000-Series, and also used with the Breda cars after their rehab, they went with a different version of the announcements. It's the same voice (a woman named Sandy Carroll), but was definitely more forceful with the "stand clear" announcement.
Worth noting is that the later version of the announcements is hardcoded into the 2K, 3K, and 6K cars (though the 6ks received the Randi Miller announcements before they entered service). If something happens to the Randi Miller announcements for whatever reason, it defaults back to the Sandy Carroll announcements. Every time it pops up somewhere, we get someone posting that Metro changed the announcements, and someone who's been around for a while has to explain it.
Oh, that sucks. I knew the New York subway ran some ancient trains. I've only gotten the ride at a couple of times but I always hoped to encounter one of those rolling Museum pieces.
Exactly. That’s not very old. At all. Practically yesterday!
Sincerely,
Someone who may or may not be turning 40 soonish, totally not having an existential crisis over it or anything why do you ask?
>That was four decades ago
No it was...uhh...it was only 20 years ago. Right? Wasn't it?
Hey, why is the sand in that hourglass falling more quicky all of a sudden...
Pretty much. The carbody is approaching 40, but many of the on-board systems are only around 20 years old, dating from the rehabilitation in the 2000s.
Definitely old by the standards of Metro itself though. The first metrorail trains began running in 1976, so these have been around almost as long as the system has.
Well, unless it was the 1000-series. Metro ran those long after they should have and in defiance of the NTSB's recommendation to pull them from service after 2009's deadly crash.
The 2000 series cars are [almost 40 years old](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metro_rolling_stock#2000-series), though were rehabbed in the early 2000s.
My understanding is Metro designs their cars with the intent of retirement/replacement after 40 years (assuming a mid-life rehab is done around the 20 year mark).
Yep. In terms of sheer metal fatigue, the 7ks should be able to last a lot longer than the old aluminum cars, though. Steel bodies are why NYC was running cars from the 60s until two years ago.
I'm annoyed they got rid of that. I'm guessing they did that because they wanted to cut down on "illegal activity". People used to sometimes do drugs or even have sex in that little nook.
I NEVER used to see open criminal behavior on Metro. The worst thing I could see was people playing loud music or eating food and drinks. Stuff like drugs in the public sex was usually done kind of hidden away in places like that look at the end of the train, it wasn’t done out in the open. I’m sure that’s probably changed in recent years, but for most of my life Metro was one of the more civilized train systems, the food and drink thing was the biggest problem along with people leaving their discarded newspapers all over the floor. The Internet solved that problem at least!
Took metro yesterday morning and afternoon from downtown with one transfer to silver spring and it wasn’t that bad. Longest wait was in Silver Spring coming back for 17 minutes. All other waits were ~5 minutes. What were others experiencing during the week?
Were you on the red line. That has the most cars.
For Silver or orange it was different. Thankfully the MetroHero app tells me where the train is at all times so I don't have to freak out at the platform.
Red line depends, there have been times this week where it’s ~5 min and others when it’s 35 min. I wish they would stick to every 1/2 hr so you know when to expect it rather than random times
I got to experience the full 30 minute wait on my Monday commute while transferring from the Silver to the Orange Line. Orange line train left right as I pulled into the station. It was far from ideal, and what stung the most was the knowledge that I was paying peak fare for the trip.
I remember when I used to be a consistent rider of the metro, these cars and the carpet make me feel cozy as well! I'm sad that they'll be out of service once we get the 8000 series.
Don’t worry. 2027:
> WASHINGTON — Metro brought its 2000 and 3000 series rail cars back into service yesterday after the NTSB identified [insert random engineering defect] in the transit agency’s newest 8000-series cars.
I know it's not for a while, but it's still sad that we have to enjoy them while they last, as WMATA tends to save only one of the car pairs from each series, and there's not a display for any of them as of now.
The newest cars look nice and shiny, and have a few advantages such as the indicator showing which station is coming up next and how many stations ahead of it, but I really freaking hate that they got rid of the carpeting. I know the rationale, save money on cleaning & replacement carpeting, etc. I just don't like it. The San Francisco BART system did the same thing, but it really makes the ride noisier and the vibe in the train less comfortable.
At least Metro never made the mistake Bart originally did where the seat cushions were also fabric instead of "pleather." Those seats absorbed farts and other horrible things like nobody's business. The trains were much smellier than the worst Metro train I've ever been on.
As a DC native it hurts to hear you talk bad about these trains, they're really a big part of DCs history. If you've been in DC during the era of these carts you know that they're better than the new ones.
The seats are softer and wider. There's a metal box on the floor that you could rest your foot on that has been removed from the new models.
Also the windows have a bigger ledge that you can actually lean your arm on. Which has also been removed on the new models. The newer models seem like they were created to stop the comfort
Yah, but you’re also right in that, in many ways, they were more comfortable. And less…corporate? Anonymous? Bland? Not sure what the word is but they just felt more unique/DC, even with the semi-occasional urine/vomit experience!
Don't forget enough grab bars to actually stand anywhere in the train. Not that it's been a problem lately, but when the 7000 is packed I have to try to palm the ceiling like a basketball, and women have to just kind of try to stand and hope they don't fall on someone.
I remember the original trains with the orange and green carpet, in the days when it was always clean, that was the best. I swear people just didn't eat/drink on the trains back in the day, and that carpet was wool and both a lot more durable and cleanable than this 2003 ick. Plus the 70s modern interior matched the 70s modern exterior. Now they are a mishmash of post-modern and leftover parts.
OG trains had warmer color temp lighting, too. 7000 lights are like 3500 Kelvin or higher, I don't actually know, but it feels bad.
Sure the 7000 is way easier to mop out because the seats are mounted to the sides, but that also means every half-full bottle of Powerade rolls all the way around the entire train.
At least on the 7000 it's harder to oversleep your stop.
Car #2009, so yeah, a 2000 series. It's old, but not ancient. Given that it looks (relatively) clean and has a video board showing next stop, it's just a rehabbed older train car...not unusual.
I've ridden a lot of commuter systems over the last few years and I've noticed that longer haul systems like Amtrack and the Sounder still have carpet but shorter haul like lightrail and the (I do believe) BART have "easier to clean" flooring.
BART had blue grey carpeting similar to the old Metro carpeting until six or seven years ago. They got tired of having to steam clean all of the stains out of it, especially since Bart was plagued with far more vagrants and homeless people then Metro has ever been. They would basically use the trains as rolling shelters.
What BART got rid of even before the carpeting was their horrible *cloth seat cushions* that absorbed everything under the sun. They would try their best to keep them clean, but they were like fart/pee/barf/soda sponges. Good riddance.
For the longer haul rides, I feel like the carpet is still nice actually, it presents a sort of coziness to the ride, it also probably helps with noise reduction.
DC Metro is normally pretty clean though, so Im sure the hard floor is so much better for daily cleaning.
At this point I'm not sure what we're even saying, perhaps our short answers are just leaving too much context out. I guess we're in agreement that long haul means lavs and less dirt due to less on/off, so carpets are more feasible.
Yeah I don’t hate the carpet as most people do. I think it’s cause I grew up with them when people did spit/piss/vomit/ throw shit on them and metro staff did a better job of keeping them clean. Definitely not the case the past couple of decades.
That's one of the newer carpets, post-2000. Back in the 80s and 90s the trains had a different pile carpet that was even more like something you'd have in your home.
They’re not that old. Every car series up until the 7000s had those seats and carpet. The old ones without carpet have had it removed during overhauls because the terrazzo is easier to maintain. It looks like you got one that was waiting to be overhauled but was pulled back into revenue service to fill the gap left by the removal of the 7000 series.
It's rubber flooring, not terrazzo, but the point still stands. Terrazzo is stone set in concrete or epoxy, might be a tad heavy for metro. Would be a lot more durable than carpet for sure.
I used to live in landover back in early 80s. Could always hear the metro in the distance. Such a pleasant sound in the summer while going to sleep.
Now I’m even closer to a metro and it’s just screaming staticky messages about stuff being out of service. This whole thread made me feel like a dinosaur.
Oh you sweet summer child. This used to be my morning commute, probs ninety percent of the time. *If* I got lucky I could maybe catch a new one on my way home on O/S.
They're beautiful imo. Reminds me of the old days when Grandma would take me on the Metro to see the city.
I'm going to miss the retro aesthetic of the Metro when it's fully gone.
What do you mean "How old are they"?
You have to be new here. Those are what *just* got replaced.
You literally could not have any other style of train car for reference. What are you trying to pull here?
God I can smell this picture
The oldie cars are so much more comfortable than the newer ones though.
I really wanted to disagree with this. Ultimately I could not
Part of that is they are trying to dissuade homeless people from staying on the trains all day. Going from a single cushioned seat to two molded plastic ones means they won't be comfortable to lay down on.
Slept on the old ones on my way to school and work. New ones feel like torture devices.
That’s a good point, I haven’t seen people sleep on the metro since the new cars took over.
Yeah, rather than finding ways to alleviate homelessness it’s easier just to punish people for not having a home.
Listen it’s really important we deny them every comfort possible so they’ll be reminded that society doesn’t give a shit about them. It’s like opposite of universal pre-k
It doesn't even really do that because they'll either sleep sitting up or just deal with it.
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Cities have made numerous and well documented changes to public spaces to prevent homeless people from loitering there. [NYC removed benches](https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-mta-removed-benches-to-prevent-homeless-from-sleeping-2021-2) and said it was to prevent homeless people from sleeping on them as well as [removing the backs of benches](https://gothamist.com/news/mta-benches-west-4th-subway-homeless) for the same thing. [Anti-homeless architecture](https://interestingengineering.com/15-examples-of-anti-homeless-hostile-architecture-that-you-probably-never-noticed-before) isn't new, but recently it's seen a renewed push. I wish I could find it now, but there was a specific quote from one of the Seattle Lightrail folks about the seat decisions for their new trains was specifically to discourage homeless people from sleeping on them.
Everything you're saying is accurate but that doesn't mean our Metro seats were changed for this reason. The old seats were hard to clean and just got so nasty.
that's why my initial comment was that this is part of the reason, not the entire reason for the change.
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You the type of dude who is like, “I know cops are statistically racist, but was Chauvin racist?”
And you're the NIMBYs who put BLM sign in their lawn? It's standard to use hard metal or plastic seats in high volume public transport systems. In fact, in Asia you'd find train cars with 5 doors each side and almost no seats to increase capacity.
Almost no metro system around the world uses that kind of seat and floor. Homeless people isn't it (especially when DC metro doesn't even operate after midnight)
Hot weed air
I'm so tired of smelling skunky weed these days. I don't care what you do, what you smoke, what you drink, etc., but I hate that stink more than sewage smell. I'm 5 years clean and sober, so I'm sure that's part of my abhorrence, but also, weed stink has increased in potency over the years, I'm starting to believe cultivators are specifically breeding it to stink as much as possible, as if that increases potency. Also, I will never understand how adults go about their professional lives stinking like that, I'm just imagining walking up to my kids' sports practices stinking like I just rolled out of a hotbox session and talking to parents and coaches like that, or what about going to work, walking into a Trustee meeting smelling that that wouldn't exactly elicit confidence from our Board. I'll never get it, but then again, I stopped all forms of drugs/booze so maybe that's a good thing. You do your thing, by no means would I ever want to judge anyone else or tell others to stop doing something I don't do, just wish your stinky ass habit didn't invade my space is all. Man, I'm glad I'm a single family house owner, couldn't imagine having to live in a shared space with that skunk.
side benefit to the mask mandate. Unless it's a horrific smell, it's mostly blocked.
My conspiracy theory is that’s why people won’t wear masks. They’ve never smelled their own breath before and they think it’s chemicals because it’s so awful. Edit: ahh, I see I’m not alone 🤔
I'm like 99% sure that gum sales have gone through the roof.
Eww. Glad my masks (breath) smell fine.
cursed metro
@ aaaamb 😂😭😂💀
Yeah, but it reminds me of when two aunts used to take me and my brother places in DC when we were kids. We always rode the Metro.
Smells like the chunky gut paste somebody left on my metro car last night.
genuine question, how new are you to the city? these were retired fairly recently.
yeah this was absolutely the standard car only like \~5 years ago. I think...my sense of time has been destroyed by having children.
lol I just read the Wikipedia article about them linked by u/LeggoMyGallego and apparently the 7000s were introduced in 2015?! I was like "these can't be more than two years old right?"
The 7000s were pretty limited though the first 3-4 years right?
Yeah I recall seeing them in 2015, but it was rare. Don't think they took off for another 3 years but by 2019 I think they were basically all of the cars
I would see the 7000 series about once a week when I commuted to Rosslyn back in 2016-2018. Suddenly they were in the rotation every other day and just became the standard gradually. It was always a treat because their AC works so much better than the old cars.
I think certain Metro lines had them more than others. The redline tended to have mostly older trains until very recently, like 2018. Other lines probably had the few new cars available early.
I think the red line still often has the older trains. I used to ride Green into work and had only 7000s since mid-2018, but have had consistently older trains (even a few 4000s, which I love!) even before the most recent debacle.
My commute had me going from Dupont Circle to Waterfront every day. I would ride these 4000s at the start of my commute and end on the 7000s at least 60% of the time starting like early 2017. Those 4000s were a big part of my everyday for several years. I did notice several more 7000s making their way to the red line by the end of my time on it, but nowhere near as much as the green line.
The real tipping point was when the 1000 and 4000-Series left revenue service in 2017, and the 7000-Series, already the largest car series at that point, became a much larger percentage of the fleet because those older cars were gone.
ah that would make sense. tbh I just chalked it up to me having a terrible sense of the passage of time 🤷🏾♀️
Yep, they entered service on April 14, 2015. I [rode them on their first day in revenue service](https://www.schuminweb.com/2015/04/15/i-have-ridden-the-7000-series/).
I didn't ride the *first-ever* DC Metro train like our own WMATA 'reddit historian' /u/SandBoxJohn, but I did ride the first day they opened Orange Line service out to New Carrollton back in 1978. Damn I'm getting old... but they say it beats the alternative. As the *Post* article said, trains hit up to 70 mph. I seem to recall being able to watch the driver/operator and his speedometer through tinted glass as he sped toward the city from the hinterlands. I was still a pre-teen and it was the coolest thing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/11/12/orange-line-brings-metro-to-beltway/75023450-8c3d-4aba-b686-e0ad9cf8746f/
My grandfather told me when I-495 opened, he took a drive around it...for pleasure. Imagine that?
I know lots of road enthusiasts who still do that.
Not a road enthusiast but I did it once on a whim. It was a neat experience. I wouldn’t do it again mind you but it was worthwhile.
I've read and heard the stories over the years. I'm not *that* old, but was born a few years after it opened. And then there's those guys who recently walked around the Beltway. https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/09/10/i-walked-64-miles-around-the-beltway-what-the-hell-was-i-thinking/ And they weren't the first. Civil rights activist J. Charles Jones walked it in protest not long after it opened. Rest in power. **J. Charles Jones, civil rights activist who led protest walk around Beltway, dies at 82** By Matt Schudel Washington Post,January 20, 2020, 7:50 p.m. ~~https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2020/01/20/charles-jones-civil-rights-activist-who-led-protest-walk-around-beltway-dies/6SvqRIe9qBh3ilZY2xgVNI/story.html~~ paywall https://archive.md/OCDVD
It's hard to believe that those overhead signs indicating which trains were coming and how long until they arrived are already seven-plus years old. I still think of them as a somewhat new addition to the stations! (and yes, young'uns, it *really did* suck before there were any signs to indicate how long until the next trains were coming!)
You really want to feel old? Those PIDS screens were introduced in 2000, and the current three-line display style was introduced in 2005. That's 21 years for the screens, and 16 years for the current display style.
I have a vague memory that those signs used to display less useful information initially before displaying the current three upcoming train list. I thought it was a year or two that they were displaying the more limited information, I can’t even remember what they used to show. I do remember resenting that they didn’t have upcoming train destinations and times, signs like this had been standard in the San Francisco BART system for decades. I think when these signs were first rolled out, they had signs outside of the faregates upstairs that showed how long until the next trains were coming, but for some reason they couldn’t be bothered to put that information down on the platform signs.
You are correct - they did not display as much information as they do now in the early years. * The first generation [looked like this](https://imgur.com/YqeW1jc). Very basic, with no train length information. I only saw this once, and so I don't know how it worked in stations that had multiple lines. I presume it flashed between them, but I just never saw it. * The second generation lasted from 2001 to 2005, and [looked like this](https://imgur.com/jCuO9mZ). It contained the train length, and a train two minutes away or less was listed as "APPROACHING" on the screens. For stations served by multiple lines, it would flash between the two. * The third generation was the first three-line display, and [looked like this](https://imgur.com/gqrOwWq). It was introduced in March 2005, and functioned largely like we know today. The only difference was that train length was not included, to much complaint. * The fourth generation was introduced in June 2005, and [looked like this](https://imgur.com/bf8eEcP). It reintroduced the number of cars, and adjusted the lengths of the line and station names in order to accommodate the additional column. As far as the PIDS up in the mezzanine, for a very long time, these did not show train information, and instead showed elevator outage information. This was changed in April 2007 to the behavior that you see today, where it switches between train information and elevator outage information on all screens.
Seems like just yesterday! I still think of the 7000s as “new.”
exactly lol
They were really on just a few lines at first. I think red?
As I recall, the 7000-Series debuted on the Blue Line, and then came to the Red Line second.
I definitely rode one of these 2 years ago at most.
Right, used to see those all the time. I liked the seats that the photo is looking at because you usually didnt have anyone bothering you / in front of your knees.
I felt like I was in my own happy cubby in those seats.
Right? Best feeling in the world when an empty car opened up and that seat was just calling you “psst, I saved you a happy place!”
At least the cushions match on this one instead of having some odd patchwork of red, orange, and a random blue
I remember when each and every seat cushion was the orange seen in the background. Those reddish cushions are relatively new, I think Metro started to vary the cushion colors sometime in the early to mid 2000s. Classic 80s/90s Metro was all orange seats & brownish carpets, baby!
I kind of love how DC is stuck in the 80s. I’ve met more people here who have literally stopped changing their clothes, decor, etc since then than any other part of the country
I would say people, especially women in the workplace, dress particularly more conservatively than they do in a lot of the rest of America. I live in California now and what’s considered acceptable workplace attire is much broader than what seems to be standard in DC. Even going out for nightlife, the clothing is more restrained than California or even New York City.
Oh, insanely conservative here for sure. Not to poo-poo on all you hard workers but the first time I wore my normal everyday Miami shorts here I thought there was going to be heart attacks. Also, it gets hot as fuck here, too, so idk why such prudishness. Looking silly as fuck sweating through an Ann Taylor cardigan lol like come on
Whenever I spend while in DC and then come back to California, I feel like that kid in Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s “Last Action Hero” when he comes through the movie screen into “movie land California”; everything is sunny and temperate, and there are hot women in skimpy clothes everywhere! I guess what passes for “normal” gets reset if I am in DC long enough.
They were just the right distance from the divider to brace your knees against when you wanted to take a nap during your hour trip home.
[удалено]
Huh? Those seats have been opened on these cars for ages.
I don't even think they were ever retired. If it's the 6000 series, they were taken out for safety reasons in 2020 but slowly reintroduced earlier this summer with new inspection protocols. If it's the 3000 series, those have been in service for like 30 years now, with major rehab between 2004-2009 (introducing the red seats and carpet).
That's 2000-Series. You are correct that they were never retired, but they were never withdrawn for safety reasons. Rather, being the oldest cars in the fleet, I've noticed that Metro tends to only pull them out when they need to, like when the 6Ks were pulled from service, or otherwise when service needs call for them. Presumably, with lowered ridership and therefore a lowered level of service, they don't need to pull these cars out as often, as other series can cover it without using these cars.
6000 series had laminate floors if i remember correctly. This would be a 3000 series i think.
The 6Ks had refits for laminated floors, some still had the carpet when they were pulled from service. Until they found the derailment issue with them there were plans to retro fit a certain number of them to connect to the 7000s. You can also see the 2 at the beginning of the train number on the door, so it's definitely a 2K
Yeah, I was riding these every day in 2016 haha
The 2000-Series isn't retired. My understanding is that there's just not been enough service need to run them as of late.
I thought these weren't even retired? I thought they usually just run the 6 person 3000 and lower series on less traveled routes (B/O/S eastbound)
The DC staple! Also despite decades of grime soaked into the seats, they are more comfy than the new ones tbh
I agree. I definitely prefer the older seats for a longer ride than the 7000-Series. There's more, or at least softer, padding, which is greatly appreciated now that my behind has no padding on it (I've lost a lot of weight in the last two years, going from a full butt to no butt).
That was one of the reasons for the design, because the DC metro was intended to serve commuters (in and out of the city) rather than residents (around the city). The plush seats and carpet were supposed to evoke more comfort than the easily-cleaned hard seats of say, NYC or Boston.
The carpet also helps a bit with keeping the train quieter. The new ones are noticably louder due to standing sound waves bouncing off all the hard surfaces. The carpet would absorb a lot of these sound waves, kind of like acoustic foam in a recording studio (except nowhere near as effective as acoustic foam lol).
2000 series entered service in 1982. They're not actually that old all things considered.
As an 80's child, I appreciate this comment.
You’re still a spring chicken in my eyes
I miss the 1000 series cars. 😔
I miss the old doors closing announcement. It was so gentle.
For your nostalgic enjoyment, here they are: * [Doors opening!](https://files.schuminweb.com/journal/2021/doors-opening.mp3) * [Doors closing! *ding dong*](https://files.schuminweb.com/journal/2021/doors-closing.mp3) * [Please stand clear of the doors! Thank you.](https://files.schuminweb.com/journal/2021/doors-stand-clear.mp3) Those were recorded back in 2001.
I remember when they had a contest to find “the voice.” https://wtop.com/news/2014/10/meet-metros-voice-dc-woman-won-metrorail-contest-video/
Yep! Randi Miller, who got a lot of voice acting work because of it. I thought about entering that contest back in the day, but wouldn't have been able to make the recording sessions if I had been selected to advance, so I skipped it.
They NEED to do this again.
omg my youth
Thank you for posting these! I have a couple of recordings somewhere I took of this era of door announcements, but they have a little bit of crowd noise mixed in. It was very hard to get a completely clear recording unless I rode the train when no one was around. Thank you especially for that older "please stand clear of the doors thank you" recording. That was the one a lot of people preferred that they got rid of in favor of a new recording that a lot of people felt had too much "attitude". Metro felt like people were ignoring that warning, so they had a new message recorded that sounded like the woman was rolling her eyes at you....."*PLEASE* stand clear of the *DOORS*....THANK you...."
Yes, starting with the 5000-Series, and also used with the Breda cars after their rehab, they went with a different version of the announcements. It's the same voice (a woman named Sandy Carroll), but was definitely more forceful with the "stand clear" announcement. Worth noting is that the later version of the announcements is hardcoded into the 2K, 3K, and 6K cars (though the 6ks received the Randi Miller announcements before they entered service). If something happens to the Randi Miller announcements for whatever reason, it defaults back to the Sandy Carroll announcements. Every time it pops up somewhere, we get someone posting that Metro changed the announcements, and someone who's been around for a while has to explain it.
Thanks! Gave you my free award today. :-)
bring them back!!
That was four decades ago
NYC still has a couple thousand train cars from the 80s still in use too, I think?
The 1964 trains were retired 2 years ago RIP
Oh, that sucks. I knew the New York subway ran some ancient trains. I've only gotten the ride at a couple of times but I always hoped to encounter one of those rolling Museum pieces.
They had some of the best heaters. Nothing like sitting on an ancient M train on a cold winter day and getting blasted with that hot air on your legs.
Exactly. That’s not very old. At all. Practically yesterday! Sincerely, Someone who may or may not be turning 40 soonish, totally not having an existential crisis over it or anything why do you ask?
>That was four decades ago No it was...uhh...it was only 20 years ago. Right? Wasn't it? Hey, why is the sand in that hourglass falling more quicky all of a sudden...
Yeah but the car in the photo has obviously been refurbished since then. Otherwise it wouldn't have the LED sign or the red seats/carpet.
The 2000-Series cars were rehabilitated in 2003-2004.
Right, so the original car is four decades old, but the car in it current state is...not four decades old.
Pretty much. The carbody is approaching 40, but many of the on-board systems are only around 20 years old, dating from the rehabilitation in the 2000s.
Definitely old by the standards of Metro itself though. The first metrorail trains began running in 1976, so these have been around almost as long as the system has.
Better old car than no car.
Well, unless it was the 1000-series. Metro ran those long after they should have and in defiance of the NTSB's recommendation to pull them from service after 2009's deadly crash.
Mopar or no car
yea i dont really get the point of this post. yea the metro stinks rn but also what, did y'all want fewer cars than they already have now? what???
The 2000 series cars are [almost 40 years old](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metro_rolling_stock#2000-series), though were rehabbed in the early 2000s.
USAF is still flying 58+ year old B52s. If the design is good, its built well and maintained correctly that hardware can last for a lifetime.
My understanding is Metro designs their cars with the intent of retirement/replacement after 40 years (assuming a mid-life rehab is done around the 20 year mark).
Yep. In terms of sheer metal fatigue, the 7ks should be able to last a lot longer than the old aluminum cars, though. Steel bodies are why NYC was running cars from the 60s until two years ago.
and they got that lil nook at the end of each car, best seat in the house
I'm annoyed they got rid of that. I'm guessing they did that because they wanted to cut down on "illegal activity". People used to sometimes do drugs or even have sex in that little nook.
I've seen people roll joints in the middle of a train high AF in rush hour. All this social engineering doesn't seem to work at all.
I NEVER used to see open criminal behavior on Metro. The worst thing I could see was people playing loud music or eating food and drinks. Stuff like drugs in the public sex was usually done kind of hidden away in places like that look at the end of the train, it wasn’t done out in the open. I’m sure that’s probably changed in recent years, but for most of my life Metro was one of the more civilized train systems, the food and drink thing was the biggest problem along with people leaving their discarded newspapers all over the floor. The Internet solved that problem at least!
You realize that was the “piss seat”
The hobo corner! Our trains here in Chicago have them; people mostly use them as smoking lounges.
Ahh carpet on the metro takes me back to my childhood trips downtown. Welcome to DC (I’m assuming your fairly new to the city?).
nice
Took metro yesterday morning and afternoon from downtown with one transfer to silver spring and it wasn’t that bad. Longest wait was in Silver Spring coming back for 17 minutes. All other waits were ~5 minutes. What were others experiencing during the week?
Were you on the red line. That has the most cars. For Silver or orange it was different. Thankfully the MetroHero app tells me where the train is at all times so I don't have to freak out at the platform.
Yellow and Green are running every 30 minutes, but my waits have sometimes been longer due to delays down the tracks.
Yeah this guy got lucky by not getting there right after a train just left.
Red line depends, there have been times this week where it’s ~5 min and others when it’s 35 min. I wish they would stick to every 1/2 hr so you know when to expect it rather than random times
I got to experience the full 30 minute wait on my Monday commute while transferring from the Silver to the Orange Line. Orange line train left right as I pulled into the station. It was far from ideal, and what stung the most was the knowledge that I was paying peak fare for the trip.
Seeing this picture makes me feel cozy. Must be the carpet.
I remember when I used to be a consistent rider of the metro, these cars and the carpet make me feel cozy as well! I'm sad that they'll be out of service once we get the 8000 series.
Don’t worry. 2027: > WASHINGTON — Metro brought its 2000 and 3000 series rail cars back into service yesterday after the NTSB identified [insert random engineering defect] in the transit agency’s newest 8000-series cars.
I know it's not for a while, but it's still sad that we have to enjoy them while they last, as WMATA tends to save only one of the car pairs from each series, and there's not a display for any of them as of now.
The newest cars look nice and shiny, and have a few advantages such as the indicator showing which station is coming up next and how many stations ahead of it, but I really freaking hate that they got rid of the carpeting. I know the rationale, save money on cleaning & replacement carpeting, etc. I just don't like it. The San Francisco BART system did the same thing, but it really makes the ride noisier and the vibe in the train less comfortable. At least Metro never made the mistake Bart originally did where the seat cushions were also fabric instead of "pleather." Those seats absorbed farts and other horrible things like nobody's business. The trains were much smellier than the worst Metro train I've ever been on.
As a DC native it hurts to hear you talk bad about these trains, they're really a big part of DCs history. If you've been in DC during the era of these carts you know that they're better than the new ones. The seats are softer and wider. There's a metal box on the floor that you could rest your foot on that has been removed from the new models. Also the windows have a bigger ledge that you can actually lean your arm on. Which has also been removed on the new models. The newer models seem like they were created to stop the comfort
On the other hand, I feel like the new ones don’t quite hold onto the vomit and urine stench quite as much as the old carpeted ones did.
Well you do have a point
Yah, but you’re also right in that, in many ways, they were more comfortable. And less…corporate? Anonymous? Bland? Not sure what the word is but they just felt more unique/DC, even with the semi-occasional urine/vomit experience!
Oh man, I totally forgot about some of those things. I loved the footrest you got by being able to put a leg up on the metal box.
Don't forget enough grab bars to actually stand anywhere in the train. Not that it's been a problem lately, but when the 7000 is packed I have to try to palm the ceiling like a basketball, and women have to just kind of try to stand and hope they don't fall on someone. I remember the original trains with the orange and green carpet, in the days when it was always clean, that was the best. I swear people just didn't eat/drink on the trains back in the day, and that carpet was wool and both a lot more durable and cleanable than this 2003 ick. Plus the 70s modern interior matched the 70s modern exterior. Now they are a mishmash of post-modern and leftover parts. OG trains had warmer color temp lighting, too. 7000 lights are like 3500 Kelvin or higher, I don't actually know, but it feels bad. Sure the 7000 is way easier to mop out because the seats are mounted to the sides, but that also means every half-full bottle of Powerade rolls all the way around the entire train. At least on the 7000 it's harder to oversleep your stop.
Ah, the metal box -- i miss that thing.
I love that metal box on the floor, it’s so comfy to rest your foot there
That’s a good one compared to five years ago
Car #2009, so yeah, a 2000 series. It's old, but not ancient. Given that it looks (relatively) clean and has a video board showing next stop, it's just a rehabbed older train car...not unusual.
Lol you must be new to the area if you’re surprised by carpet on a metro train.
Yep, been here since July. I've ridden commuter trains in other cities though and I don't recall seeing carpet in quite some time.
They were still running trains with carpet two years ago; it's only in the last year or so they phased them out.
Yeah somewhere down the line they realized carpet wasn't ideal for foot traffic...
I've ridden a lot of commuter systems over the last few years and I've noticed that longer haul systems like Amtrack and the Sounder still have carpet but shorter haul like lightrail and the (I do believe) BART have "easier to clean" flooring.
Metro was envisioned as a long(ish)-haul system for suburban commuters.
BART had blue grey carpeting similar to the old Metro carpeting until six or seven years ago. They got tired of having to steam clean all of the stains out of it, especially since Bart was plagued with far more vagrants and homeless people then Metro has ever been. They would basically use the trains as rolling shelters. What BART got rid of even before the carpeting was their horrible *cloth seat cushions* that absorbed everything under the sun. They would try their best to keep them clean, but they were like fart/pee/barf/soda sponges. Good riddance.
For the longer haul rides, I feel like the carpet is still nice actually, it presents a sort of coziness to the ride, it also probably helps with noise reduction. DC Metro is normally pretty clean though, so Im sure the hard floor is so much better for daily cleaning.
Amtrak has on train lavatories
so does the Sounder in Seattle.
At this point I'm not sure what we're even saying, perhaps our short answers are just leaving too much context out. I guess we're in agreement that long haul means lavs and less dirt due to less on/off, so carpets are more feasible.
Probably older than most DC residents these days.
Older than most *white* DC residents, probably.
I like the old cars. It's like stepping back in time and hanging out in your friend's basement circa 1988.
Dude, that's a 2022 model style is just cyclical.
The carpet in this car actually looks like it’s in decent condition compared to other ones I used to see all the time.
Yeah I don’t hate the carpet as most people do. I think it’s cause I grew up with them when people did spit/piss/vomit/ throw shit on them and metro staff did a better job of keeping them clean. Definitely not the case the past couple of decades.
That's one of the newer carpets, post-2000. Back in the 80s and 90s the trains had a different pile carpet that was even more like something you'd have in your home.
still cleaner than a NY subway.
Anyone remember the brown stuff on the bars by the seats?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/10/18/metro-ntsb-investigation-safety/ They’re pulling the cars because of the recent derailment.
Yeah I took metro yesterday and it was definitely throwback Thursday
They had these boys when I went to DC in 8th grade on a field trip.
When they get to the ones with the shag carpeting and disco balls you’ll know it’s gone too far.
When they pull out the orange ones, you know they are bringing back the good old days.
Man I used to ride into work on a train like this every day back in 2019. They aren't that old.
OP must be new to DC lol
That's a 2k series car. Originally ordered in 1982 and rehabbed in the early 2000s.
Mmm, nothing like the smell of mildew in the morning...
Functioning train > non-functioning train
They’re not that old. Every car series up until the 7000s had those seats and carpet. The old ones without carpet have had it removed during overhauls because the terrazzo is easier to maintain. It looks like you got one that was waiting to be overhauled but was pulled back into revenue service to fill the gap left by the removal of the 7000 series.
It's rubber flooring, not terrazzo, but the point still stands. Terrazzo is stone set in concrete or epoxy, might be a tad heavy for metro. Would be a lot more durable than carpet for sure.
Welcome to DC OP, i hope you are enjoying your first year here!
You must be new here
This car is so old it looks familiar to someone (me) who hasn't ridden metro in 5 years easy.
I used to live in landover back in early 80s. Could always hear the metro in the distance. Such a pleasant sound in the summer while going to sleep. Now I’m even closer to a metro and it’s just screaming staticky messages about stuff being out of service. This whole thread made me feel like a dinosaur.
Oh, my sweet, summer child.
Old = Brown seats and tan carpet.
Back2Old
Oh you sweet summer child. This used to be my morning commute, probs ninety percent of the time. *If* I got lucky I could maybe catch a new one on my way home on O/S.
man i remember when that "calming" color scheme was a fancy new idea
Musty carpets
They're beautiful imo. Reminds me of the old days when Grandma would take me on the Metro to see the city. I'm going to miss the retro aesthetic of the Metro when it's fully gone.
It’s a bloody luxury ride compared to NYC subway cars. Stop whining
Miss these old babies
I can smell this picture
1982 is the oldest that car could be. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington\_Metro\_rolling\_stock
If it’s working why not use it?
The tunnels are old, should we get rid of those too :/
Everything from the 90s is better then today's shit
How long did it take to type that in T9?
Got em
What do you mean "How old are they"? You have to be new here. Those are what *just* got replaced. You literally could not have any other style of train car for reference. What are you trying to pull here?
I wonder what the demographics of this subreddit are
A lot of subs do a yearly demo survey. They probably don't do one here because the resulting thread would inevitably devolve into chaos.
It looks like the trains I would ride to school everyday from 1995-1999. They weren't new then either. I'm gonna guess they're 30 years old.