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BART - Fleet of the Future


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#11 CNJRoss

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Posted 07 April 2016 - 05:52 PM

San Francisco (CA) Chronicle, 4/7:
 

BART gives first look at new train cars

 

The future ride to work for hundreds of thousands of Bay Area commuters was unveiled in Hayward on Wednesday morning — and the new BART railcar has a sleek new look, an extra set of doors and a horn that sounds like a cross between a British police car and a modern school bell.

 

BART introduced the first train from its new fleet at its Hayward railyard at an event for reporters, employees and agency directors held a couple of weeks after the car arrived in the Bay Area from Plattsburgh, N.Y., by truck. After some brief speeches, officials tooted the horn, which emits a noise shriller than the traditional beep-beep, then let guests climb aboard and give the new seats a test sit.

 

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#12 CNJRoss

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Posted 17 June 2016 - 09:28 AM

BART news:

 

   


 

 

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Release Date: 06/16/16

Meet the Fleet: All about the seats, a firsthand report

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I was on a mission. Sit in the seats of the first new train car in the Fleet of the Future, and report back to a waiting public.

Granted, Car #3001, now being put through its paces on a test track in Hayward, is just the first of hundreds of new cars to come.

 

But the car, and more specifically its seating, is of immense interest to BART riders, who helped shape its passenger-facing elements through extensive outreach and input from tens of thousands of people.

 

Find out how the seats felt to one rider -- and get the first reactions to them from a group of train operators seeing them for the firsttime -- in our firsthand report with all the details about what to expect, and when you can expect it. Read more

 
 
 

 

 



#13 CNJRoss

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Posted 27 August 2016 - 04:06 PM

BART news release, 8/26:

 

Meet the Fleet: New trains will showcase many environmentally friendly features

 

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Microplug doors save energy by helping with climate control; they also help reduce noise

 

The engineers tasked with designing BART’s Fleet of the Future faced an unenviable feat: creating train cars even more environmentally friendly than the current ones, which are already among the nation’s best on that score.

 

“These are going to be extremely energy-efficient cars,” said Henry Kolesar, BART’s group manager for vehicle maintenance engineering. Kolesar and a handful of other top managers and engineers are shepherding the last steps as the Fleet of the Future becomes the fleet of the present.  

 

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Four of the new cars are already on site for testing at a Hayward test track, and the first ones that regular passengers can ride are expected to be in service this winter. (For the full timetable go to www.bart.gov/cars.)

 

Rod Diridon, Sr., retired Emeritus Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, and an internationally reknowned transit expert, noted that “while the old cars lasted a long time due to their design and great maintenance by the BART staff, the new cars will be even more effective with their unique, sustainable design.”  

 

BAY AREA AN ENVIRONMENTAL GEM

Sustainability is a point of pride because Bay Area residents feel strongly about the special nature of the environment where we live, and the responsibility to be good stewards of it.  It is only fitting that the region’s transit system advance its train cars to meet the progressive standards of the sustainable communities it serves. From top to bottom, literally, the new trains have been engineered for high energy-efficiency.

 

“We had asked for a lot from them (car manufacturer Bombardier), to produce trains that were 7% more energy-efficient that the current ones, and we’re expecting to get something even beyond what they had promised,” Kolesar said.

 

Among the energy-efficient features:

  • ·        The propulsion system will get among the best efficiency of major transit systems at around 4.5 kilowatt hours per car mile
  • ·        A new traction motor design provides more torque, or turning power, with less energy
  • ·        A unique air-conditioning system uses dual, parallel refrigerant compressors for better climate regulation (important in Bay Area microclimates)
  • ·        Microplug doors provide a tighter seal on climate control and track noise
  • ·        LED lighting throughout the cars, including headlights, is cooler and self-adjusting for light conditions, aerial or underground

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Above, LED lights inside the car are self-adjusting for lighting conditions -- they'll be brighter underground and will automatically dim in bright sunlight. Below, an example of an LED headlight on one of the pilot cars in Hayward. 

  • ·        The exterior is made of aluminum, which is extremely lightweight and completely recyclable when the cars are eventually dismantled
  • ·        The tops of the cars are white instead of silver to reflect sunlight and reduce heat loads
  • ·        Regenerative braking pumps energy back into the third rail system, even more efficiently than on current cars

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BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION

Kolesar said all these elements together add up to an even more sustainable new train car, building upon one that was itself innovative when it first came into service in 1972.

 

“BART has always been a leader on the edge of efficiency technology,” he said. “We didn’t want to experiment with entire new concepts that had never been tried before. Instead, we took known technology and pushed it to its limits to get the maximum efficiency.”

 

Propelling a fully loaded BART train over hills and through tunnels takes power, and lots of it. BART trains are all-electric, running on third-rail power of 1,000 volts.

 

A fully loaded 10-car train accelerating away from a station pulls nearly 10 million watts of electricity, or 7,000 typical hair driers’ worth. Third rail power feeds 40 large electric motors. Each motor (at approximately 1,000 pounds) weighs about a third of a Honda Fit. When the train’s brakes are initiated, those motors instantly turn into generators to feed equally massive amounts of electricity back onto the third rail for other trains nearby to use.

 

HOW REGENERATIVE BRAKING WORKS

 

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A motor acting as a generator makes a terrific brake. The faster you go, the better it works. Third rails are electrically connected from track to track on both sides of a platform. So, a train slowing as it approaches a station can literally push out a departing train on the other side, reducing the net electrical load on the substation and helping BART recover part of its electricity bill.

 

In 2015, BART sponsored legislation to allow “direct procurement of renewable energy” and with their energy contracts expiring soon, there is even more of an opportunity to focus on increasing intake from renewable sources, according to a presentation by Holly Gordon, BART’s Sustainability Group Manager.

TESTING PHASE IS UNDERWAY

All of the pilot trains’ features are part of extensive static and dynamic tests to assure safety and reliability before they begin carrying passengers. If aspects are determined not to meet specifications, they can be corrected before all the trains come off the production line and into service. That balancing act is part of procuring any large and expensive system such as these new trains -- making sure to get it right while still remaining in line with the final schedule for delivery of all the cars.

 

By increasing the capacity of the BART system with an eventual larger number of overall train cars in the fleet, a new train control system and maintenance facility, more riders will be able to leave their vehicles at home as they travel throughout the Bay Area.

A peak-hour BART train gets the equivalent of 249 miles per gallon, far more than even the most efficient commercially available hybrid vehicles.  Just one commuter using BART each weekday instead of driving saves over 300 gallons of gas and 6,277 pounds of CO2 in a year. (You can use the carbon calculator on BART’s QuickPlanner to estimate just how much CO2 you are saving by taking public transport).  

 

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NEW FLEET WILL ACCOMMODATE MORE GROWTH

“With the Fleet of the Future, our goal is to increase the number of train cars in the BART fleet by 62% to accommodate more people on BART and help them get where they need to go” said Aaron Weinstein, BART Chief Marketing Officer.

“And that, in turn, will help reduce traffic on Bay Area freeways, lessen chemical runoff into the Bay, and improve air quality," Weinstein said.

 Additionally, looking at the number of people carried back and forth across the Bay between Oakland and San Francisco, BART wins hands-down over vehicles on the Bay Bridge.

 

It all adds up to a better experience for BART riders, and one they can feel good about making to protect our Bay environment for generations to come.  

 

If you'd like to comment on the new trains, use this email form to reach us. 

 

Meet the Fleet is an occasional ongoing series looking in-depth at different aspects of BART's new train cars. Previous articles that you can read at www.bart.gov/cars include:

Meet the Fleet: Three doors on new train cars to reduce noise, improve reliability, increase capacity

Meet the Fleet: Passenger information systems get a big upgrade on new trains

Meet the Fleet: Improved climate control highly anticipated on new trains

Meet the Fleet: Behind the scenes, BART's new train cars undergo extensive testing for safety, reliability

Meet the Fleet: New train car gets ready to head West

Meet the Fleet: All about the seats, a firsthand report



#14 CNJRoss

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Posted 03 October 2016 - 07:25 PM

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Release Date: 10/03/16

 

Fleet of the Future Test Train Open House

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The Fleet of the Future is closer than ever to becoming a reality for BART riders. Your chance to get an up close look at a test train for the new fleet is coming. BART will hold a series of FREE open house events in October.

The Open House events will occur on a station platform at these dates and locations:

  • Saturday, October 15th at Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre Station 11 am- 4 pm
  • Sunday, October 16th at MacArthur Station 11 am - 4 pm
  • Saturday, October 29th at Dublin/Pleasanton Station 11 am - 4 pm
  • Sunday, October 30th at El Cerrito del Norte Station 11 am - 4 pm

The first 200 visitors each day will receive a commemorative toy train. The toys were donated to BART. 

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A San Francisco location is not possible because it would cause service delays to riders.



#15 KevinKorell

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Posted 17 October 2016 - 10:24 AM

San Francisco, CA Chronicle, 10/16/16:


 

Passengers have mixed reactions to new BART trains

 

Hundreds of BART riders put a test model of the Bay Area transportation agency’s “fleet of the future” through its paces at the Pleasant Hill Station Saturday.

Article



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#16 CNJRoss

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Posted 24 October 2016 - 07:02 PM

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Release Date: 10/24/16

 

Meet the Fleet of the Future

 

BART will hold two Open House events this weekend to offer a rare chance to tour our Fleet of the Future train before testing enters a new phase and they are put into service.  

 

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Open House Details:

 

Saturday, October 29th at Dublin/Pleasanton Station     11 am - 4 pm *Students from the Oakland School for the Arts Vocal Chamber Choir will hold a flash mob at this event to entertain the crowds. Performances will be held at 12:30pm and 2:00pm on the concourse level of the Dublin/Pleasanton Station.

 

Sunday, October 30th at El Cerrito del Norte Station      11 am - 4 pm   

These events are free and very family friendly. Kids love the train. The first 200 visitors each day will receive a commemorative toy train. 

 

Can't make the event or want to see more? Check out the video from our last open house and hear what riders have to say about the new cars.

 

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Staff will also be on hand at these events to help riders needing Senior Clipper Cards. If you are at least 65 years old, you can receive a discount on BART and other public transit services with just one card.  Bring a government identification card to verify your age, complete the application and we will issue you a Senior Clipper card. If you bring a copy of your children’s birth certificates, we will have youth card applications that you can complete. We will mail you a card for each eligible child.

 

 

 

 



#17 CNJRoss

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Posted 04 November 2016 - 08:50 PM

Wired.com 11/4:
 

The Hidden Art of Designing Trains for Anti-Social Commuters

 

When you step aboard your train in the morning, you see plenty of things. The faces of familiar strangers, the unexpected open seat (or not), ads for cheap lawyers and doctors. Or, maybe just your phone screen. What you don’t see are the hidden forces that guide your train ride.

 

To the best train interior designers, you are a puppet, a malleable, fleshy being to be controlled by force. The scariest thing about good design is close to conspiracy: You don’t even know someone’s pulling the strings. And that counts on your commute as much as anywhere else.

 

The engineers who gin up train interiors navigate a series of obstacles. Cars must be safe, comfortable enough, easy to clean, and child- and disability-friendly. They demand adequate seating for long-haul riders, but not so much that it exacerbates crowding problems.

 

These design decisions dictate life inside the car: who stands where, whether people crowd the exits or spread throughout the car, whether cyclists or very tall passengers feel slighted.

 

So maybe it’s no surprise Bay Area Rapid Transit—aka BART, which carries riders around San Francisco and its environs—has spent the past seven years creating its new generation of train cars.

 

Many of its current ones are more than 40 years old, and increasingly squeezed for space. By the time 60 of these new Bombardier cars make their debut next year—and certainly by 2021, when 775 of these things will rule the bay—designers will know whether their machinations worked.

 

Continue here w/video report.



#18 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 November 2017 - 01:29 AM

San Jose, CA Mercury News, 11/7/17:

 


 

BART’s new train cars failed key safety inspection, calling into question Thanksgiving rollout

 

BART’s new train cars failed a key safety inspection on Friday, raising questions about whether commuters will be riding the new train by Thanksgiving, the transit agency’s latest target for rolling out the first cars in its new fleet.

 

Update



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#19 CNJRoss

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Posted 11 November 2017 - 04:41 PM

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Release Date: 10/31/17

 

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Meet the Fleet: Simulator technology helps train operators prepare to usher in new fleet

 

 

When Michael Patchen trained to be a BART train operator, lessons involved mimeographed handouts, lots of lectures, and taking turns at “seat time,” learning to drive a real train in the overnight hours. “It was a lot more primitive than what we have now,” said Patchen, who is a trainer instructing operators how to drive the new Fleet of the Future trains, expected to start carrying passengers around Thanksgiving. 

 

Today, train operators are learning on a sophisticated simulator, a machine that can mimic almost any situation the operators may encounter, and which is loaded with hundreds of possible scenarios. The simulator gives trainees longer stretches of seat time, since training can occur all day long, and not only in the short overnight window when trains are not running. It’s more efficient and, most importantly, creates a better learning environment.

 

Read all about how BART is using simulator technology, and watch a video to see the realistic scenarios that train operators go through.

 



#20 CNJRoss

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Posted 14 June 2019 - 07:27 PM

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Release Date: 6/14/19

 

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Fleet of the Future Cars to Be Assembled in the Bay Area

 

Bombardier Transportation announced it is opening a rail car assembly site in Pittsburg, California to assemble BART’s Fleet of the Future rail cars.  This work, which is currently taking place in upstate New York, will be transferred to the Bay Area over the coming months.

 

The new facility will employ local workers, contribute tax dollars to the local economy and, thanks to its proximity to BART’s Hayward Test Track, greatly reduce the vehicle emissions needed to transport the cars to BART property.

 

What used to be a 3,600-mile journey home to the Bay Area, will now be a quick 50 miles.

 

Watch the Press Conference

 

Riders are giving the new trains high marks for its new features and design. 

 

The customer survey results were unveiled at a recent Board meeting. The vast majority of features received at least 85 percent "Excellent" or "Good" grades. 

 

Some of its most well-received features were the ease of on-board and off-boarding the train; lighting; audio announcements; floor-to-ceiling poles; comfortable air temperature; and digital displays. 

 

Our website dedicated to the Fleet of the Future has lots of great information about the status of the roll out. We keep it updated with the number of new cars delivered to date and the number in service.

 

A Fleet of the Future tracker is in the works that will show you if one of the next approaching trains at your stations is a new train. That feature will roll out in phases, to eventually include digital platform signs, bart.gov, and the BART Official App, which you can download for free. 

 

 






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