Metro passengers may notice a new floor beneath their feet.
The transit system sent two rail-cars devoid of the traditional carpet into service Tuesday. The cars, which started on the Yellow Line but will rotate throughout the system, sport floors made of a composite material designed to last longer and be easier to clean.
Metro officials want to eventually get rid of carpet in all of the cars, because it is expensive to maintain and is easily soiled. The grayish flooring unveiled Tuesday, which is almost identical to the floors of New York City subways, will be the first of
several colors and materials Metro will test over the next several months.
“I didn’t even notice it at first,” said Sylvia Moore, who boarded a carpet-free car Tuesday morning at L’Enfant Plaza, “but it makes a lot of sense because the carpets were always filthy at night.”
The system is also testing new seating arrangements designed to fit about 20 more riders in each car.
The two cars currently being tested have two sets of bench seats, which hold five riders apiece, on each side of the car. The bench-style seats are covered in a burnt-orange fabric instead of the traditional vinyl.
Switching to benches means about six fewer seats will be available for riders, but the trains will be roomier during crowded rush hours and afford more room for passengers with luggage.
“I was sitting in the regular seats and then came over here because there is more room for my suitcases,” said David Saywell, a Cleveland resident in town for an air-quality conference.
To accommodate the increased number of standing-room passengers, the redesigned train has three-pronged poles to allow more riders to grab onto them for support and handles hang from poles to help shorter riders.
Metro has installed cameras to record passengers’ behavior in the rearranged cars to see if the features are helping standing riders.
