Updated 3:05 p.m.: Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said the agency is canceling the seat research slated for Tuesday. He said they plan to reschedule but no times have been set yet.
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Metro riders will have a chance to test out the transit agency’s proposed new rail cars next week, especially to help determine whether the new curved seats are comfortable.
The agency plans to gather rider feedback with a mock-up of the rail car on Tuesday, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Metro Center, said spokesman Dan Stessel. It’s the first of multiple planned studies of riders’ reactions to the seats.
Interested riders will get to see the design and sit in the seats if they will answer researchers’ questions about the cars.
Each of the new rail cars will have 62 or 64 seats, depending on which car they are in the train configuration. That’s fewer seats than on most of the agency’s current rail cars.
But the new seats are curved steel, not the current foam rectangles, to give lumbar back support. They are covered with a layer of padding then vinyl.
The width of the seats is not changing, though. They will have a clear separation from the adjacent seat to make sure it’s clear whose space is whose.
The space under them will be open, giving room for luggage or service animals to sit.
