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Fleet of the Future receives rave reviews from riders

Our new Fleet of the Future trains have been rolled out and riders are giving the trains high marks for its new features and design. 

The customer survey results were unveiled at the most recent Board meeting on May 23. 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. 

Survey 1

Survey 2

The surveys separated responses received during peak commute hours and off-peak hours and also compared the results for the Fleet of the Future trains and our older legacy trains. 

Fleet of the Future trains, in comparison, received far higher scores than that of legacy fleet trains. In 14 of 16 compared categories, Fleet of the Future trains scored at least 10 points higher than legacy fleet trains.  Public input has been an important part of the design process for the Fleet of the Future.  These improved ratings show how our partnership with the public during the design process continues to pay off.

Color scheme, audio announcements and ride quality/smoothness were three categories with the highest difference between the two fleets. For example, ride quality/smoothness for the Fleet of the Future trains received 94 percent "Excellent" or "Good" grades, 33 points higher than for legacy fleet.

Survey 3

Survey 4

As of May 20, BART has received 84 Fleet of the Future cars from the manufacturer, Bombardier, and has put five cars total in full-time service -- one for each line. A sixth train will be added this summer. By spring 2023, BART is expected to receive all 775 Fleet of the Future cars and replace the entire legacy fleet with the new ones. 

Based on on-board surveys of more than 3,000 BART riders, a decision has been made to include two bike areas on each new Fleet of the Future train car, the same as on BART’s older legacy cars.  

While the bike areas result in fewer seats, having an open bike area at each end of the car:

  • is consistent with the legacy cars, which have two bike areas;
  • will create a predictable boarding location for bicyclists at each end of the car;
  • will accommodate more cyclists; and
  • will accommodate more standing passengers, luggage, and strollers when not used by bikes.

With this change, the current order of 775 Fleet of the Future cars will have an average of 50 seats, compared to legacy cars which average 54.6 seats. 

You can watch video of the board discussion about the survey results and the decision to include two bike areas at https://www.bart.gov/about/bod/multimedia (Click on the March 23rd meeting and select item D)

To read more on the features and the delivery status of Fleet of the Future trains, please visit our webpage dedicated to the project on bart.gov.