advertisement

---

Passengers on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Orange Line got a pleasant surprise the morning of Sept. 25: Eight new 5000 Series cars sporting an updated color scheme, interior electronic next-station signs, barriers between cars and lowered emergency intercoms with Braille departed Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail Station.



WMATA purchased 192 of the cars from AAI Corp. and Construcciones Y Auxiliar de Ferrorcarriles for $339.5 million to alleviate crowded conditions on the Green Line when five new stations opened in January 2001. To date, about 70 of the new cars are operating on the Green Line.