Washington’s metro operator, WMATA, is considering lengthening all of its trains to eight cars to increase capacity and reduce overcrowding.
Longer trains is one of several measures proposed in a new budget which seeks to improve the quality of service and attract new customers.
As well as boosting capacity, standardising the fleet will simplify maintenance, WMATA has said.
In his recommendations to the WMATA board of directors, Metro general manager Paul Wiedefeld has proposed a cap on fares, lower weekend travel costs, extending the Yellow Line to Greenbelt station and running all Red Line trains to Glenmont.
In a statement, Paul Wiedefeld said: “The past year has been about demonstrating to customers that we are getting Metro ‘back to good’.”
He added: “Now, we have to get better than good as we work to attract and retain customers.
“While there are a number of improvements such as pass discounts and automatic train operations that we can do within the new cap on subsidy growth, the service improvements I am including in this budget will need the region’s support and the Board’s approval.”
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