‘There’s so much room’: Visitors react to Metro’s newest 8000 Series rail cars

Take a peek inside Metro's 'Fleet of the Future'

You might not expect to see a train car on the National Mall in D.C., but it will be the norm all through this week.

Metro is offering the public a sneak peek into its new 8000 Series rail car and zero-emission buses through the Fleet of the Future Expo, held on the National Mall from now through April 3.

“It’s really great to see that there’s so much room for people after events or big events or even when you’re just on a crowded rush hour train,” said Alex Dodds, who was visiting the display with her two sons.

Visitors are given the chance to actually step inside a life-size replica of the 8000 Series rail car and check out the new features.

“I did see that there’s a special spot just for strollers, which is really nice,” Dodds said. “As someone who has had little kids in the city, it is so hard getting a big stroller onto a crowded train.”

New features on the rail car include bench-style seating, wider aisles and new electronic customer information.

The new rail cars and buses come years after Metro ridership plummeted during the pandemic with many employees working remotely. Ridership numbers have since began to recover.

“I’m sure a big part of why the metro system is having this expo on the Mall and showing people the brand-new, incredible-looking Metro cars is to help encourage people who changed their commute patterns during the pandemic to start riding Metro again,” Dodds said.