The TTC shows one of its new Rocket subway trains to the media at St. Clair station in Toronto on May 26, 2011.
They are sleeker, roomier and even germ-resistant, but they are not ready for rush hour just yet.
The Toronto Transit Commission is trying out its first five "Toronto Rocket" cars for service on the Yonge-University-Spadina line in the coming weeks, putting the stainless-steel, Canadian-made vehicles through final testing during off-peak hours.
Until that is complete, transit officials will not give a firm date when paying customers can step on board. But they did invite the press to a test run Thursday morning, and the public can get a peek Sunday, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Davisville station. Here's a rundown of the new trains' special features:
Open concept
The new, six-car trains have the same dimensions as existing stock, but will hold up to 10 per cent more passengers - between 150 and 200 extra riders - mostly because there are no longer doors separating cars. This "open gangway" system frees up floor space and allows passengers to move up and down the train, avoiding crowding in one part of the train, while seats are empty in another.
Cameras, signs and screens
Every car has four closed-circuit cameras on the ceiling that can store up to 15 hours of images. When the emergency alarm is pulled, the subway operator is able to see the rider who activated it and the two can talk through an intercom. The cars also have scrolling LED screens that display the next stop and arrows that indicate which doors will open. Monitors in the advertising strip above the windows in each car will be used exclusively for safety messages and announcements. There are no plans to use them for advertising, TTC spokesman Brad Ross said. New subway maps over the exits include lights that flash and turn from red to green as the train pulls into each station.
The germ factor
The inside surfaces of the new cars, including seats, poles and walls, have been sprayed with an antibacterial substance that makes them a less inviting place for bacteria. The treatment, which cost about $3,000 per train, lasts a year and was provided by a Toronto-area firm. Les Woods, chief executive of Certified Group of Companies, which developed the product, says it has been used in health-care settings and Yankee Stadium, but never before on subways.
The deal
The Rocket subway cars have been close to five years in the making. Toronto awarded the contract to Bombardier Inc. in December 2006. Trains are assembled in Thunder Bay, Ont., and delivered one car at a time on flatbed trucks. The 70 trains have a price tag of close to $1-billion - shared between all three levels of government, with final delivery expected in 2013. The new Rockets will only run on the north-south line because it is the busiest, TTC spokesman Brad Ross said. As the new stock arrives, trains will be shuffled and the oldest cars from the 1970s that still run on the Bloor-Danforth line will be retired.