Public transportation has always been instrumental in reducing per capita carbon footprints because of its collective nature of functionality. The consumption of less fuel per person naturally means lesser degree of carbon emitted in the local environment. Now taking that into account, German automaker BMW has decided to venture into this expansive domain of public transportation. Their DesignworksUSA has already unveiled a contract that calls for designing of full fledged trains for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system of San Francisco.
Often considered as one of the busiest heavy rail rapid transit systems in the United States, BART is also known for its efficient quietness. To make things even more effectual and systematic, DesignworksUSA has been handed the contract to design the exterior, interior, and train operator controls of the subsequent fleet.
Currently the BART system serves 44 stations in four counties, with an encompassing length of 167 km (with a total of five lines, in broad gauge instead of standard gauge). The high population density of the service area means that BART provides a crucial mode of transportation to around 340,000 passengers per weekday. So, from the perspective of scope of things, it is very much evident on how much this ambitious project will seriously have the capacity to completely revamp and improve upon America’s oldest fleet of commuter rail cars. The new trains are expected to join the fleet by 2017.
Via: CNet
