New 'Mask' C-Train cars to have heated floors and air conditioning
First new light-rail vehicle unveiled, city has 62 more on order at a total cost of roughly $200M
The first new C-Train car with the "Mask" design was unveiled in Calgary today, and city officials say the modern light-rail vehicle will offer a far more comfortable ride.
"From heated floors and air conditioning to increased accessibility and more comfortable seating, these new trains will make using public transit an even better choice for our citizens," Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in a release.
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This one is the first of 63 new cars on order to help replace decades-old vehicles that are well past their best-before date.
The new cars, which come with a total cost of about $200 million, will also enable Calgary Transit to complete the transition to four-car C-Trains capable of carrying 800 passengers at a time.
The "Mask" design was selected by Calgarians in an online vote run by Calgary Transit in 2013.
The city released this video of the train cars being built and their new features, which include digital displays to keep passengers up to date on route information, news, weather and sports scores.
The new cars are expected to last up to 35 years, according to Calgary Transit, and will be a welcome replacement to the oldest vehicles, which are breaking down increasingly often as they reach the limits of their lifespans.
The most well used C-Train car has now travelled a total of 2.779 million kilometres on city rails — that's roughly seven times the distance between the Earth and the moon.
And check out how different the newest train cars look from the oldest ones:
