Sharp new designs, working air-condition, and clean seats are on the order for a slew of new test BART cars (an estimated 250 of them) that will go into production this May. The new trains will also have 50% more doors (making getting in and out easier), energy efficiency improvements, exterior digital displays with route color and destination, improved passenger information (audio and visual), easier to clean seats and floor (thank you!), more handholds to grab, more priority seating for seniors and disabled people, plenty of legroom in the back for guys to show off their penises to other guys in the last car (say what?), and more.
Trains will cost around $1 billion. And, as The Chronicle points out, if transit officials are pleased, and can come up with another $2 billion or so, they'll buy another 515 cars."
BART's new test trains will be on the tracks and ready to go in 2015. Fingers crossed.