DART: Upgrading LRVs is a stretch - Transit Update - Brief Article

Railway Age, Jan, 2002

A pioneering research program is under way at Dallas Area Rapid Transit that could allow new low-floor center sections to be inserted into existing DART light rail vehicles. The joint effort by DART and KinkiSharyo, the manufacturer of the transit agency's 95 LRVs, is similar to successful experiments already carried out in Europe.

The first Dallas prototype is expected to arrive in February. Called a C-car, the section is 31 feet long and, when installed, will extend a standard LRV to 124 feet. It is similar in construction to DART's current fleet of LRVs, with one set of doors on each side and end steps leading up to the A and B sections. The leading end will be supported on the existing center truck, and a new unpowered two-axle truck will be added under the second articulation.

DART Interim Senior Vice President-Project Management Tim McKay says that future car orders could be cut by up to 40% if only a portion of the fleet were to be equipped with new center sections. He says testing and evaluation of the prototype, including revenue service, is tentatively set to begin this spring, although the planned opening of three LRT extensions between spring and fall may stretch staff resources, forcing a postponement.