Those double-decker trains you see on the LIRR and NJT (the “Bitanic,” in conductor-speak) may be coming to the Metro-North, reports the NY Times. The railroad’s next purchase of new cars is in 2015, and the split-level trains are being considered for the order.
Riders generally like the trains: lots of seats, and cool views from the Promenade deck. (MNR riders would be able to see Central Park from the second floor, writes Timesman Michael M. Grynbaum.) On the downside, it’s been my experience that there are like two restrooms for the entire double-decker, which is ginormous. If you’re taking that thing out to the Hamptons in the summer–granted, hardly a typical commuter trip–the line is 10-deep with Snookified Hamptons weekend warrior scruff.
Reports the Times:
But a fleet of rolling duplexes would bring the railroad in line with its nearby cousins. Double-decker trains, then called “up and downs,” were commonplace on the Long Island Rail Road from the late 1930s to the late 1960s; a more modern version began operation in 1998. New Jersey Transit has run double-deckers since 2005.
Officials at both commuter railroads say the bilevel trains receive rave reviews from customers, particularly because their interior layouts eliminate the hated middle seat.
“Customers love them for a number of reasons,” said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit. “They are quieter, and you have more leg room. It’s been overwhelmingly positive.”
Howard Permut, the president of Metro-North, said he was attracted to the double-decker option because it could help solve a broader challenge facing Metro-North: its ballooning ridership, which has risen 10 percent in the last five years.
The railroad is nearing capacity at Grand Central Terminal, its Midtown hub, and at rush hour it currently runs trains in and out of the Park Avenue tunnel at the fastest rate it can.