Kawasaki 7000 Series

Location: Union Station, Washington, DC
Operator of Vehicle: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Date of Photo: September 4, 2019

Last weekend, the Washington Metrorail marked its 45th anniversary.  Metrorail opened on March 27, 1976.  For the second year in a row, ridership on anniversary day did not resemble the crowds that excitedly rode the trains between Rhode Island Avenue and Farragut North on day one of operation.  However, there is much to look forward to despite the hardships of the past year.  For one, vaccines for Covid-19 are becoming more readily available in the Washington area (please get yours when it is your turn and continue to abide by CDC guidelines and recommendations both before and after receiving your shot so we can truly get back to normal).  In addition, WMATA announced about two weeks ago that Hitachi Rail has been selected to build the 8000 Series cars, expected to arrive starting in 2024.  The base order is for 256 but up to 800 cars could be ordered if all options are exercised.  The cars will improve upon the 7000 Series cars like the one seen here, and will replace the 2000 and 3000 Series cars.  Metro as it looked 45 years ago is not going to be the look of Metro for much longer.

For more photos of the WMATA 7000 Series cars, please click here.