Alstom Series M5 159

Location: Jan van Galenstraat Station, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Operator of Vehicle: GVB
Date of Photo: May 31, 2016

Everyone is sharing how 2026 is the new 2016, so why not feature photos from ten years ago for the photos of the month?

We start in Amsterdam, which I visited for the second time in May of 2016.  At that time, the Series M5 trains, built by Alstom, were relatively new, having entered service about three years prior to my visit (June 24, 2013).  When I rode these trains, it was the first time I saw color coded lights by each doorway to indicate whether passengers should board or not (green for boarding, red for when the doors were about to close) as well as which side of the train the doors would open on.  Fitting in with the “2026 is the new 2016 theme”, this feature is now making its way to other trains around the world.  For example, New York’s newest trains, the R211s, have this feature but these cars only entered service in 2023, 10 years after Amsterdam’s M5 trains.  (The MPM-10 or Azur trains in Montreal entered service in February 2016 and also have this feature.)  The Series M5 trains also feature open gangways, and while this is becoming more common around the world, it wasn’t exactly a new concept, even 10 years ago.

I was impressed by the Series M5 when I rode it, and it is good to see some of its best features being incorporated into trains elsewhere around the world.

For more photos of the Amsterdam Metro, please click here.