Have an opinion about the color palette of the next generation of BART trains? Really feel strongly about the shape of your seat? Here's your chance to weigh in.
Tonight in Richmond is the first in a series of open houses where BART will present three conceptual designs created in collaboration with BMW Group Designworks USA.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
All three concepts add a third set of doors to the car but keep the same number of seats, but the infamously soiled cloth seats will be replaced with something "comfortable and cleanable," said Bob Franklin, BART board president.
Plans call for BART to choose this year a manufacturer to build - in phases - from 700 to 1,000 new cars to replace the current fleet of 669 cars, some of which are nearly 40 years old. According to the American Public Transportation Association, BART cars are the oldest of any transit agency in the nation, with an average age of 30.1 years.
Next up, sometime next year: a mock-up, followed by the first prototype vehicles in 2016, and the start of the replacement cars in 2018.
Can't make the open house? You can watch this BART video illustrating the three options and then register your comments through this online survey.