A rider is inspired to join the No Pants Subway Ride last year. (Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post)

Once again, Metro riders are getting ready to take a brave stance against wearing pants.

Sure, you could opt to keep wearing pants this weekend, cruelly imprisoning your legs in denim, cotton or, if you’re so bold, some type of cotton-nylon blend. Or you could participate in the annual tradition that we write about mostly to let people know why there will be Metro riders without pants on Sunday.

The No Pants Subway Ride is an event started by Improv Everywhere in 2002, even though this seems like the kind of thing that should have existed for as long as public transportation and pants existed. It’s a global event spanning dozens of cities, with subway riders planning to ditch their pants in places from Beijing to Berlin and fromMadrid to Sydney on Sunday.

In D.C., the group is meeting at Hancock Park (near C and 7th streets SW,  near the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station and just south of the Mall) at 2 p.m. Sunday, according tothe Facebook page for the event. People are reminded to appear nonchalant about their lack of pants, which makes sense, because it would really be much weirder if everyone on a Metro car was wearing pants.

This page also reminds people to make sure they have their pants on them, perhaps hidden in a bag or backpack, because participants are urged to put on their pants should any authority figure make such a request. As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, more than 600 people had stated that they were planning to participate (insofar as joining a Facebook event can be considered an official proclamation of intent).

People heading to this event should expect to be a little chilly: the Capital Weather Gang forecast for Sunday calls for temperatures topping out in the upper-40s, with brisk winds. While this is practically spring-like when compared to temperatures earlier this week, it’s still frosty for someone wandering around in their underwear.

And riders should be prepared for waits on every line due to Metro’s ongoing reconstruction work. Trains on the Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green lines will run every 20 minutes, while the Red Line will run more often (with trains every eight to 10 minutes between Shady Grove and Union Station between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and every 16 minutes otherwise), according to Metro.

Track work, track work, track work, sigh…

All stations will be open this weekend, but because the trains will be spaced farther apart, it’s a good idea to check the schedule.

The work schedule on Metrorail for this weekend is extensive, but all stations will be open. The plan puts more space between trains on all lines, starting at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing to the rail system’s close at midnight Sunday.

The Capital Weather Gang forecast for the weekend shows temperatures no higher than the mid-30s during the day and considerably lower at night. Each Friday, Metro updates its online Trip Planner to take account of the weekend disruptions. Checking the train arrival times can help reduce your wait on the platforms.

Red Line. Crews will work on the tracks between Farragut North and Van Ness. Trains will leave the ends of the line at Shady Grove and Glenmont every 24 minutes, according to Metro’s schedule. More trains will be in service between Farragut North and NoMa-Gallaudet, so trains should reach platforms in that zone every 12 to 14 minutes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Orange Line. The platform reconstruction at Minnesota Avenue and Deanwood continues. Trains will operate every 20 minutes all along the line.

Blue Line. Crews will work on the tracks between Pentagon City and Reagan National Airport. Trains will operate every 20 minutes.

Yellow Line. Same work as on the Blue Line. Trains will operate every 20 minutes between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square. (On weekends, Yellow Line trains normally would continue north to Fort Totten. To travel beyond Mount Vernon Square, wait on the same side of the platform for a Green Line train in the direction of Greenbelt.)

Green Line. Crews will work on the tracks and tunnel between Georgia Avenue-Petworth and U Street. Trains will operate every 16 minutes.

Robert Thomson/The Washington Post

This morning, WMATA showed the press its newest acquisition: the 4 “pilot” cars of the 7000 series. The new cars are safer and feature many new elements that should please riders.

Front of new train

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley talks to House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer.Several dignitaries attended this morning’s unveiling in Greenbelt, including Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, and DC Mayor Vincent Gray, as well as many curious commuters who happened to pass through. One woman I spoke to was hoping to ride the new cars for her trip toward Branch Avenue, but couldn’t stay long enough, boarding an earlier train instead. I told her that the cars weren’t ready for passengers yet; they’re scheduled to enter service later this year.

The new cars will be significantly different from the existing fleet of railcars. In fact, they’re so advanced technologically that they can’t operate with any of the current railcar series. They will also only be able to operate in 4 or 8-car trains.

New features include LCD information screens and digital signs that indicate the current location and future stops.

LCD information screen.

Upcoming stops.

Right now, WMATA has received 4 cars from Kawasaki, the company manufacturing them. These cars are “pilot” cars, which will be tested over the next 8 months. Any issues that are uncovered will be addressed and fixed before the remainder of the cars are constructed. Full production on the rest of the cars is expected to start this summer.

During testing, riders might see the 7000 series pilot cars, but they won’t be able to ride them until more cars arrive, since WMATA doesn’t operate 4-car trains anymore. Metro expects to begin putting 7000 series cars into service late this year, perhaps in December.

When they finally get to ride, riders will find them quite different from the current fleet of cars, some of which date back to the Ford Administration. Carpet is gone from the cars, as is the exterior brown stripe. Instead, riders will find no-slip rubber flooring and ergonomic seats.

Modern interiors and fixtures in the new cars.
The doors and stanchions have been relocated to improve circulation. And because the new cars will operate only in sets of 4 (as opposed to sets of 2 with the current fleet), there is much more room for standing passengers since there are fewer operator cabs.

More space for circulation and standees.

To prepare for the onslaught of new cars, WMATA is building a new commissioning facility and test track in Greenbelt.

The test track will run from Greenbelt station almost all the way to College Park, and will eliminate the need to single-track on this segment during off-peak periods as was done when the 5000 and 6000 series trains arrived.

These facilities aren’t complete yet, but are well under construction. The commissioning facility can be seen from the outer loop of the Capital Beltway and preparations for the test track are easily visible from Green Line trains between Greenbelt and College Park.

It may be a while before 7000 series cars are a common sight in the system. But by this time next year, you might find yourself riding on one.

By 2017, the 7000 series cars will have replaced all of the old 1000 series cars, and by the end of 2018 they’ll make up over half the fleet.

Story from: http://greatergreaterwashington.org