THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recently announced the winning paint colors for its new Green Line Type 10 supercars for Boston's Green Line subway.
According to the MBTA’s news release, the decision was made through a public poll where over 16,300 responses were received, with the winning design getting 9,566 votes.
The release states that subway riders were invited on Oct. 2 to select one of three exterior paint designs for the new cars through an online survey, ending on Oct. 13. The winner was reportedly Option 3, a green and dark gray paint scheme along the body of the vehicle, green doors and a white and turquoise green lower running stripe.
The MBTA has announced today that the exterior paint design of its new Green Line "supercars", forty feet longer than current Green Line cars.
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) October 16, 2023
The design, which was selected by a majority of 16,300 respondents to an online survey, will be a green and dark gray paint scheme. pic.twitter.com/U7A35ibAMV
Option 3 also reportedly won a poll from Boston.com about the designs, gathering almost 50% of the vote among more than 220 readers.
“I haven’t been on the Green Line recently, but I like option 3 because one can clearly see it’s a Green Line trolley,” Brighton resident Valerie P. told the news site.
About the Project
According to the MBTA's release, the MBTA Board of Directors contracted the delivery of over 100 Green Line Type 10 supercar light rail vehicles for around $811 million in Aug. 2022. The effort was expected to bring “increased safety, accessibility, capacity and maintainability” to riders and the MBTA system.
The MBTA states that the Green Line Type 10 supercars should be 40 feet longer than the Green Line vehicles currently in use and will include updated communication systems. Additionally, the supercars are reported to have accessibility improvements such as wider doors and new crash-safety technology, which could help create a safer environment.
“Ensuring that we engage with riders and incorporate their feedback is critical in everything we do. I thank our riders for taking the time to engage with us on the exterior design of the new Type 10 Green Line supercars,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng.
“We value the time that it takes to vote, and the fact that we heard directly from thousands of riders demonstrates the importance of these new Green Line cars to the public. It’s important for riders to know that we care about both their safety and also their experiences on the system, and we are incorporating their feedback into our decision-making.”
The MBTA says that its Vehicle Engineering team is working with the public and all MBTA stakeholder groups to include the customer experience in the Green Line Type 10 supercar design, with technical specification development.
These stakeholder groups reportedly include more than 15 MBTA departments from teams such as Safety, System-Wide Accessibility (SWA) and SWA’s external support partners, Operations, Training, Customer Technology and Green Line Transformation.
The MBTA states that it learned important lessons in past vehicle projects which are now being included as part of the design process. The technical specifications were reportedly drafted for the future technology and safety needs of riders and employees, including:
The supercars will reportedly be in the design stage for a few more years before pilot vehicles are added to the system. The MBTA also expects a trial version of the Green Line Type 10 supercar to be available next year for riders and the public to visit and offer feedback.
Tagged categories: Coating Application; Coating Materials; Coatings Technology; Color; Contests; Infrastructure; Infrastructure; Ongoing projects; Program/Project Management; Rail; Railcars; Surface Preparation; Technology; Transportation
