Toronto has new subway trains, now. Ottawa will have its new LRT trains sometime in the future.

What Toronto has now has certain similarities with what Ottawa will have in 2017 or 2018.

Unlike earlier subway cars that were individual cars hooked together into trains, without any means for passengers to switch cars, the new train cars have open gangways. This is similar to how the articulated OC Transpo buses work.

It means passengers can get on any car but then as passengers shift around, the load evens out throughout the train. Passengers feel safer, less “trapped” in one car. It also increases load capacity by 10%.

The LRT train sets for Ottawa are very likely to be of this design. The Toronto “rocket” train sets consist of six cars fixed in each set; there are 70 new train sets, totalling 420 cars. They have sixty eights seats, and room for 200 standees. Some seats fold up. Here are some pictures of the new TTC train sets that have been gradually being introduced to service since last year.

The interiors feature  classy wine-red accent colours and doors. The panels that shield seats from doorways and function as “dividers” between seating groups are now all transparent with no solid panels. Some of the older TTC train sets have been updated with a very similar colour scheme.

I also shot a very short hi-def video of the the view along the train as it turns. Go to  http://youtu.be/BpJmI_Irkg0

And, for the really brave readers, here’s a final shot of yours truly on the new TTC Rocket train:

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