State leaders introduced new commuter train cars going into service in Boston on Wednesday that were manufactured in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The new MBTA Orange Line cars are equipped with digital screens, plastic interiors and more handrails, and have wider doors for easier boarding access. They are the first in the MBTA's plans to replace the whole Orange Line fleetwith a larger one by 2022.
Below, the MBTA provides a comparison between an old Orange Line train and a new one.
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack unveiled the new six-car train.
"Folks in western Massachusetts are benefiting from great jobs to assemble both our 152 new Orange Line cars, and our 252 new Red Line cars," Pollack said. "And then they're coming here to eastern Massachusetts to test them and put them into service for the MBTA customers who have been waiting so long to see a more frequent and reliable service."
Once replacement work is complete, officials said, the Orange Line will accommodate tens of thousands more passengers and will run about five more trains per hour during morning rush hour.
The MBTA also plans to replace all Red Line cars by 2023.
This report includes information from State House News Service.