ATLANTA - Christmas has come early for MARTA as the transit authority has received its new rail car bodies.
Video shared on the MARTA Facebook page shows the wrapped cars arriving in Atlanta this week after about month-long trek from Europe. The CQ400 rail cars are produced by Stadler in Hungary. They had to be driven to German and then put aboard a ship to the Port of Brunswick.
The rail cars have pulled into Atlanta in time for them the gifts to be unwrapped, or rather, the rail cars to be unveiled.
The cars are the first of the 254 new rail cars ordered by MARTA. The interiors are supposed to be more open, allowing riders to move between cars freely. It has rethought seating design, spacious luggage and bike areas. It will also be ADA accommodating.
Riders will also enjoy charging stations and digital system maps and service information. They will also notice improved heating and cooling, and an advanced lighting system.
Those waiting on the platform will notice the "minimalist" exterior design with a front "smile" that will be lit with the color of the rail line the cars are running.
MARTA is hosting an event Friday to show the new cars off, but they have already put much of the design online.
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This is just a stop from the new rail cars. They will need to be taken to the Stadler facility in Salt Lake City to be completed here in the U.S. before being brought back to Georgia for use.
Last month, MARTA donated the oldest rail car in its fleet to the Southern Railway Museum in Duluth.