Why is there an MBTA Green Line train at Boston's City Hall Plaza?
BOSTON - The MBTA is showing off its new Green Line train on City Hall Plaza in Boston and it's a lot bigger than the current trolleys.
New Green Line trains
The full-scale half-car isn't an actual train but a mock up of what the next generation of Green Line trains will look like when the first four pilot cars launch in the spring of 2026.
The MBTA says these trains are 50-percent larger than the existing fleet. They have low floors so there are no steps up when you get on the train.
Level boarding
"It's level boarding right off the platform," MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan told WBZ-TV during a tour of the train Tuesday. "Once you're on board the train there are no steps up, no steps down. Everyone's on the same level."
"This is probably the first big step the MBTA is taking with changing how the Green Line operates and the type of vehicles out there. For years, it's been one trolley or two trolleys coupled together and now, for the first time, this is the first feeling of a full-length, real train," he said.
Current Green Line trolleys hold about 150 passengers per car, according to Coholan, while the new ones will hold nearly 300.
There are also four designated spaces for wheelchairs, compared to the current two.
The plan is to build 102 cars and have the new fleet running by 2027.
The MBTA is looking for customer feedback. The display at City Hall Plaza is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.