[IMAGE]DCMETRO-trains-Large-numberFULL.jpg[/IMAGE] To enhance rail passenger safety by making it easier for customers, first responders and operations personnel to identify a rail car, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) is installing new train identification numbers atop all of its 1,130 rail cars.
The retrofit, which began last fall, removes the 2¼-inch, non-reflective exterior car numbers below the operator’s window and installs new, reflective five-inch numbers atop the end of each rail car. The program also features the installation of new, interior rail car door leaf numbers, making it easier to identify a rail car door number if there is an issue with a door.
The new reflective and taller numbers atop the fleet of rail cars make it easier for customers, first responders and Metro staff to identify a rail car immediately in an emergency or other incident on Metrorail.
Metro officials expect to have the entire fleet retrofitted with the new identification numbers by this summer.
The retrofit program costs $162,000, which includes material, labor, installation, and the design for the exterior rail car and interior door leaf numbers.
D.C. Metro to install new train ID numbers
New reflective and taller numbers atop the fleet of rail cars make it easier for customers, first responders and Metro staff to identify a rail car immediately in an emergency or other incident on Metrorail.

More Rail

Amtrak Announces Community Grants for Projects Near Baltimore’s New Frederick Douglass Tunnel
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
Read More →
Amtrak Marks Restoration of Two South Carolina Stations
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Read More →
NJ Transit, Amtrak Prepare to Open First Track on New Portal North Bridge
The new bridge will begin carrying passenger trains on March 16, replacing a 116-year-old swing bridge that has long caused delays.
Read More →
Caltrain Adopts Corridor-Wide Right-of-Way Safety Strategy
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
Read More →
Building a National Framework for Transit Safety and Consistency
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Read More →
FTA Invests $686M to Modernize Aging Rail Stations
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
Read More →
MBTA Updates Rail Modernization Plan to Expand Reliability and Accessibility
The strategy outlines near- and long-term upgrades to ease congestion, support housing growth, and advance statewide climate goals.
Read More →
LA Metro Sets D Line Subway Extension Launch Date
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Read More →
Boston's MBTA Marks Progress in Regional Rail Modernization
The procurement advances the agency's broader efforts to modernize its rail fleet and position Regional Rail for long-term improvement.
Read More →
Amtrak Sets New Course for Long-Distance Fleet Renewal
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
Read More →
