Brand-spanking new double-decker wagons have been spotted intermittently cruising through Baristaville, so we had to go to our NJT guy Dan Stessel to find out exactly when local commuters might be able to hop on the high ride.
Stessel says they're operating a 6-car multilevel trainset on the Montclair Line for the #6237 (12:30 pm departure from New York Penn to MSU) and #6244 (4:02 pm express train from MSU to New York) trains. These trains provide up to 20% more seating capacity, but the big bonus - no one has to sit in the dreaded middle seat (all seats are aisle or window.)
Right now, nearly half of the new wagons have been delivered to NJT. They're operating more than 130 cars out of a total fleet of 279. And more multilevels are coming to the Mid-Town direct - let's hope they show up for rush hour... For an inside look, go to the jump...
These train cars are great. Very comfortable and roomy. If I remember correctly from my one ride, the seats dont reverse, so for some rides, passengers will face away from their destination, which could bother some commuters.
Im all for this change though.