| A650 | |
|---|---|
An A650 trainset on Los Angeles's Metro Red Line. |
|
| In service | 1993 - Current |
| Manufacturer | Ansaldobreda |
| Number built | 104 units |
| Formation | Built as married pairs 2/4/6 cars (depending on peak period) |
| Capacity | 59 seated 169 max seated + standing 1 wheelchair |
| Operator | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
| Line(s) served | Metro Red Line Metro Purple Line |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Width | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) (top of rail to roof) 6 ft 8 in (1.9 m) (interior ceiling height) |
| Maximum speed | 70 mph (112 km/h) |
| Weight | 82,000 lbs (37,270 kg) |
| Traction system | General Electric AC traction motors and inverters, 214.5 horsepower (160 kW) per motor (531-604)[1] Westinghouse DC Chopper controlled DC motors (501-530)[2] |
| Electric system(s) | 750V DC third rail |
The Ansaldobreda A650 is a type of multiple unit subway car built by Ansaldobreda in Italy and used on the Los Angeles Metro Red and Metro Purple Lines.
The fleet of 104 vehicles was supplied in two orders. The first vehicles - fleet numbers 501 - 530 were built between 1988 and 1993 and are propelled by a DC traction system supplied by Westinghouse. The remaining vehicles (fleet numbers 531 - 604), were built between 1995 and 1997 and include AC propulsion and intercar safety barriers. The acceleration for this last group of cars is almost identical to that of the 1000 Series Cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority because they both use the same General Electric traction motors.
Costing $1.5 million each, the trains usually run in six car consists, and feature automatic train control, air conditioning, emergency intercoms, wheelchair spaces and emergency braking.
The fleet is maintained in a yard south of Union Station on Santa Fe Drive near 4th Street on the west bank of the Los Angeles River in downtown Los Angeles.
Contents |
Each A650 is equipped with 4 abreast style (club) seating with maps of the line, bike spaces, P.A. and climate control. In the operators panel, there is a combined power handle for throttle and dynamic braking. The door thresholds also bear the pre-merger Breda logo, similar to that of Ferrari.
The Breda A650 was burned in the tunnel between MacArthur Park and Metro Center in the movie Volcano when a flow of lava flowed down the tunnel and nearly killed everyone on board. The A650 was also featured in Speed when Jack Travis (Keanu Reeves) finds that the Emergency stop malfunctions and it jumps the track. It is featured yet again in the movie SWAT as well as "The Italian Job". The Breda A650 is also seen taking a nosedive plummet from a mountain as the cataclysmic events of December 21, 2012, unfold in 2012. It is also featured in countless commercials and TV shows.