Toronto Train Offers Glimpse of Future

Oceanside residents got a glimpse of the future Monday when a Toronto commuter train pulled into the downtown transit center for a six-hour visit. The powerful diesel engine and one double-decker commuter car are what North County rail commuters will be riding in about two years.

The passenger cars, which resemble pregnant guppies from the outside, sport padded seats, plenty of legroom and wide aisles on the inside. Each has a seating capacity of 163, with space for an equal number of standees.

Robert Furniss, executive vice president of the Michigan firm that manufactures the commuter cars, said they are designed for safety and efficiency, without some of the frills of long-distance passenger carriers.

“We could put cellular phones in, we could have a conference room at one end, we could have a nursery. These things have been done in special excursion trains,” Furniss said. “But, for short-run commuter trains, we are designing for moving a large number of people. Comfortable seating, yes, but no frills.”

The cars also will be equipped with manual ramps to allow wheelchair access to the trains, he said. Automated wheelchair ramps have proved to be unreliable, so the manufacturer has designed a lightweight ramp that can be placed between the platform and the car, Furniss said.

The Toronto commuter rail system moves 85,000 persons a day in 10-car trains carrying 2,000 passengers, Furniss said. The cars are designed with double doors designed to allow passengers to exit quickly--200 in two minutes--to cut down the standing time in stations, he said.

There will be no bar or dining facilities on the 42-mile run, according to North County Transit District spokesmen, but there will be fast, efficient service.

Commuter trains are expected to run at half-hour intervals from Oceanside south to San Diego’s Santa Fe station on Broadway, stopping at stations in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Sorrento Valley, Miramar and Old Town on the way. The trip is expected to take about an hour.