(The following column by John Valenti appeared on the Newsday website on April 6.)
NEW YORK — We went from fake wood decor and underpadded bench seats with no head and neck support to seating that is luxurious by any standard of commuter rail. From dreary, dimly lit interiors caked with dirt and grime, worn from years of overuse, to new, bright and clean.
And we’re still not happy.
For more than a year now the M-7 electric train cars have been phased into service to replace an aging fleet of M-1 and M-3 cars that first joined the LIRR in 1968. But recently rail riders have begun to complain about the seats on the new trains — saying they are narrow and uncomfortable.
Here’s one rail rider’s view from a seat on the new M-7. (A footnote: It just so happens I was the first non-Long Island Rail Road employee to see the new cars, built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, at their plant in LaPocatiere, Quebec, back in December 2001.)
The old cars seated 238 passengers. The new cars seat between 211 and 213. But the old cars had a “bigger” feel to them — more of a feeling of openness — because of the lack of headrests. The aisles in the new cars seem narrower than those in the old ones. They aren’t. They’re actually the same width. The wall-to-wall width in the new cars is 2.3 inches narrower than those in the old. But this is due to tougher federal safety standards.
The impact on seat roominess is actually negligible.
So, why are riders complaining that seats in the new cars are not as roomy as those in the old?
A lot of it is due to perception.
The larger bathrooms — mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act — affect the inner dimensions of the new cars, making the interiors feel smaller. The higher seatbacks — with molded, built-in head rests — also make the interiors feel small. The seats are actually less than a half-inch narrower per seat. I am 6-foot-1, 221 pounds. Having ridden the new cars in service here, I have not noticed the difference — though the seat shape makes it tough to slide across the seat or sit between seats like you could in the old cars.
Honestly, I am not a fan of the headrests. I like the support they give and like being able to lean my head back on a train ride into Jamaica or Manhattan. But, being a reporter, I miss being able to look around the train car, miss being able to watch other riders on the train. The new seats make me feel more isolated than I used to.
However, it would be difficult to argue that the interiors are somehow less comfortable than the old trains. The color schemes — teal and blue vinyl — are more appealing than the old interiors. The ride is much smoother. Anyone who has ridden the M-1 and M-3 trains will tell you some mornings they are like getting on the Cyclone at Coney Island. And there is plenty of leg room in the new cars, even if it seems there might be less of it.
So, what’s all the complaining about? Well, I guess we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t complain about something.