In service 1993-present Constructed 1988–1997 Number built 72 | Manufacturer AnsaldoBreda Entered service 1993-1998 Formation 2 cars per trainset | |
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The Breda A650 is an electric multiple unit heavy rail car purpose built for use on the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It was manufactured by Breda between 1988 and 1997 and is used on the Metro's Red and Purple Lines.
The fleet of 72 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 Metro 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.
In popular culture
The Breda A650 was depicted as being burned in the tunnel between MacArthur Park and Metro Center in the 1997 film Volcano, when a lava flow through the tunnel killed nearly all on board. The A650 was featured in Speed when the emergency brake feature stops and the train derails. It is also featured in SWAT and The Italian Job. It 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.