Passengers on Metro's Expo, Blue and Gold Lines have enjoyed the rollout of the new Kinkisharyo P3010 light rail vehicles over the past year.  Soon patrons of the the subway system will be in for a similar treat.

According to a post the Source, Metro has issued a notice to proceed to China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, which will manufacture 64 HR4000 heavy rail vehicles for use on the Red and Purple Lines.  Thirty of the HR4000's will be used to replace Metro's aging fleet of subway cars, which are over 20 years old on average.  The additional 34 cars will serve the Purple Line extension, which will run an additional 3.9 miles between Koreatown and Beverly Hills by 2023.

A preliminary rendering of the HR4000 can be seen below.

Delivery of the first vehicle is expected in Spring 2020, and the entire order of 64 cars is expected by September 2021.  Metro has an option to purchase an additional 218 vehicles for a cost of $647 million, which would come from both local and federal sources.