Bilevel Rail Car - Gallery Cars

Gallery Cars

Because of the two levels being separate on most cars, there is a physical limitation on the conductor, as it is difficult for him to verify, collect payment and sell tickets to such a large concentration of passengers in one car on each level, owing to the sometimes short distance between stops.

A solution came in the form of the design of the "gallery" car, which features upper levels, which are "mezzanines" or "balconies" running along both sides of the car, with an open area between them. Some gallery cars have up to four separate galleries (one on each side, times two for access from each end).

This enables the conductor(s) walking along on the lower level to easily reach up and punch or validate tickets of the passengers seated on the mezzanine level. Passengers can place their tickets in clips along a lengthwise panel, located slightly above the conductor's head and within easy reach. The conductor can then quickly check tickets and move to the next car.

Another advantage of bilevel gallery cars is the relatively low first step of the vestibule entrance to the car, which is 14+5⁄₈ inches (371 mm) above the head of the rail. The advantage of this is that commuter rail operators do not have to spend funds on building high-level platforms; a low-level platform is all that is necessary, at a far lower cost. This can be a major disadvantage as well, as many commuter rail systems prefer high-level platforms as they can decrease loading and unloading times substantially, and greatly improve access to trains for the disabled.

Such cars are used by Metra in and around Chicago, by Caltrain along the west side of San Francisco Bay, by Montreal's Agence métropolitaine de transport, by Virginia Railway Express (VRE) in Northern Virginia, by Nashville's Music City Star and by MARC Train in Maryland. They provide high capacity (155 to 169 passengers each). Chicago's commuter rail system is currently receiving new versions of these cars. Caltrain, the San Francisco peninsula commuter rail service, has recently overhauled its fleet. Some of these gallery cars are ex-Metra cars. Canadian Vickers manufactured a batch of Gallery Cars (7 coaches and 2 cab control cars) for Canadian Pacific Railway for use in Montreal that later were acquired by Agence métropolitaine de transport.

Downsides of gallery cars are the often narrow and difficult-to-access seats.

Amtrak also purchased a dozen of these cars, which were in use for a short time.