The article doesn't mention how front-line employees (the ones who deal with the traveling public) were issued a "gag order" and were not allowed to say anything negative about the new Rotem "Guardian Fleet" cars. There were / are a lot of negative features about those cars when compared to the Bombardier cars (see below), but everyone had to / must continue to remain tight-lipped about it. Whether Fenton issued this directive himself is unclear but it DID happen on his watch.

The article also mentioned some other areas where some felt he may have been over-stepping his boundaries but, compared to Solow, anything's an improvement!

Below is from the latest Metrolink Matters. As you can see from their reponse, they're really good at blowing smoke and painting lipstick on a pig, the pig being the Rotem cars.

Customer Julie Ivey emailed:

1. The new cars have less leg room and narrower seats as well as less room to put rolling briefcases and backpacks, etc. As a result, very overweight passengers and those with commuter bags (not suitcases) end up taking up two seats—reducing the possible profit gained from sardining more people in. You don’t have enough personnel to monitor the taking up of multiple seats—but then again, what is a passenger with a thick briefcase or large girth supposed to do? If you took out two rows (eight seats), passengers would be able to breathe—and contain their belongings within the increased leg room.

2. The backs and too-high headrests on the new cars have caused back and neck problems for those under 6 feet tall. The curve in the seat back makes it painful for short folks like me on long commutes to relax.

3. Why no overhead racks in the redesign??? More customers, and not bags, on the seats.

4. Overall, new cars are “unfriendly” and claustrophobic.

Metrolink responded:

We are sorry to hear that our Guardian Fleet cars are uncomfortable for you. The cars were strategically designed with safety in mind. For example, the seating configuration enhances the collision energy management (CEM) technology that the manufacturer, Hyundai Rotem, incorporated into the car structure. Modifications to the seating arrangements could compromise the effectiveness of the CEM and reduce the seating capacity of the car, which is not conducive to Metrolink’s safety goals or our ability to provide ample seating for our riders who crowd our trains during peak hours. In addition, the aim of the higher seat backs is to provide more neck and back support; the seat backs actually promote proper seating posture, which alleviates muscle tension and back stiffness caused by sitting improperly. The new cars, like the other cars we operate, do not include luggage bins. Passengers have the ability to store their items under their seats. Although having amenities like overhead storage would be nice, Metrolink, unfortunately, does not have the budget to install them in our cars.