After about three years of extensive testing, DART First State of Delaware places new 45 foot coaches into service on routes 301 and 305. These coaches are 2012 MCI D4500CT’s and they are replacing older coaches built-in 1999 by Motor Coach Industries.
DART’s new state-of-the-art coaches made their debut runs today, April 2nd, 2012, on route 301 from Wilmington Station to Dover. Previously, service normally was provided by forty-foot coaches built by Motor Coach Industries. In 2009, DelDOT decided to test the performance of forty-five-foot coaches on routes 201 and 305. After about three full years of testing, DART purchased six new forty-five-foot coaches to operate on these routes. 915 and 916 (two of the six new coaches) made their first runs today on route 301.
DART plans to place the rest of these coaches into service over the next month. The last of the 1999 coaches will be retired one-for-one with these new D4500CT’s.
