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OAKLAND — Brighter, cleaner, quieter: Those were just a few words BART riders used to describe the first train in the agency’s new fleet, which made its inaugural ride Friday.

“It’s kind of space-agey,” said Richmond resident Frank Bonanni, who was surprised to find himself boarding the new train. “It’s really pretty.”

The milestone was significant for the transit agency, which struggled with delays as it sought to iron out all the kinks with the new cars. BART is replacing all 669 of its train cars with 775 new ones, a $2.6 billion effort to update the aging and sometimes unreliable fleet, add capacity by running longer trains and improve passengers’ experience.

The new train will run on the Richmond-Warm Springs line during off-peak hours for a few weeks, said BART General Manager Grace Crunican. If there aren’t any major glitches, the agency will run the train during peak hours on the same line and then run the train on other lines throughout the BART district.

“The future is here,” she said.

Riders, most of whom were unaware the train would be hitting the tracks on Friday, raved about the cars’ new digital display boards that let passengers know where the train is in the system, without having to look outside at station signs. Many appreciated the extra standing room in the new cars, which have fewer seats than the older ones.

Others commented on the new bike racks, which offer designated bike parking, and the bright blue and green color scheme of the new, easier-to-clean seats. The cars also have straps of varying lengths for shorter and taller riders, automated announcements, air conditioning and working surveillance cameras.

“I really like the way way the seats are made; they aren’t that ugly plastic material,” said Berkeley resident and San Jose native Jessica Shi. “In general, (the train) just feels bigger and like there’s a lot more space in between seats.”

Herold Nagel of Rodeo proudly wore the button he received from riding on BART’s inaugural run in 1973. The agency got new vehicles in 1988 and 1994, and rehabbed its original 1970s-era train cars between 1997 and 2001. But, with some exceptions, not a whole lot has changed on the new cars since then.

“After 40 years, it’s time for an upgrade,” he said.

State regulators on Wednesday gave BART the green light to put the first train of its new fleet in service. The pilot train had undergone months of testing, including a botched safety inspection in November, when the train failed to recognize seven of the cars in the 10-car train and the doors failed to open.

John Garnham, the project manager for the new fleet, admitted there had been some hiccups along the way, though they weren’t entirely unexpected.

“It’s a process. It’s a huge project, and it’s very complicated,” he said. “We were glad to find the issue while we were testing.”

Given the issues with the first 10-car train, state regulators told BART they need to sign off on the second train in the new fleet before it starts carrying passengers, an added step that isn’t always required. But, Garnham said he expects to have the second 10-car train in service within a few weeks.

BART has 20 cars at its Hayward testing facility, and Garnham said five more are in the final stages of production at Bombardier Inc.’s manufacturing plant in Plattsburgh, New York.

BART needs to add capacity to the system to accommodate an expected boost in ridership when the Milpitas and Berryessa stations open later this year. Carolyn Gonot, the interim director of planning and program development for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, said those stations aren’t expected to open until the fall, a few months later than the agency first projected.