Open gangway subway cars are now in service on the C line
Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr
The New York City subway system’s new open gangway cars have officially hit the rails. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday participated in an inaugural ride of the open gangway subway cars which are in service on the C line between Washington Heights and East New York. The ride marked the first time in modern history that an open gangway train, already used in major European and Asian cities, has operated in the United States.
The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), one of the three independent subway services that preceded NYC Transit, had three-car open gangway segments in service from 1925 to 1965.
The open gangway R211T cars feature accordion-like walls that connect the entire train, allowing passengers to move easily from one car to another. The design also aims to reduce overcrowding and address the problem of people unsafely moving between cars.
The open gangway pilot cars are part of a larger order of R211A conventional 60-foot cars, a version of the modern train car without the open gangway design.
All R211 cars feature 58-inch-wide door spans, eight inches wider than existing doors. The wider doors are designed to speed up the boarding process and reduce the amount of time a train spends at the station loading and unloading passengers.
“The R211 fleet ties in perfectly with the faster, cleaner, safer service mantra we have at New York City Transit,” Richard Davey, president of NYC Transit, said. “These cars will look familiar from the outside, however, inside is a first. Wider doors help riders get on the train faster, and the hope is these open gangway cars make it easier than ever to find a seat.”
New cars also feature digital displays with real-time service updates, brighter lighting, and better signage. The cars also use the MTA’s new communications-based signal technology, which allows more trains to run closer together.
The new R211 cars also come equipped with security cameras, in addition to the already 1,000 cameras in cars throughout the system. By 2025, the entire fleet should have in-car cameras, according to the MTA.
“The subway is the lifeblood of New York City and we’re making record investment so it’s safe, efficient and successful,” Hochul said. “New train cars, additional security cameras and more reliable service will make the subway system even better for decades to come.”
In 2018, the MTA announced a contract with Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. to manufacture 535 R211 cars. Due to pandemic-related delays, the first fleet of new cars arrived in the five boroughs for testing in July 2021. In October 2022, the MTA Board voted to approve an order for 640 additional R211 cars, bringing the total number of R211 cars to 1,175. The second set of new cars is expected to be delivered in early 2025.
In October 2023, nearly all of the subway system’s fleet of R211 train cars were taken out of service due to malfunctioning gearboxes which caused the car’s wheels to lock up, drag along the tracks, and flatten, as first reported by Gothamist. The cars were put back in service a few weeks after repairs.
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