NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday provided a first look at a pair of the 20 open-gangway cars in its order for R211 subway cars, part of an overall order of 535 of the New York City Transit cars under construction by Kawasaki Rail Car Inc.
The open-gangway cars, designated as R211T cars, feature soft, accordion-like connections, a design more common with light rail equipment. They are being tried in a pilot program. Those cars, like the rest of the order, also includes features like 58-inch-wide-doors, 8 inches wider than the current standard, to speed up boarding and disembarking.
“Wider doors and additional accessible seating will drastically improve the experience for all riders and particularly those with disabilities,” MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo said in a press release. “Open-gangway pilot cars will also allow customers with mobility devices or strollers the ability to move through a train like never before, and I’m excited to try out these new cars.”
The trains operated on a test run on Friday for MTA officials including CEO Janno Lieber.
In October 2022, the MTA board approved an order of an additional 640 of the R211 cars [see “New York set to order …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 25, 2022]. If testing of the initial group of open-gangway cars is successful, there is an option for another 437 cars that could include the open-gangway design.
The first of the standard-design R211 cars arrived in July 2021; their testing continues, with the first expected to enter service this spring. The open-gangway cars are expected to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2023.
I was in Paris a few weeks ago and I noticed that all of the subway cars were like this, at least on the 2 lines that I rode.
I was only a little boy when the BMT Triplex units made their last runs in the early 60s The R 30 and R32 cars replaced the Triplex units. The Triplex units were durable,sturdy and dependable performers on the BMT Southern Divison. An interesting fact was that this fleet worked the Southern Dvision of the BMT due to the weight of these cars and not allowing them to operate on the Eastern Divison of the BMT namely the Jamaica Avenue line. Another fleet of BMT cars that come to mind and a home built creation out of the BMT shops was the C cars. These were old wooden gate el cars rebuilt into 3 unit trainsets and permanently coupled together with an open gangway fearture. These cars got the name as Ugly Ducklings because of the odd mix of cars and how they were constructed and it was a homemade job built entirely by the creative builders of the BMT shops. They gave good and reliable service on the old Fulton Street elevated line in Brookly until 1956 when the last of the old el was torn down and replaced by the subway line under Fulton Street None of the C cars was ever preserved or enven one set kept for the Transit Museum. The New R211 gangway equiped subway cars are innovative but not a new idea and it remains to be seen how long or even if this concept sticks around for future subway car orders
Joseph C. Markfelder
Anyone remember the BMT Triplexes? Each 3-unit set were “open gangway” between the middle car and the outer two. If the R211Ts prove popular and operationally successful, perhaps if/when the A-Division is up for new cars a version of the Ts for them will be considered.
No don’t remember. Don’t think I ever rode BMT. Plenty of mega-miles on the other two, IND and IRT.
My question is though, MARK, with the open gangway cars, where will the Mafiosi go to plot the next hit? Traidtionally it’s between cars of a moving subway train.