NEW YORK — New York City Transit’s first R211T open-gangway subway cars entered service on Thursday, operating on the C line between Washington Heights and East New York, following an inaugural ride featuring Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority and elected officials.
Hochul also announced that 1,000 of the city’s subway cars are now equipped with security cameras, part of an effort to equip the entire 2,700-car subway fleet that began in 2022 [see “New York City to install security cameras …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 21, 2022].
The MTA says the new Kawasaki-built trains, which have accordion-type connections between cars to allow passengers to walk from one car to another, rather than doorways, are the first open-gangway cars to operate in the modern history of U.S. subways. MTA predecessor Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corp. ran three-car open gangway segments between 1925 and 1965.
“The average age of MTA subway cars is 25 years old and our oldest subway car, the R46, is nearly 50 years old,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said in a press release. “As the 20-year Needs Assessment pointed out, the MTA needs to acquire thousands of cars, they need to be the most innovative designs and be eligible for federal funding. This pilot program will teach us if the open gangway design works for New Yorkers.”
The open-gangway cars are a pilot as part of a larger order for R211 cars; if deemed to be a success, more such cars could be included in a subsequent order [see “MTA provides first look at open-gangway subway cars,” News Wire, Feb. 6, 2023]. The website Gothamist reported last week that the new cars will not initially be used in express service because their design precludes a safety procedure currently required in close quarters following the application of emergency brakes [see “First New York ‘open gangway’ cars …,” News Wire, Jan. 29, 2023].
