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MTA to purchase 435 additional R211 metro cars

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit Committee approved an order for 435 additional R211 metro cars, authorising the full MTA Board to consider the order on Wednesday at their monthly meeting. This order includes 355 closed-end cars and 80 open-gangway cars. The option would bring the total number of R211 cars ordered to 1,610. There are currently 345 R211 cars in service throughout the New York City Transit system, including on the A and C lines and the Staten Island Railway.

Marc A. Hermann / MTA

Additionally, New York City Transit announced that beginning early next year, the agency will run at least two open-gangway trains on the G line, making it the second metro line to have open-gangway trains. G train customers will have a 1/5 chance of riding an open-gangway car. Open-gangway trains first operated on the C line earlier this year.

“Old train cars break down six times as frequently as new cars, so replacing them is more than just a matter of aesthetics,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “This latest purchase will help us get the next generation of rolling stock on the rails sooner so we can keep making the system more reliable and dramatically upgrade the passenger experience.”

“These new train cars make the world of difference for transit riders, in both reliability and the customer experience with better amenities for passengers,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow“These cars come CBTC equipped to provide faster, more frequent and reliable service, and strengthens security with subway car cameras. Additionally, G train riders can soon look forward to two open-gangway trains running on their line, the second line to operate with R211Ts.”

“This latest order is putting the MTA closer towards its goal of fully modernizing the system,” said MTA Chief of Rolling Stock Tim Mulligan. “The R211s are state of the art and less prone to breakdowns, which means smoother trips for tens of thousands of New Yorkers and more reliable service for decades to come.”

The R211s will eventually replace all R44s on the Staten Island Railway and the current fleet of R46 metro cars, which have been in service on the A and C lines as well as the N Q R W line for decades. This new option will also allow NYC Transit to begin replacement of the R68s, which entered service in the mid-1980s and primarily operate on the B D N and W. The new railcar has an average mean distance between failure (MDBF) rate of approximately 220,000 miles, compared to the R46’s 46,000 miles. The MDBF is a measure of how far the railcar can travel before a mechanical issue occurs and requires maintenance. Delivery is expected to begin in 2027.

This approval builds on the MTA’s ongoing efforts to modernise its entire fleet of rolling stock. The R211 features security cameras in every car, more accessible seating, brighter lights, clearer signage and 58-inch-wide door openings, which are eight inches wider than standard door openings on existing cars.

In January 2018, the Board awarded the contract to Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. to design, build and deliver 535 metro cars, comprised of 440 closed-end cars (R211A), 20 open-gangway (R211T) and 75 cars for Staten Island Railway. The contract included two options: Option 1 for 640 cars and Option 2, which proposed either ordering 333 or 437 cars. In October 2022, the Board authorised pption 1 to exercise an additional 640 closed-end cars (R211A) in the estimated amount of USD 1.78 billion. Today’s announcement is to exercise option 2 for 435 cars, a modification to the base contract proposed amounts, consisting of 355 closed-end cars (R211A) and 80 open-gangway (R211T), at an estimated price of USD 1.27 billion.


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