MTA to roll out a new fleet of modern subway cars in 2022

Step into the future NYC subway.

On Thursday afternoon, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials unveiled the first five subway cars of its new R211 fleet slated to start running on select lettered lines next summer. 

The R211s feature 58-inch door spans that are eight inches wider than standard doors on existing cars. The doors, the MTA explains, are designed to reduce delays and speed up train movement by allowing for more passengers to board at once, in turn reducing the amount of time a train sits in a station (an estimated 25 or 30 percent). The new cars also include digital displays that will provide real-time information about service and stations, brighter lighting and signage, and modern signal technology that will facilitate faster train service, says the MTA.

"The arrival of the first of the R211s marks a critical milestone in the MTA's broader efforts at modernization," said Janno Lieber, President MTA Construction & Development. "They are a vital element of our historic Capital Plan that is continuing to pick up steam as we begin to emerge from the pandemic. In addition to giving riders a more modern passenger experience, they’re also essential to the re-signaling initiatives already underway that will allow us to increase capacity by running more trains, and providing more frequent service.”  

Qualification testing on the new model will take place over the coming weeks. 

The new convoy will replace at least 535 of the 6,418 46-year-old cars now in service — a total $6.1 billion investment that is included in the agency's current capital plan. A standing contract, however, includes options for up to 1,500 cars that the New York City Transit Authority may exercise over time. 

Eventually, 20 of the additional forthcoming R211 cars will feature an “open gangway” located at the ends of the cars as part of a pilot program. This open design features soft accordion-like walls and allows riders to move freely between cars to reduce crowding and distribute passengers more evenly throughout the train. 

Design planning on these cars began nearly a decade ago.