On December 16th, 2024, the MTA announced that 435 additional R211 subway cars–including 355 closed-end cars and 80 open-gangway cars–will soon roll out onto NYC tracks. There are currently 345 R211 cars in service throughout the NYC Transit system, including on the A and C lines and the Staten Island Railway. Once fully rolled out, the additional cars will bring the total R211 fleet to 1,610.
And the 160,000 riders who take the G each day are in for a real treat as at least two open-gangway trains will roll out on this line as early as the beginning of 2025, making it only the second subway line to have open-gangway trains. Therefore straphangers who hop on the G will have a 1 in 5 chance of finding themselves stepping onto a brand new subway train!
The state of the art R211 cars are less prone to breakdowns and come CBTC equipped to provide faster, more frequent, and reliable service, meaning smoother trips for the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who ride the system each day and more reliable service for decades to come.
The first R211 subway cars didn’t officially roll onto the tracks until March 2023 (with the first open gangway cars rolling into service almost a year later in February 2024), though word of them began circulating back in January 2019–with an initial rollout date of 2021. But what would the MTA be if not, well, a bit delayed?!
And though more cars were introduced in July 2023, it wasn’t long before some were pulled from service due to faulty gearboxes. Even more, it was found that the cars can’t run on express tracks due to the lack of accessibility to preform safety evaluations.
According to a press release, the R211s will eventually replace all R44s on the Staten Island Railway as well as the current fleet of R46 subway cars, which have been in service on the A and C lines as well as the N, Q, R, W line for decades. Additionally, the NYC Transit will begin replacement of the R68s, which entered service in the mid-1980s and primarily operate on the B, D, N, and W lines.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber stated:
Old train cars break down six times as frequently as new cars, so replacing them is more than just a matter of aesthetics. 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.