One thing about NYC’s subway system is that it’s often the source of constant headaches–especially since much of it is way overdue for upgrades–so, many of us were delighted back in 2019 when the MTA first announced that new subway cars would be making their way to the tracks. However, things aren’t exactly operating as they should.
After many delays, both pandemic-related and not, the new R211 fleet of cars were finally unveiled back in July 2021, and the first ones officially rolled onto the tracks in March of last year.
Though the excitement was pretty short lived when just half a year after their introduction into service a majority of the cars were pulled off the tracks due to faulty gearboxes.
And, unfortunately, the issues just keep on piling on.
According to Gothamist who got their hands on an internal MTA memo dated January 19th, the shiny new cars, which were originally supposed to run on the A and C lines, are apparently prohibited from “carrying passengers while running on the express A line tracks in two key stretches of Brooklyn and Manhattan.”
While MTA officials didn’t shed any light on the issue, a second MTA memo gave some insight, stating, “The design of the gangway trains ‘makes it impossible’ for train operators to safely perform a required inspection following the activation of the emergency brakes,” according to Gothamist.
Under MTA rules, operators are required to inspect both sides of the track in case the train’s emergency brakes are activated. On express tracks, however, operators must inspect the tracks from between each car, which isn’t possible on the new open-gangway cars.
Because of this, the new R211 cars will operate on the local C line.
Moreover, train crews will be required to discharge passengers if the train needs to run on the A line express tracks between the Euclid Avenue and Hoyt-Schermerhorn stops or between the 59th Street-Columbus Circle and 125th Street stops.
According to Gothamist, NYC Transit President Richard Davey reportedly downplayed the entire situation, stating that it was a “conscious decision” to operate the new cars on the local C line. During a news conference Davey stated:
You know, for a new car class, we just thought it was more prudent to have that car stopping at stations more frequently. Our A train customers are getting a lot of R211s, so we thought we would give a little love to our C train customers as well.
Davey added that two of the new trains would start carrying passengers “in the next week or so.”