UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — Upper Manhattanites riding the A train will be greeted with a new type of subway car that includes wider doors, security cameras and digital displays.
The R211 subway cars entered service on the A train line Friday. It’s the first time in five years that a new type of subway car fleet has been introduced to the New York City transit system.
“The new cars will give our riders a more modern passenger experience, so riding the subway no longer feels like a step into the past,” MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber said in a news release.. “We are investing more than $6 billion in new rail cars as part of the historic $55 billion MTA capital program and not just for aesthetics, because these new rail cars allow us to provide a more frequent”.
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The new subway car models that will be phased into A train service feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard car door openings, which are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains spend at stations. .
The new models are part of a 535-car order of the R211a model, which includes 440 cars with the new amenities, 15 Staten Island Railway five-car trainsets and 20 cars with the open bridge feature.
“Modernizing our system is the right step to ensure we are providing an accessible service that competes on an international scale,” Council member Carmen De La Rosa said in a press release. “The train is Washington Heights and Inwood’s connection to the rest of the city. city and we are excited to be some of the first riders on the new R211 trains.”
