MTA unveils new NYC subway cars on the A line
March 11, 2023, 5:59 p.m.
The new train cars include flip-up seating for riders with disabilities and wider door openings for quicker boarding.
Riders of the A train may notice something different during their commute: The MTA has rolled out new “state-of-the-art” subway cars on the subway route.
The new R211 model includes security cameras, flip-up seating for added space for riders with disabilities, and door openings that are 8 inches wider for quicker boarding.
“The new cars are going to give our riders a more modern passenger experience,” said MTA Chairman Janno Lieber during a Friday press conference at the 207th Street station. “So riding the subway no longer feels like a step into the past.”
All told, 535 R211 subway cars will be arriving on the city’s train tracks. That includes 15 for the Staten Island Railway and 20 cars with “open gangways,” which allow for free movement between cars. The new cars also work with the agency’s new signaling system that will allow trains to run more frequently and closer together.
Last October, the MTA announced that its board approved an order of 640 additional R211s, for a total of 1,175 new subway cars within the next two years. The second set is expected to arrive in early 2025. Lieber added that the agency is investing over $6 billion in new train cars as part of its $55 billion Capital Program.
The new train cars will replace the R46 subway cars currently running on the A line, which date back to the mid-1970s.