New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the rollout of R211T open gangway subway cars on the C line, running between Washington Heights and East New York, and marked significant progress towards increasing cameras throughout the system, with 1,000 subway cars now equipped with cameras. The unveiling was followed by an inaugural ride with Governor Hochul, Metropolitan Transportation Authority leadership, and elected officials, starting at the 168 St station A,C,1 Line in Washington Heights, which serves as the C line’s terminal.
R211 subway cars are a critical part of the MTA’s ongoing modernization efforts systemwide. The cars include pre-installed security cameras in each car adding to the 1,000 subway cars that already have in-car cameras throughout the system. The rest of the NYC Transit fleet is scheduled to have in-car camera installations completed by January 2025. The in-car installations add on to the already expansive camera network in the subway system. In addition to 1,000 subway car cameras, the MTA has approximately 15,000 cameras across all 472 stations.
The R211 cars feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on the existing car fleet, which are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations. In addition to wider doors, these cars provide additional accessible seating, digital displays that will provide more detailed station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage, among other features that improve the customer experience.
In October 2023 the Authority announced R211S cars will be rolled out on the Staten Island Railway (SIR) starting this year. NYC Transit received 20 open gangway cars as part of a much larger order of R211A cars.
-via Press Release