Cars Feature Wider Doors, Security Cameras, LED Lighting and Digital Displays 

New Cars to Be Delivered Starting in Early 2025

View Photos of R211 Subway Cars

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board’s New York City Transit Committee today approved an order for 640 more R211 subway cars, authorizing the full MTA Board to consider the order on Wednesday. 

Qualification testing on the R211s already delivered is underway with passenger service expected by the spring. 

The option, an addition to the base order of 535 cars awarded in 2018, would bring the total number of R211 cars ordered to 1,175, including 75 Staten Island rail cars and 20 cars that feature open gangways. 

These R211 cars, initially planned for the A and C lines and the Staten Island Railway, are a critical part of the MTA's ongoing modernization efforts. They feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on existing cars. The wider doorways are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations. 

The cars also include security cameras, digital displays that will provide information about service and stations, and brighter lighting and signage, slicker bonnet design, among other features. 

"We are thrilled to see customers coming back to the system with increased frequency and our main objective is to provide safe, fast reliable service,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey. “These modern trains feature wider doorways that will help speed up boarding time, run more reliably and give our riders a more modern passenger experience.” 

"Our commitment to provide the best and most reliable service to our customers is unwavering and this investment is proof of that,” said New York City Transit Senior Vice President for Subways Demetrius Crichlow. “The MTA will deliver on its promise to provide the most efficient, most comfortable, and most modern service in the quickest timeline possible.”