Master Controllers Replaced in Each new Trainset to Address Significant Cause of Car Failures

Seats Removed from End of Each Car to Increase Capacity by 80 to 100 Passengers per Train

Click Here for Photos of the Reconfigured Cars

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the first cars refurbished and reconfigured as part of Chairman Joseph Lhota’s Subway Action Plan are now in service on the  line. The R-160 cars are part of a 100-car pilot designed to increase the capacity and enhance the performance reliability of the subway car fleet. Each of the trainsets had the “master controllers” – which are responsible for the braking and acceleration of the trains – replaced. The master controllers were identified as one of the leading causes of failures on the R-160’s. Additionally, seats were removed at the ends of each of the cars to increase capacity and reduce the time it takes for passengers to get on and off the trains. The seat removal is expected to increase the capacity of each train by between 80 and 100 passengers.

“Providing a safe and reliable ride is what our customers demand and what the MTA is determined to deliver through our Subway Action Plan. We do not have time to waste when it comes to improving the customer experience and service for our riders,” said Joseph Lhota, MTA Chairman. “This pilot goes directly to the heart of that goal by attacking a significant cause of failures on these cars and making a fast, targeted improvement. We also know that getting more passengers onto trains, in a more efficient manner, is absolutely essential – which is why we’re piloting the removal of select number of seats.

The refurbished and reconfigured  trains also include:

• Improved stanchions and hand rails to enhance customer comfort and safety.
• Display LCD screens in all cars to provide customers with better information.
• LED lighting to improve lighting and reduce energy consumption.
• Interior and exterior wrapping of the cars for customers to identify Pilot Trains, as well as car exterior indicators to identify the cars that have the modified seating arrangement.

The NYC Subway Action Plan is designed to stabilize and improve the subway system and lay the foundation for modernizing the New York City Subway. NYC Transit continues to move forward with plans to test a pilot program on other select lines, including the Times Square  shuttle and the  line, to remove seats to allow greater standing. Additionally, on lines where platforms are long enough to accommodate more cars, such as the Eighth Avenue  line, cars will be added to train sets to increase capacity.