G train riders will now have a more pleasant commute, at least 15 percent of the time. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority debuted two open-gangway cars on the crosstown subway line, marking just the second line in the system to use the new R211T cars. Last February, the C line became the first open gangway train to operate in the United States.
The open gangway cars feature accordion-like walls that link the entire train, allowing passengers to move freely between cars. This design helps reduce overcrowding and addresses the problem of riders moving unsafely between the train cars.
“Open gangways offer a unique experience for G train riders,” NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said in a Tuesday news conference. “Everyone that’s taken the G train knows the experience of hustling down the platform to make that train. You get to the last car of the train and then the train is just a little bit crowded at that one last car. No more.”
All R211 cars feature 58-inch-wide door spans, eight inches wider than existing doors. The wider doors are designed to speed up the boarding process and reduce the time a train spends at the station loading and unloading passengers.
The new cars also feature digital displays with real-time service updates, security cameras, brighter lighting, and better signage. The cars also use the MTA’s new communications-based signal technology, allowing more trains to run closer together.
A second R211T car is set to enter G line service on Wednesday, and two more are scheduled to run on the line in the next two months, as reported by Gothamist.
The R211s will eventually replace all R44s on the Staten Island Railway and the current fleet of R46 cars, which have been in service on the A, C, N, Q, R, and W lines for decades. This will also allow NYC Transit to begin replacing the R68s, which began service in the mid-1980s and mainly operate on the B, D, N, and W lines.
The new cars have an average mean distance between failure (MBDF) of roughly 220,000 miles, compared to the R46’s 46,000 miles. MBDF is the measurement of how far a railcar can travel before experiencing a mechanical issue that requires maintenance.
“This is exactly the type of upgrade we need to give New Yorkers a reliable, safe and comfortable subway experience,” State Sen. Andrew Gounardes said. “These new train cars make it easier to move around and find space even when it’s crowded, easier to find key info like routes and transfers, and easier to get where riders need to go.”
Gounardes continued: “Plus, the layout of these trains makes them more accessible for riders using wheelchairs or strollers. Cities around the world have benefitted from this same design. Thanks to the MTA for their work to make this happen.”
In 2018, the MTA announced a contract with Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. to manufacture 535 R211 cars. Due to pandemic-related delays, the first fleet of new cars arrived in the five boroughs for testing in July 2021. In October 2022, the MTA Board voted to approve an order for 640 additional R211 cars, bringing the total number of R211 cars to 1,175. The second set of new cars is expected to be delivered in early 2025.
In October 2023, nearly all of the subway system’s fleet of R211 train cars were taken out of service due to malfunctioning gearboxes which caused the car’s wheels to lock up, drag along the tracks, and flatten, as first reported by Gothamist. The cars were put back in service a few weeks after repairs.
The cars were first rolled out on the C line in February 2024.
In October 2024, R211S cars were deployed on the Staten Island Railway, marking the first new subway cars to hit the tracks of the SIR in more than 50 years. The new cars—which don’t include the open gangway design—feature wider doors, security cameras, digital route screens, and enhanced accessibility features.
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