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Why it’s unlikely you’ll catch NYC’s open gangway subway cars
By
Clayton Guse
and
Stephen Nessen
Published Aug 30, 2024
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Clayton Guse / Staff
By
Clayton Guse
and
Stephen Nessen
Published Aug 30, 2024
Share
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This column originally appeared in On The Way, a weekly newsletter covering everything you need to know about NYC-area transportation.
Sign up to get the full version, which includes answers to reader questions, trivia, service changes and more, in your inbox every Thursday.
The open gangway subway trains are an exciting sight on the C line — in no small part because they’re so rare. The MTA has just two of the trains, which went into service earlier this year. They do not have doors between cars, providing a more spacious feel and allowing riders to stretch their legs if they please.
Most C train cars date back to the 1970s. Riders on the line have a roughly 1 in 9 chance to catch one of the open gangway models during peak periods, according to the MTA. In fact, the fancy new cars make up less than one-third of a percent of the MTA’s entire subway fleet.
They’re the unicorns of New York’s transit system – and riders shouldn’t expect more of them any time soon.
The MTA ordered the open gangway trains as part of a larger purchase of subway cars in 2018. The goal was to see how the doorless cars, which are common in subway lines in London and Paris, would work in New York City.
That testing process hasn’t been without some hitches. We previously reported on an MTA memo stating the open gangway trains would only run on the C line. The trains had previously been planned to run on the A line, but there were logistical issues involving safety protocols along the express tracks. (The MTA has disputed the significance of the memo).
In 2022, the agency ordered another batch of cars — called R211s — but didn’t buy any more open gangways.
MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults said the R211s “have all the same exact features as the open gangway train sets except for the gangways.” Those features include wider doors, digital displays and security cameras. Those cars are primarily used on the A line. Shults pointed out that A train riders have a roughly 60% chance of boarding a shiny new car, as opposed to a clunky old bruiser.
Curious Commuter
Have a question about subway cars (or literally anything else NYC-transit related)? Use this form to submit yours and we may answer it in a future newsletter! But note that Curious Commuter questions are exclusive for On The Way newsletter subscribers. Sign up for free here.
Question from Ralph in Queens
When will the N line be getting newer subway cars?
Answer
The MTA will need modern train cars to make good on its plan to update the signal system on the stretch of tracks that carry the N and W trains in Astoria. But that project lost its funding when Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing in June.
The MTA tells On The Way there is no timeline for phasing out the old cars on the N line. This is not great news for riders on train cars that are four decades old, with a color scheme that has Nixonian vibes.
The latest NYC area transit headlines
Listen here:
- NYPD officers and MTA enforcement agents have launched a fare evasion enforcement blitz on bus routes deemed to be “egregious” hot spots for fare beating. Read more.
- Leaving town for Labor Day weekend and want to avoid traffic nightmares? Consider hitting the road late tomorrow night. Read more.
- 2 trains won’t be running between Manhattan and the Bronx this weekend, among other Labor Day weekend service changes. Read more.
- Major roadways in Queens are subject to closures through the end of the U.S. Open. Read more.
- The city’s Department of Transportation said it’s creating 71 additional car-free Open Streets outside schools this year. Read more.
- Congressional candidates from both parties are running ads trying to take credit for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s congestion pricing pause. Read more.
- Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is urging Craigslist, TikTok and Facebook to crack down on black markets for “ghost plates” used by drivers to evade tolls. Read more.
- Ever since the Port Authority botched the installation of OMNY tap-to-pay readers for the JFK AirTrain last October, riders have been able to walk right through select turnstiles without paying the $8.50 fare. Read more.
- NJ Transit trains and buses have been free all week in recognition of a summer of persistent delays. Riders just want the agency to fix its service. Read more.
- Drivers are now illegally parking in the much-debated bike lane installed last year along Greenpoint’s busy McGuinness Boulevard. Read more.
- New York City is finally moving ahead with a decade-old plan to install a greenway near the United Nations’ headquarters. It’s the latest step in a larger project to create a 32-mile cycling and pedestrian path along Manhattan’s waterfront. Read more.
Tagged
transportation
On The Way
Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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