BROOKLYN – The The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday debuted two open-gangway trains on the G line, making it the second subway line after the C to get the open R211s, which have no doors between cars. G train passengers now have a 15% chance of riding an open-gangway train, according to the authority.
Upgrades include security cameras in each car, widened exterior doors designed to speed up boarding, additional accessible seating, enhanced digital displays, and brighter lighting and signage, among other quality-of-life upgrades. They’re also designed to be sturdier than current aging rail stock, with estimated off-line maintenance intervals nearly five times longer than older models. Combined with the G’s ongoing signal upgrade project, begun last summer, the MTA predicts a much quicker ride for commuters.
G line local electeds, including state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, assemblymembers Emily Gallagher and Jo Anne Simon, councilmembers Lincoln Restler, Shahana Hanif and Jennifer Gutiérrez, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, all offered strong praise to the MTA, saying the new trains would ease crowding on the “overlooked” line, especially for strollers and wheelchairs, and would improve the rider experience.
“If you know about the G train, you know that our riders often have to sprint to the train, given how short the train car is. Having open train cars means people will no longer be crammed on the ends,” Gallagher said.
Last year, the New York City Transit Committee approved an order for 435 additional R211 subway cars, including 80 open-gangway cars. These new cars will enable the replacement of the current fleet of orange-and-yellow-seat R46s and R68s, which have been in service on lines across the system since the 1980s.
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