New York City Debuts Roomier Subway Cars

The car design is used throughout Europe and Asia, but it’s a first for the U.S.

1 minute read

February 12, 2024, 6:00 AM PST

By Mary Hammon @marykhammon


Interior of a subway car with wide doors and blue floors and seats.

The new R211T subway car model features wider doors to allow people to get on and off the train more quickly. | Marc A. Hermann / MTA / Flicker

New York City launched new, more spacious subway cars earlier this month, reports Bloomberg CityLab. The new cars feature a design favored in Europe and Asia with wider doors and open gangways that allow passengers to move easily between cars. It’s a first for a U.S. public transportation provider, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The MTA is piloting the new cars on two trains with 10 cars on each. The hope is that the doors, which are eight inches wider, and the fact that riders won’t need to exit one car to find seating in another will speed up boarding and disembarking. Each new car will have security cameras, which will help reduce crime. There will be space for additional accessibility seating as well.

“The 20 open gangway cars are part of a $1.4 billion contract with Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. that also includes 440 standard subway cars and 75 Staten Island Railway cars,” Bloomberg reporter Michelle Kaske writes. According to the MTA’s 20-year needs assessment, they’ll need to replace more than 3,900 subway cars over the next two decades. About 1,500 subway rail cars are already past their 40-year limit.

Friday, February 2, 2024 in Bloomberg CityLab

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of viaduct under construction for California High-Speed Rail.

DOT Officially Cancels California High-Speed Rail Funding

The Trump administration has repeatedly taken aim at the LA-to-Bay Area rail project, blaming Democratic leaders for cost overruns and delays.

3 hours ago - Streetsblog California

Orange "Apartments Leasing" sandwich board sign on sidewalk with arrow pointing right.

Legislators Push Back Against ‘Rent-Setting’ Software

In the last six months, lawmakers in more than two dozen cities and states have made strides to stop landlords from using anti-competitive rental software to determine how much to charge for rent. Shelterforce looks at the wins and losses so far.

5 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Orange and black heavy equipment and workers building new asphalt roadway.

DOT Awards 77% of BUILD Grants to Road Projects

Trump’s DOT is directing 87 percent of total grant dollars to states that backed the President in the last election.

7 hours ago - Streetsblog USA