Staten Island straphangers who journey the oldest practice automobiles within the MTA fleet are lastly receiving a long-delayed improve.
The primary of the brand new Staten Island Railway automobiles started carrying riders Tuesday, almost three years after they had been imagined to debut.
The fashionable R211 automobiles, which have been operating on A and C trains since early final yr, will finally section out a mannequin that has been retired on all MTA traces since 2010 — besides alongside the 21-station line that runs between St. George and Tottenville, the place they’ve been in service for greater than half a century.
“I’ve been riding those same old cars since I was a kid — the air conditioning is on and off and they’re very uncomfortable,” mentioned Ben Kasprzak, 43, who commutes to Manhattan day by day through the railway and Staten Island Ferry. “We deserve something new, finally.”
Rider Ben Kasprzak, 43, who commutes to Manhattan day by day through the railway and Staten Island Ferry, Oct. 8, 2024. Credit score: Jose Martinez/THE CITY
In all, 75 new automobiles will go into service on Staten Island, making up 15 trains. They’re a part of the MTA’s $1.4 billion buy in January 2018 of 535 R211 automobiles from Japanese producer Kawasaki.
Supply of the brand new automobiles, which have wider doorways, flip-up seats and pre-installed safety cameras, was initially delayed by a pandemic-driven supply-chain slowdown. The brand new automobiles encountered additional delays final January, when the MTA found a software program problem with their automated practice management system.
The 535 new automobiles had been ordered as a part of the MTA’s greater than $50 billion 2020-2024 capital plan. The subsequent $68.4 billion capital plan, which company officers unveiled final month, requires spending $7.6 billion on 1,500 new subway automobiles — or near 22% of all the fleet.
“The capital program funded these new cars and it’s going to fund a ton of new cars for the No. 1 train, the No. 3 train, the 4 train, the 5 train,” mentioned Janno Lieber, MTA chairperson and CEO.
Transit officers mentioned the R211 automobiles put in service Tuesday should carry Staten Island riders with out a hitch for 30 days earlier than others are rolled out.
The MTA is aiming to have the 75 new automobiles delivered by the center of 2025, with the Seventies-era automobiles being phased out as soon as testing is accomplished. The shift is anticipated to ship quicker and smoother rides.
The automobiles that at present run on the Staten Island Railway started carrying riders in 1971, Oct. 8, 2024. Credit score: Jose Martinez/THE CITY
“Not only are these cars better for our riders, but they’re also more reliable,” mentioned Demetrius Crichlow, interim president of New York Metropolis Transit. “These cars are projected to be at least six times more reliable than the current R44 cars we’re operating.”
On common, the almost 300 R211 automobiles now in service on the subway journey greater than 240,000 miles earlier than breaking down and inflicting delays. As of August, the newest date for which numbers can be found, the systemwide common for all MTA subway automotive courses was 118,640 miles, company knowledge reveals.
The automobiles that at present run on the Staten Island Railway started carrying riders in 1971.
“They’re really beat up, there’s corrosion and some seats you can’t even sit on,” mentioned Serena Rosa, who boarded the brand new practice throughout its inaugural southbound run from St. George. “They’re rotten in certain areas.”
The primary Staten Island Railway journey attracted a flock of rail aficionados from throughout the town, together with 26-year-old Arqiel Roldan, who carried a Lego mannequin he had constructed of the brand new practice automotive.
“It’s great to see new trains coming through here for once,” Roldan mentioned. “A lot of the old ones are in pretty bad shape.”
Stephen Martone rode the bus from Bay Ridge to Staten Island to see the brand new practice automobiles, Oct. 8, 2024. Credit score: Jose Martinez/THE CITY
Stephen Martone took an MTA bus from his residence in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Staten Island, the place he hopped on the brand new practice on the Outdated City station. He beforehand had taken two inaugural runs on R211 automobiles, together with the one which first started carrying passengers in March 2023 and the February debut of an “open gangway” practice that enables riders to stroll between automobiles by accordion-like passageways.
“I wanted to do this one as well,” mentioned Martone, who wore a Grand Central Madison baseball cap and a masks with the logos of all New York Metropolis Transit subway traces. “I’m a rail fanatic.”
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