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    1. Rail
    2. Vehicles

    MTA seeking competitive proposals to purchase up to 949 next-generation cars for numbered subway lines

    Feb. 25, 2020
    The request includes open-gangway designs for cars equipped for modern signaling to facilitate the planned modernization on the Lexington Avenue Line.
    Related To: MTA – New York City Transit
    MTA Flickr
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    New York City Transit (NYCT) has announced plans to develop and purchase up to 949 new subway cars with an open-gangway configuration, designed for the numbered lines, that would increase passenger flow to allow customers to move freely between cars, and have the potential to improve dwell times at stations and increase capacity. 

    The move comes as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) prepares for a major resignaling project on the Lexington Avenue 456 lines and the planned retirement of its R62 and R62A fleets that have been in service for more than 30 years.

    “We must pursue the next generation of subway cars now as we prepare to resignal the subway system so that we can deliver all the necessary elements – new signals, the new fleet and new crew training – when we’re ready to implement,” said MTA Chief Operating Officer Mario Péloquin. “These next generation subways cars have proven not only successful but safe around the world and will be a game changer in New York. I’m excited because they are designed to quickly get people on and off trains and balance crowding, which gets New Yorkers to their destinations faster.”

    NYCT says it is planning a base order of 504 new cars, which will be identified as the R262 class, with the option of 445 additional cars, and a second option to buy an additional 415 cars through the 2025-2029 Capital Plan. NYCT is seeking competitive proposals which allow the agency to consider technical approaches, overall technical qualifications including proposer’s experience, product quality and delivery schedule, overall project cost and financial benefits.

    The specifications for the new R262 will be based on the latest technical specifications for the R211 subway cars, which are being designed for the “B Division” (lettered lines) of the subway and will feature updated crash standards, state-of-the-art communications and signage and immediate compatibility with a modern signaling system. Some specific design elements, however, will be unique to the R262, including an open gangway design for use on the subway system’s “A Division” (numbered lines), and added hearing loops for hearing-impaired customers.

    Once delivered, these cars will be in position to replace the class of R62 and R62A subway cars currently in use on the Lexington Avenue 456 line, which is planned for a major resignaling project to modern computerized signaling.

    Funding the base order of the R262 cars and its option has been approved as part of the 2020-2024 Capital Plan. The second option for 415 additional cars is conditional on the approval of the 2025-2029 Capital Plan. Upon completion of the RFP process, NYCT will return to the MTA Board for approval of the actual contract award.