MTA wants to buy new subway cars to replace its aging fleet
C train Credit: Getty
The MTA is may replace some of the aging cars in the subway fleet.
The agency’s transit and finance committees recommended a proposal Monday to buy 300 new subway cars to replace the old R32 and R42 cars, which are more than 40 years old. The cars chug along on the C line and make up about a quarter of J and Z line trains.
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The MTA is may replace some of the aging cars in the subway fleet.
The agency’s transit and finance committees recommended a proposal Monday to buy 300 new subway cars to replace the old R32 and R42 cars, which are more than 40 years old. The cars chug along on the C line and make up about a quarter of J and Z line trains.
The C trains rank among the worst in the system, and break down every 62,000 miles. The average distance between failures for subway cars systemwide is more than 170,000 miles.
The new cars would cost nearly $600 million, and straphangers could begin riding them in 2015. While they would look similar to cars that run on the E, F, M, N and Q lines, the new car’s design and precise features have not yet been released.
The MTA’s board will vote Wednesday on the proposal.