The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit announced new R211A trains have rolled out on the D Line, the sixth subway line to introduce the new train cars.
The R211A cars will replace the R68s, which have been on the system since the 1980s. Officials said the new cars will come just in time for trips to Coney Island and the beach this summer. The cars are a part of the transit agency’s modernization efforts and feature 58-inch-wide door openings that allow for faster boarding and reduces the amount of time the trains sit idle at stations. The new models include security cameras, additional accessible seating, digital display for more detailed station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage.
“Today we celebrate the debut of the new R211s on the D line,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “These new trains will take customers where they want to go faster and more reliably. Riders have told us that they love the new designs and the extra space on the new trains, and we love the fact that R211s are much less prone to breakdowns – running almost 300,000 miles between breakdowns, double the rest of the fleet.”
R211s replaced all R46s on the Rockaway Shuttle GS line last month. Last year, R211s replaced all the R44s on the Staten Island Railway. These cars will eventually replace the current R46 fleet of subway cars, which have been in service on ACNQR and W lines for decades. NYC Transit said it has also begun replacing R68s, which entered service in the mid-1980s on the BDNW lines. Open-gangway R211 cars began operating on the B and G Lines in 2025. The new cars have an average mean distance between failure rate of approximately 294,221 miles, compared to the R46’s 58,685 miles.
“I am thrilled that the D train is going to be joining ‘the Fleet of Fleets’ and that customers will be able to benefit from everything that new train car offers,” New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said. “Modern, reliable cars is one thing that the MTA has committed to, so we’re looking forward to providing great service to customers with these new cars.”