All Aboard: Here’s Where to Catch a Ride on 1st New Train in 5 Years

The first new fleet of subway cars in five years have finally hit the rails.

From Inwood to the Rockaways, rail fans joined MTA executives Friday aboard the inaugural regular service ride of the first new subway car fleet.

The MTA purchased 535 of the R211 train cars which feature digital displays and wider doors for faster boarding. Twenty of those feature the eye-catching “open gangway,” allowing riders to move freely between cars.

A second batch of cars already on order are two years away.

The first train entering service on the A line will be the sole R211 seen over the next several weeks as transit crews monitor its progress.

“These new cars enable us to run more service,” MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said at the ribbon cutting.

The chairman says the first run from Inwood to the Rockaways travels more than 30 miles and connects dozens of neighborhoods.

“It’s a line we prioritized because we need to improve service on the A line,” he said.

The MTA’s lettered lines are long due for an upgrade. Some still run R46 trains which date back to the 1970s.