The MTA put its first R211A train cars into service on the D line on July 1, making it the sixth subway line to receive the new fleet, according to an MTA press release. The rollout replaces R68 cars that have operated on the line since the 1980s and arrives in time for summer trips to the beach at Coney Island.
The R211s feature 58-inch-wide door openings, eight inches wider than existing cars, which the MTA says is designed to speed boarding and reduce the time trains idle in stations. Each car also has security cameras, additional accessible seating, digital displays with station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage.
“These new trains will take customers where they want to go faster and more reliably,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in the press release. “R211s are much less prone to breakdowns, running almost 300,000 miles between breakdowns, double the rest of the fleet.” The MTA reported a specific mean distance between failure of approximately 294,221 miles for the R211, compared to 58,685 miles for the R46 cars the R211s have replaced elsewhere in the system.
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said the D train was joining what he called “the Fleet of Fleets.” MTA Chief of Rolling Stock Jessie Lazarus said the rollout extended a broader fleet upgrade. He said riders in southern Brooklyn would notice improvements from the digital displays and security cameras.
The R211 rollout on the D line is part of a multi-year expansion. The cars replaced all R46s on the Rockaway Shuttle last month and all R44s on the Staten Island Railway in 2025, according to the press release. Open-gangway versions of the R211 also began running on the G line in 2025.
On lines that already have R211s, customer satisfaction with train cleanliness has climbed. The MTA’s Fall 2025 Customers Count survey found the B line rose seven points to 62% and the G line rose 14 points to 78%, both above the system-wide average of 59%, according to the press release. The MTA said train cleanliness is typically one of the top three drivers of riders’ overall satisfaction.
Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny and City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso both attended a debut event at Coney Island. “Wider doors mean more people can come to Coney Island, and residents of Coney Island will be better served,” Brook-Krasny said. Santosuosso said riders throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx would “benefit tremendously from access to a modernized, reliable, and more pleasant trip” on the D line.
The MTA is also pursuing a larger procurement effort. In March, the MTA announced it is seeking proposals for what it called its largest subway car contract in history, with a base order of 1,140 subway cars to replace the R62 and R62A fleets, and an option for an additional 1,250 cars to replace the R142 and R142A fleets.
Featured image: Courtesy flickr.com
