New York City’s transit system is launching a new type of subway train where riders can walk between cars and doors are wider, the first of its kind in modern US history.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Thursday ran the new R211T open gangway trains on the C line for the first time. The pilot program includes two such trains, with 10 cars each. While the more spacious trains are used on mass-transit systems in Europe and Asia, the MTA’s investment is the first for a US public transportation provider, according to the MTA.
“You can actually move seamlessly from one car to the other,” Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters before boarding the train for its first passenger trip. “You’re not trapped. You want to have a different experience? You can get up and move around. You don’t get claustrophobic.”