Governor Cuomo Unveils Design of Reimagined MTA Subway Cars and Details Ambitious Plan to Enhance Su

[Around the Horn]

Plan Adds 1,025 Subway Cars, Including Up to 750 with "Open Car End" Design; New Features to Reduce Wait Times and Increase Capacity

Reveals Key Architectural Elements for Renovation of 31 Subway Stations throughout New York-Metro Area; Request for Proposals for First Three Stations to Be Issued This Week

 

 

Reimagined and Enhanced Subway Cars

Later this week, the MTA will issue an RFP for the construction of 1,025 new subway cars, which will highlight that the timeline of design and production, as well as cost-effectiveness, will be central factors in awarding the contract.

The RFP will also emphasize the need to align with MTA design guidelines, which were established after a review of best practices in a number of major metropolitan areas from around the world, and identified several key elements for use in the New York system, including:

• Open Car End Design: The MTA anticipates that out of 1,025 new cars, up to 750 will feature an Open Car End designed. The Open Car End design replaces the door between cars with an accordion-like connector in order to create longer, open spaces, allowing for greater passenger flow movement and increasing capacity in the process. These cars have become an international standard: in London 31 percent of cars will be Open Car End by the end of the year; in Paris the figure climbs to 37 percent; and in Toronto to 56 percent.
• Wider Doors: The door width of the new cars will be expanded from the current MTA standard of 50 inches to 58 inches. Wider subway doors can reduce delays by allowing customers to enter and exit more quickly, and have become an international standard. According to a computer simulation of passenger flow conducted on behalf of the MTA, in crowded scenarios wider doors can reduce a train’s ‘dwell time’ in the station by 32 percent.
• Customer Amenities & Security: The interior of new cars will also feature a host of new amenities, including WiFi, USB chargers, full color digital customer information displays, digital advertisements, illuminated door opening alerts and security cameras to promote passenger safety.
• Exterior Features: Design elements for the exterior of the new subway cars include a new blue front with large windows, LED headlights, and a blue stripe with gold accents along the sides.

 

Improved Subway Stations

The announcement highlighted key elements of the Governor’s initiative to create a new and improved design standard for subway stations, and undertake extensive renovations at 31 stations from across the five boroughs. The 31 stations included in the program build upon a larger campaign, designed to improve the customer experience, and includes component and renewal work at more than 170 other stations. Design elements include:

• Enhanced lighting throughout the stations;
• Improved signage to make it easier for customers to navigate stations, including digital, real-time updates on on-time performance at subway entrances, before customers even enter the station;
• Inclusion of amenities, such as count down clocks, improved cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi and new art; and
• Renovations will also consider the architectural legacy of each station, and remain sensitive to historical elements as the stations undergo redesign.

Key elements for each station type include:

ELEVATED

SIDE PLATFORM

ISLAND PLATFORM

Street Level Entrance Canopy and Totem

Street Level Entrance Canopy and Totem

Street Level Entrance Canopy and Totem

Control Area Dashboard

Control Area Dashboard

Control Area Dashboard

Transparent Windscreens

Glass or Mesh Fare Array

Glass or Mesh Fare Array

LED Light Fixtures Throughout

LED Light Fixtures Throughout

LED Light Fixtures Throughout

Furniture with Integrated Charging Stations

Furniture with Integrated Charging Stations

Furniture with Integrated Charging Stations

Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art

RFP for First Three Stations in 31 Station Renovation Program

The MTA will issue an RFP for the first package of three stations located in Brooklyn later this week:

• Prospect Avenue Station
• 53rd Street Station
• Bay Ridge Avenue Station

RFPs for the remainder of the 31 stations will be released over the next twelve months, and will be distributed across the five boroughs. The first contract is expected to be awarded in the fall. Station closures will be limited to a six-month period.

Design Build Contracts

At the direction of the Governor, the MTA is using design-build contracts for all 31 stations. Design-build contracts call for a single team to be responsible for the design and construction of an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame.

President of NYC Transit, Veronique (Ronnie) Hakim, said, “With design-build contracts, one team is responsible for both design and construction of the station. From a construction perspective, that means that there’s a seamless connection between various phases of a project, enabling the contractors to limit miscommunications, and speed the completion of the project. From the perspective of our customers, it means that they get a completely renovated station that is brighter, better, and more functional in the shortest possible time frame.” 
 

I see that we already have threads devoted to the designs for the cars and stations. This thread can be used as a general thread to discuss the initiative (similar to the thread about the bus announcement in April)

 

I personally can't wait to see what my home station, Bay Ridge Avenue will look like and I hope the blue tiles will be gone and something similar to the Manhattan stations take its place (or an even better idea: honor the Middle Eastern population of the neighborhood and create a design based of off the decorative tilework found on important buildings in the Middle East. The MTA did something similar when Canal Street was redone. Those tiles were based off of Chinese design practices).

[DoubleL]

I'm excited for this. I still don't love the open gangway cars, but I guess I'll have to wait and see. 

[MysteriousBtrain]

750 open gangway? I rather have 10 open gangway like the original plan. We don't need another R44 mistake. We need an R110 test run.

[Around the Horn]

750 open gangway? I rather have 10 open gangway like the original plan. We don't need another R44 mistake. We need an R110 test run.

If I remember ENYs breakdown, most of the 750 are option cars and only 10 are in the base order, so in a sense they will have a R110 test run and then can exercise the option, if it works.

 

I just hope some of the open gangway cars are 4 car sets for the . It needs open gangways more than it needs ten car trains.

[Lennyj17]

Oh great! so instead of isolating 1 bum to stinking up a single car, they now can spread their joy to the whole train, just lovely. 

 

http://tracks.lionel.com/plan-for-updated-nyc-subway-unveiled/

[BreeddekalbL]

Oh great! so instead of isolating 1 bum to stinking up a single car, they now can spread their joy to the whole train, just lovely. 

 

http://tracks.lionel.com/plan-for-updated-nyc-subway-unveiled/

 

such a genius idea by the most benevolent prince Andrew!

[Via Garibaldi 8]

New subway cars are definitely needed but the focus needs to be on improving the reliability of service and cleaning the subway stations more frequently.  New technology with filthy subway cars and stations and countdown clocks that can tell us how delayed our train will be... Just what we need...  It seems like every day now the have seen severe delays... 

[LTA1992]

Oh great! so instead of isolating 1 bum to stinking up a single car, they now can spread their joy to the whole train, just lovely.

 

http://tracks.lionel.com/plan-for-updated-nyc-subway-unveiled/

Believe it or not, it may be better. Less enclosed space means more ventilation. At least that was my reasonings when it came to my rides on lines 1 and 14 in Paris.

Plan Adds 1,025 Subway Cars, Including Up to 750 with "Open Car End" Design; New Features to Reduce Wait Times and Increase Capacity

 

Reveals Key Architectural Elements for Renovation of 31 Subway Stations throughout New York-Metro Area; Request for Proposals for First Three Stations to Be Issued This Week

 

I see that we already have threads devoted to the designs for the cars and stations. This thread can be used as a general thread to discuss the initiative (similar to the thread about the bus announcement in April)

 

I personally can't wait to see what my home station, Bay Ridge Avenue will look like and I hope the blue tiles will be gone and something similar to the Manhattan stations take its place (or an even better idea: honor the Middle Eastern population of the neighborhood and create a design based of off the decorative tilework found on important buildings in the Middle East. The MTA did something similar when Canal Street was redone. Those tiles were based off of Chinese design practices).

 

Sent from my N9132 using Tapatalk

[GojiMet86]

And it's really the R160s that stink because of their ventilation system.

[Cait Sith]

And it's really the R160s that stink because of their horrible ventilation system.

fixed.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

And it's really the R160s that stink because of their ventilation system.

 

 

fixed.

What train lines does the R160 run on?  The ones on the line seem good enough but I'm always in the middle of the car on those trains and not for long periods of time.

[Cait Sith]

What train lines does the R160 run on? The ones on the line seem good enough but I'm always in the middle of the car on those trains and not for long periods of time.

C, E, F, J, L, M, N, Q, the R at times and the Z

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

C, E, F, J, L, M, N, Q, the R at times and the Z

 

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

I have found them to be okay overall, but then again my rides aren't that long.

[Around the Horn]

The R160s on the N are particularly brutal

 

 

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[Cait Sith]

The R160s on the N are particularly brutal

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using NYC Transit Forums mobile app

 

Nowhere near as brutal as the homeless express (The E).