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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board announced this week that they voted to approve the purchase of 535 next generation subway cars, which will be used on lettered routes and the Staten Island Railway. Kawasaki later announced that the cars will be built and tested at their facilities in Yonkers and Nebraska. Delivery is expected by 2020.
The initial contact will include the delivery of 535 cars for the MTA, with a contract option for up to 1,077 additional cars, bringing the total contract to approximately $4 billion. According to the MTA, “the R211 cars feature 58-inch wide door openings, which are eight inches wider than standard doors on existing cars. The expanded doors are designed to reduce delays and speed up train movement by speeding boarding and reducing the amount of time trains sit in stations.”
“It is imperative that we provide a first-in-class subway car that can live up to the rigor and expectations of New Yorkers,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said in a statement. “As part of our commitment to modernizing the subway system, we have expanded and accelerated this contract to provide more reliable, more comfortable train cars that are easier to board and exit and provide more useful real-time information to riders.”
NY Jobs to Move America Deputy Director Linda Nguyen added that “JMA congratulates Governor Cuomo and MTA staff on leading the country with the most robust adoption of the U.S. Employment Plan program in the nation. We expect commitments to include a plan to create good manufacturing jobs and hiring U.S. workers.”
"Great News for Kawasaki and Yonkers," Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano posted on Facebook. "The $1.4 Billion contract will lead to more job creation and attract other companies and developers to Yonkers."
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