The New York City subway system’s classic orange-and-yellow seat cars will soon be a thing of the past. Starting next year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) plans to retire the R46, R62/62A, and R68/R68A subway cars, known for their colorful L-shaped, back-to-back seating, according to PIX11. The outdated cars will be replaced with the new R211/R211S cars, as outlined in the MTA’s 2025-2029 capital plan.
First rolled out in the 1980s, the cars have continued to serve the 1, 3, 6, B, D, F, N, and Q lines. Currently, there are more than 600 of the R68/68A cars still in use and over 1,100 of the R62/62A cars. The MTA’s five-year capital budget plan includes replacing all subway cars that are 40 years or older, including those with retro-colored seats.
The older cars are six times more likely to break down than newer train models, and require frequent costly maintenance to keep in service, an MTA spokesperson told PIX 11.
Replacing the outdated cars are the new R211/R211S cars, currently in service on the A and C lines. A key component of the MTA’s modernization efforts for the subway system, the cars feature 58-inch-wide door openings—eight inches wider than standard door openings on existing cars—speeding up boarding and reducing the amount of time trains idle in stations.
The R211/R211S cars are six times more reliable than those in the current fleet, capable of traveling an average of 240,000 miles between replacements and major repairs.
The new cars also include security cameras, digital displays, and are compatible with modernized CBTC signaling, allowing the MTA to run trains faster and more reliably.
In October, the Staten Island Railway began using the R211S cars, marking the first new cars introduced on the railway in over half a century.
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