STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently announced that the entire fleet of the borough’s lone train line now fully features new, state-of-the-art subway cars.
At a press conference in the St. George Ferry Terminal last week, MTA officials said the entirety of the Staten Island Railway fleet had been upgraded to the R211S model.
These new trains have fully replaced the older R44 cars, which have been in service on Staten Island since 1973, which are among the oldest in the New York City transit system.
“This investment is real. It brings real benefits to our customers,” said Demetrius Crichlow, president of New York City Transit for the MTA. “Staten Island isn’t an afterthought for transit.”
The R211S train cars boast features like wider doors — eight inches more than the prior MTA standard — a change that the agency said will let passengers board and exit the train more quickly and reduce station stop times by up to 32%.
In addition, digital information displays are included in all the train cars to provide real-time, location-specific information.
New handrails, featuring double poles, have been installed to improve conditions for standing passengers.
Lighting on the inside of the R211S has been upgraded, and MTA officials said the new cars will provide a faster, smoother ride.
The new trains also feature pre-installed security cameras in every car.
“I couldn’t be more excited for this borough,” Crichlow said at the press conference. “The cars have features that make a customer’s journey better, that make a customer’s day better.”
The MTA will keep the recently phased-out R44 train cars in reserve for the next few years, which it described as “in line with best industry practices” when a new fleet is introduced.
In August, the Advance/SILive.com spoke with Staten Island Railway passengers to gauge the reception of the new cars.
While straphangers praised the new amenities, like the new announcement systems and improved lighting, many complained about the reduction in seats on the new trains.
“I would say it’s harder to get a seat, because there’s definitely less seats … I guess the lack of seats for people who need to sit is probably not the best,” said Selena Cuevas of Pleasant Plains.
In response, a spokesperson for the MTA confirmed that while the older R44 train cars have more seating than the newer models at the expense of available standing room.
The newer R211 cars, the spokesperson said, offer improved circulation and better arrangements for standing and leaning. Also, the MTA spokesperson pointed out that R211 trains consist of five cars, while R44 trains have four cars.
The first R211s debuted on Staten Island roughly one year ago, in October 2024.
In November 2024, the R211S was temporarily pulled from service for testing after New York City Transit crews noticed an issue with the train’s signal system.
At the time, a MTA spokesperson said that the new trains were still under warranty by the manufacturer and any adjustments were made at no cost to taxpayers.
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