MTA Announces Rockaway Park Shuttle Railcar Upgrade

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit has debuted standard Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing R211A trains on the Rockaway Park Shuttle S line, marking the fifth subway line to be served by the new train cars. The new cars fully replace the R46s, which have been in the system along the line since the mid to late 1970s. The announcement comes as weekend Rockaway Park Shuttle S service was extended to provide customers with better connections to the Rockaways this summer.

R211 cars feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on existing cars—designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations. These models include security cameras, additional accessible seating, digital displays that will provide more detailed station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage, among other features.

“Getting new cars rolling in the system for riders to enjoy is essential to ensuring NYC Transit continues to provide fast, reliable, and safe service,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “While just in time for beach season, I’m also thrilled to be replacing 1970’s era cars with R211s that will provide customers with smoother and more reliable rides all year round.”

In 2025, R211s replaced all R44s on the Staten Island Railway. These cars will eventually replace the current fleet of R46 subway cars, which have been in service on A,C,N,Q,R, and W lines for decades. NYC Transit also began replacement of the R68s, which entered service in the mid-1980s and primarily operate on the B,D,N, and W lines—the B line being the first to debut a standard R211 in the summer of 2025. Open-gangway R211 cars began operating on the G line in 2025.

This follows MTA’s announcement in March that it is seeking proposals from rail car manufacturers for its largest subway car contract in history with a base order of 1,140 subway cars to replace the R62 and R62A fleets operating on the 1,3, and 6 lines, and if an option to purchase the additional 1,250 cars is exercised, to replace the R142 and R142A cars on the 2,4, and 5 lines.