MTA Will Replace Thousands Of Aging Subway Cars In Historic Upgrade

NEW YORK CITY —The MTA plans to replace thousands of decades-old subway cars with new models in the largest subway car order in history.

The transit agency will start with a base order of 1,140 subway cars to replace the R62 and R62A fleets operating on the 1, 3, and 6 lines.

There is also an option to order an additional 1,250 cars to replace the R142 and R142A cars on the 2, 4, 5 lines

The purchase of the new cars will be funded by $68 billion allocated in the Capital Plan from the state budget, according to Governor Kathy Hochul.

In total, the contract includes 2,390 new subway cars and would replace cars that date back to the 1980s.

This historic car contract could replace up to 36.4 percent of the subway’s entire fleet — 17.3 percent with just the base order alone. The subway’s entire fleet consists of 6,574 cars.

"Thanks to Governor Hochul, the MTA has a historic $68 billion 2025-2029 Capital Plan, and New Yorkers are seeing a Golden Age of transit investment. So much of our capital investment goes unseen, but this next subway car order – our largest ever — is a major step to visibly delivering the modern transit system New Yorkers deserve," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.

The new order will be larger than Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Chicago Transit Authority combined.

Companies will have until Sept. 8 to submit their request for proposals. Contracts will be awarded in 2028.

“Thousands of new subway cars running better service and a more reliable ride for millions every day — that’s what we can achieve when we fully invest in transit,”Hochul said. “We are in the midst of a public transit renaissance in New York, with growing ridership, the best service in a generation and historic investments to modernize the lifeblood of our city. By bringing even more open gangway cars to the subway, we can make real improvements to riders’ safety and overall experience.”

The MTA has not said when commuters can expect to see the new cars in the subway system.