R160 (New York City Subway car)

"R160" redirects here. For the Bangladeshi road, see R160 (Bangladesh).
R160

An R160A train on the F line, arriving at Avenue P station

An R160A train on the approaching Avenue P.

Interior of an R160B car on the E line

Interior of an R160B car on the .
In service 2006-present
Manufacturer Alstom, Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Family name NTT (new technology train)
Replaced
Constructed 2005-2010
Entered service Late 2006
Number in service 1,662 (1,430 in revenue service during rush hours)
Formation 93 four-car sets (two B cars)
258 five-car sets (three B cars)
Fleet numbers
  • R160A four-car sets: 8313–8652; 9943–9974
  • R160A five-car sets: 8653–8712; 9233–9802
  • R160B: 8713–9232; 9803–9942
Capacity 54 seating 198 standing (A car)
56 seating 202 standing (B car)
Operator(s) New York City Subway
Depot(s) 207th Street Yard (92 cars)
Coney Island Yard (570 cars)
East New York Yard (280 cars)
Jamaica Yard (720 cars)[1]
Service(s) assigned
  • R160A (four-car sets):
     – 80 cars (8 trains)
     – 40 cars (5 trains)
     – 24 cars (3 trains, AM rush)
     – 16 cars (2 trains, PM rush)
     – 184 cars (23 trains, AM rush)
     – 176 cars (22 trains, PM rush)
  • R160A (five-car sets):
     – 260 cars (26 trains)
     – 230 cars (23 trains)
     – 70 cars (7 trains)
  • R160B:
     – 140 cars (14 trains)
     – 310 cars (31 trains)
     – 120 cars (12 trains)
Specifications
Car body construction Stainless steel with fiberglass ends and rear bonnets
Train length 4-car train: 240.84 feet (73.41 m)
5-car train: 301.05 feet (91.76 m)
8-car train (two 4-car sets): 481.68 feet (146.82 m)
10-car train (two 5-car sets): 602.1 feet (183.5 m)
Car length 60.21 feet (18.35 m)
Width 9.77 feet (2,978 mm)
Height 12.13 feet (3,697 mm)
Floor height 3.76 ft (1.15 m)
Platform height 3.76 ft (1.15 m)
Entry 3.76 ft (1.15 m)
Doors 8 pairs per car
Articulated sections 2 to 4 in every car.
Maximum speed 55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight 85,200 lb (38,600 kg)
Traction system Alstom Onix AC traction model: 4LCA1640A (8313-8842, 9103-9974)
Siemens SITRAC AC traction motor (cars 8843-9102)
Prime mover(s) electric motor
Power output 147.5 hp (110 kW) to
150 hp (112 kW) per axle
All axles motorized[2][3]
Acceleration 2.5 mph/s (4.0 km/(h·s))
Deceleration 2.5 mph/s (4.0 km/(h·s))
(full service),
3.2 mph/s (5.1 km/(h·s))
(emergency)
Auxiliaries SAFT 250AH battery (B car)
Electric system(s) 600 V DC Third rail
Current collection method Contact shoe
Braking system(s) Dynamic braking propulsion system; WABCO RT-5 tread brake system
Safety system(s) Dead Man's Handle, Signal-based Tripcock System, emergency brakes, passenger to conductor emergency talk system
Headlight type halogen light bulb
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The R160 is a class of 1,662 new technology (NTT) New York City Subway cars built by Alstom Transportation and Kawasaki for the B Division. The cars replaced all R38s, R40s, R40As, and New York City Subway-operated R44s, as well as a majority of R32s and R42s.


Description

There are two versions of the R160: the "R160A" (built by Alstom, numbered 8313-8712, 9233-9802, & 9943-9974) and "R160B" (built by Kawasaki, numbered 8713-9232 & 9803-9942). The two car subtypes are nearly identical to each other, and differ only in a few ways.

The R160 cars are configured in either four-car sets or five-car sets. 372 R160A cars (8313-8652 & 9943-9974) are configured as four-car sets. Most of the four-car trains are maintained at East New York Yard for the BMT Eastern Division (J/Z, L, and M); the others are maintained at the 207th Street Yard for the C. The remaining 630 R160A cars and all R160Bs are configured as five-car sets for use on IND and BMT main line services. Some are maintained at Jamaica Yard, typically operating on the E and F, and the rest are maintained at the Coney Island Yard, typically operating on the N, Q and W.

The R160A base order was part of a $961,687,121 contract funded in part by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.[4] The primary base order of the R160 class consisted of 660 cars, 400 R160As to be built by Alstom, and the remaining 260 R160Bs to be built by Kawasaki. The contract included options for further orders, which, if exercised, would have brought total business with NYCT to about US$2.4 billion, for 1,700 subway cars, and Kawasaki would have manufactured 40% (680 cars) of the 1,700 cars. The R160 fleet was purchased at an average cost of $1.28 million USD per car.

Features

Front route display on an R160 in service on the W line
Front route display on an R160 in service on the train
The R160 FIND system on a Coney Island-bound F train
The R160 FIND system on a Coney Island-bound train
The interior of R160 car 9800, which has experimental looped stanchions
The interior of R160 car 9800 with experimental looped stanchions

The R160 cars are equipped with the latest control system, HVAC and public address system to guarantee the utmost safety and passenger comfort. The R160s are very similar to the R143s, however the two car types can not be interchanged with each other.[5]

One of the major changes and highlights of the new cars is the addition of an electronic "FIND" (Flexible Information and Notice Display) system, which includes an LCD screen displaying the route, route information and advertisements, and a tri-color (red, yellow, green) LED strip map which displays the next ten stations, plus five consecutive "further stops" to riders. There are three of these in every car. The display updates the stations at every stop, also giving the number of stops to each station listed, and replaces a plastic card which had a set route and stations printed on, which was used on the R142, R142A, R143, and R188 subway cars, each of which has 63 (001 thru 063) amber LED dots type station indicators. This allows for instant route or line changes with the correct information, which includes, but is not limited to, omitting of certain stops.[5]

Both the R160As and R160Bs come with provisions for the future installation for CBTC. However, only 64 R160As (8313-8376) have been retrofitted with CBTC equipment for operation on the L route alongside trains of CBTC-equipped R143 cars.[6][7]

Experimental

R160As 9798-9802 have experimental looped stanchions with double poles in their center segments, instead of the typical single poles seen in other cars. These looped stanchions are meant to provide twice as many riders with poles to hold onto than in regular cars.

In June 2016, the MTA began installing Wi-Fi in four R160s assigned to the Jamaica Yard. In-car Wi-Fi was expanded to 20 R160s by September.[8] This pilot program was not advertised to passengers.[9] On the Wi-Fi enabled cars, colored stickers were placed above the number plates of each car. It is unclear which cars this test was performed on.

Also in 2016, the interiors of the rollsigns on R160Bs 9023-9027 were retrofitted with LCD screens, replacing the MTA Arts for Transit cards that are usually located there. This is different from the FIND screens in that the new LCD screens are wider and can display advertisements, public safety announcements, and other information (the FIND screens can only display PSAs and the route designation). These screens are similar to the LED screens in the R143s, except that the R160 screens have the capabilities to display multiple colors instead of just red, orange, and green.[10]

For some time in 2010 until 2012, R160Bs 8713-8722 were experimentally equipped with folding seats, video recording devices, and looped stanchions.[11] These cars later had all of these features removed and their interiors were reverted back to the appearance of most other R160s.

History

Construction

Kawasaki and Alstom organized a joint venture called Alskaw Inc. for project management, engineering and equipment purchasing to pursue the contract. The two companies built and delivered the rolling stock through the joint venture. Kawasaki not only manufactured 260 cars for the base contract, but was also the engineering leader for the whole project and provided the trucks for all cars. Alstom assembled 1,002 R160A cars at its manufacturing plant in Hornell, New York, while Kawasaki assembled 660 R160B cars at its plant in Yonkers, New York.[12] Shells for the Alstom-built cars were built in their Lapa plant, in São Paulo, Brazil, and shells for the Kawasaki-built cars were assembled at their Lincoln, Nebraska, plant. The base order consisted of 660 cars, the first option included 620 cars, and the second option included 382 cars.[13]

Delivery

Early on in the order, Alstom encountered significant start-up production problems since being awarded the base contract. In July 2005, Alstom missed its contractual deadline to deliver the 10-car test train, which arrived five months late with Alstom requesting three additional months to deliver the test train. In addition, the Transit Authority rejected several car shells made earlier at their plant in Lapa, Brazil, near São Paulo, after discovering welding defects.[14]

The first 5-car set of R160As (8653-8657) was delivered on November 29, 2005, and the next remaining five cars (8658-8662) were delivered on December 6, 2005 to the New York City Transit Authority, forming a complete 10-car train for acceptance testing and evaluation. The R160As entered revenue service on the A on October 17, 2006 for their 30-day acceptance test, after several months of exhaustive non-revenue service tests. The R160A train passed on November 16, 2006, concluding all testing for the R160As.

The first train of R160Bs (8713-8722) was delivered on July 22, 2005. The R160Bs entered revenue service on the N on August 17, 2006 for their 30-day acceptance test, after slightly over a year of successful non-revenue service tests.[15] This train was then transferred to the A on August 20 to continue with its 30-day performance test. The R160B train passed on September 30, 2006, concluding all testing for the R160Bs.

While Kawasaki had no problems in delivering the R160Bs, Alstom was behind on its delivery schedule early on in the R160A order. Alstom was to deliver 200 out of the 400-car base order by September 2007. However, by that month, Alstom had only delivered 80 cars.[16] Under the base contract, Alstom agreed to pay damages of $800 a day for late deliveries of four-car trains, and $1,000 a day for five-car trains, though the Transit Authority had not yet fined Alstom for its late deliveries and was actually negotiating with Alstom to accelerate their delivery schedule. The 200 cars were finally delivered 7 months late in early April.

On November 10, 2008, the MTA exercised options for 140 R160B cars (9803-9942), and 242 R160A cars, broken down into 32 cars arranged as 4-car sets (9943-9974) and 210 cars arranged in 5-car sets (9593-9802).[17][18] The final cars were delivered on May 6, 2010.[13] The option order cars were delivered starting in late 2009, and by June 2010, all of the R160 cars were in revenue service.

Post-delivery

After Hurricane Sandy, R160B set 8738–8742 was damaged and required an extensive electrical reconstruction at Coney Island Shops. In March 2016, the set underwent pre-service testing and finally returned to service in fall 2016.

In the summers of 2013 and 2014, some four-car R160A sets were temporarily assigned to the C due to passenger complaints, regarding the reliability and quality issues with the R32s on that route. By May 2015, half of the C's fleet was permanently assigned with R160As, leading to more reliable service along that route.[19]

R160As 8313–8316 and 8377–8380 were set up as a test train, and have new CBTC equipment installed, as specifications are developed for the future installation of CBTC on the IND Queens Boulevard Line. The train is often found on the IND Culver Line express tracks between Bergen Street and Church Avenue, which have been set up to test CBTC.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ New York Subway Barn Assignments – November 6, 2016
  2. ↑ Hughes, Murray (2003-01-01). "Subway contract won with help from Brazil". Railway Gazette International.
  3. ↑ "CIYT201122.jpg Photo by mediccjh | Photobucket". Smg.photobucket.com. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
  4. ↑ "MTA - Press Release - MTA Headquarters - MTA NYC Transit Awards New Car Contract". mta.info.
  5. 1 2 Chan, Sewell (2005-11-30). "New Subway Cars Promise All Kinds of Information". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
  6. ↑ "Volume 2, Part 3 - November 2008 MTA Financial Plan: Section IV-3 and section IV-12" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  7. ↑ "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting June 2011" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-17. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  8. ↑ Hawkins, Andrew J . (2016-06-02). "The MTA is testing Wi-Fi inside its subway cars". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  9. ↑ Martinez, Jose (2016-06-01). "Exclusive: MTA Quietly Begins Testing Wi-Fi Service in Subway Cars". TWC News. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  10. ↑ Dj Hammers (November 7, 2016). ⁴ᴷ R160B LCD Side Sign Test Train. YouTube. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Camera- and flip seat-equipped train debuts on E". Second Ave. Sagas. 2010-02-22. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  12. ↑ MTA Press Release #24 2002
  13. 1 2 "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting February 2012" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 27, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ Chan, Sewell (2005-07-27). "Damaged Cars Hinder New York's Order for New Subways". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  15. ↑ Lueck, Thomas J. (August 18, 2006). "City Subways Put New Cars Into Service as a Test Run". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  16. ↑ Golding, Bruce (2007-09-30). "Train-Car Builder is Off Track". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  17. ↑ "MTA Capital Program Commitments & Completions through December 31, 2010" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 24, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Alstom to supply an additional 242 subway cars to New York City". alstom.com. 10 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009.
  19. ↑ "Review of the A and C Lines" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "New York City Subway Car Update" (PDF). The Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association (April 2016). March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
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