Plan Adds 1,025 Subway Cars, Including Up to 750 with "Open Car End" Design; New Features to Reduce Wait Times and Increase Capacity
Reveals Key Architectural Elements for Renovation of 31 Subway Stations throughout New York-Metro Area; Request for Proposals for First Three Stations to Be Issued This Week
Reimagined and Enhanced Subway Cars
Later this week, the MTA will issue an RFP for the construction of 1,025 new subway cars, which will highlight that the timeline of design and production, as well as cost-effectiveness, will be central factors in awarding the contract.
The RFP will also emphasize the need to align with MTA design guidelines, which were established after a review of best practices in a number of major metropolitan areas from around the world, and identified several key elements for use in the New York system, including:
- Open Car End Design: The MTA anticipates that out of 1,025 new cars, up to 750 will feature an Open Car End designed. The Open Car End design replaces the door between cars with an accordion-like connector in order to create longer, open spaces, allowing for greater passenger flow movement and increasing capacity in the process. These cars have become an international standard: in London 31 percent of cars will be Open Car End by the end of the year; in Paris the figure climbs to 37 percent; and in Toronto to 56 percent.
- Wider Doors: The door width of the new cars will be expanded from the current MTA standard of 50 inches to 58 inches. Wider subway doors can reduce delays by allowing customers to enter and exit more quickly, and have become an international standard. According to a computer simulation of passenger flow conducted on behalf of the MTA, in crowded scenarios wider doors can reduce a train’s ‘dwell time’ in the station by 32 percent.
- Customer Amenities & Security: The interior of new cars will also feature a host of new amenities, including WiFi, USB chargers, full color digital customer information displays, digital advertisements, illuminated door opening alerts and security cameras to promote passenger safety.
- Exterior Features: Design elements for the exterior of the new subway cars include a new blue front with large windows, LED headlights, and a blue stripe with gold accents along the sides.
Improved Subway Stations
The announcement highlighted key elements of the Governor’s initiative to create a new and improved design standard for subway stations, and undertake extensive renovations at 31 stations from across the five boroughs. The 31 stations included in the program build upon a larger campaign, designed to improve the customer experience, and includes component and renewal work at more than 170 other stations. Design elements include:
- Enhanced lighting throughout the stations;
- Improved signage to make it easier for customers to navigate stations, including digital, real-time updates on on-time performance at subway entrances, before customers even enter the station;
- Inclusion of amenities, such as count down clocks, improved cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi and new art; and
- Renovations will also consider the architectural legacy of each station, and remain sensitive to historical elements as the stations undergo redesign.
Key elements for each station type include:ELEVATED
SIDE PLATFORM
ISLAND PLATFORM
Street Level Entrance Canopy and Totem
Street Level Entrance Canopy and Totem
Street Level Entrance Canopy and Totem
Control Area Dashboard
Control Area Dashboard
Control Area Dashboard
Transparent Windscreens
Glass or Mesh Fare Array
Glass or Mesh Fare Array
LED Light Fixtures Throughout
LED Light Fixtures Throughout
LED Light Fixtures Throughout
Furniture with Integrated Charging Stations
Furniture with Integrated Charging Stations
Furniture with Integrated Charging Stations
Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art
RFP for First Three Stations in 31 Station Renovation Program
The MTA will issue an RFP for the first package of three stations located in Brooklyn later this week:
- Prospect Avenue Station
- 53rd Street Station
- Bay Ridge Avenue Station
RFPs for the remainder of the 31 stations will be released over the next twelve months, and will be distributed across the five boroughs. The first contract is expected to be awarded in the fall. Station closures will be limited to a six-month period.
Design Build Contracts
At the direction of the Governor, the MTA is using design-build contracts for all 31 stations. Design-build contracts call for a single team to be responsible for the design and construction of an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame.
President of NYC Transit, Veronique (Ronnie) Hakim, said, “With design-build contracts, one team is responsible for both design and construction of the station. From a construction perspective, that means that there’s a seamless connection between various phases of a project, enabling the contractors to limit miscommunications, and speed the completion of the project. From the perspective of our customers, it means that they get a completely renovated station that is brighter, better, and more functional in the shortest possible time frame.”
I see that we already have threads devoted to the designs for the cars and stations. This thread can be used as a general thread to discuss the initiative (similar to the thread about the bus announcement in April)
I personally can't wait to see what my home station, Bay Ridge Avenue will look like and I hope the blue tiles will be gone and something similar to the Manhattan stations take its place (or an even better idea: honor the Middle Eastern population of the neighborhood and create a design based of off the decorative tilework found on important buildings in the Middle East. The MTA did something similar when Canal Street was redone. Those tiles were based off of Chinese design practices).