NEW YORK – The first new railcars for the Staten Island Railway in more than 50 years entered service on Tuesday, Oct. 8, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hosting a “first run” event to mark the occasion.

The cars put into service Tuesday are among 75 R211S cars specifically for Staten Island and are part of a larger 535-car order of R211 cars for the New York City subway system built by Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing. Features include doors that are 20cm wider than current vehicles to speed boarding, as well as security cameras, more accessible seating and digital route displays with more detailed station information. They will begin replacing R44 cars introduced in 1973. The first cars were delivered to the Staten Island Railway’s Clifton Maintenance Shop a year ago (see “Staten Island Railway receives first new railcar”, Trains News Wire, October 18, 2023).

“These beautiful new rail cars are a major investment in Staten Island transit,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said in a press release. “We are very proud of the service the team provides on both the train and the 56 bus routes, helping to make Staten Island a great place to live,” Demetrius Crichlow, interim president of New York City Transit, said , the cars are “state-of-the-art and feature the latest safety and digital communications technology to ensure customers have the best, most comfortable ride possible.”

The 14-mile, 21-station Staten Island Railway dates to 1860. Once a property in Baltimore and Ohio, it was purchased by New York City in 1971 and operations turned over to the MTA.