Watch: NYMTA Launches Railcar Acceptance, Testing Facility

As the first stop for all new rapid transit (subway) cars before they enter revenue service, the facility will help MTA more efficiently process those cars, as well as work locomotives and other rolling stock. It will also help the transit agency complete onsite testing so the cars can enter service more quickly. (Scroll down to watch the news-conference and facility-tour videos.)

The facility’s launch comes as the transit agency said it prepares to receive “the biggest infusion of new railcars since systematic capital planning was first introduced more than a generation ago.” MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan includes the purchase of 1,500 new subway cars. Funded by that plan is the $1.507 billion order for 378 new R268s from Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., which the MTA Board approved in October. The cars will run on MTA New York City Transit’s “B” (lettered) division and begin arriving in fall 2028. This contract builds on the successful procurement of R211 cars.

In January 2018, MTA awarded a contract to Kawasaki to design, build, and deliver 535 rapid transit cars, comprising 440 R211A (traditional closed-end) and 20 R211T (open gangway) cars for NYCT, and 75 R211S cars for Staten Island Railway. The contract included two options: Option 1 for 640 cars, and Option 2, for 333-437 cars. In October 2022, the agency exercised Option 1 for 640 R211s for $1.78 billion. MTA in December 2024 exercised Option 2 for 435 additional R211s—355 R211A/S cars and 80 R211T cars. That option, valued at $1.27 billion, brought the total number of R211s ordered to 1,610. So far, 750 of the R211s have been delivered; another 860 are still to arrive. MTA began phasing into service the first two R211T trainsets in 2024. R211s are now running on the A, B, C and G lines, and there are plans to add them on the D and the Rockaway Park S within the next two years, MTA said. All the cars for SIR are in operation.

The R211s feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on existing cars, which MTA has said will help speed 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 that are said to improve the rider experience. 

The R211s and R268s will eventually replace all R46s and R68s, which have been in service for decades.

MTA reported that the 2025-2029 Capital Plan also includes the purchase of new cars for the “A” (numbered) division, replacing the existing R62s serving the 1, 3 and 6 lines.  

The Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility, located near the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, can accept rolling stock delivered by truck, rail, or boat, according to MTA. Once accepted, individual cars will be coupled for testing and commissioning on the in-house tracks. The newly created trains will then be sent via the facility’s direct connection to the subway network to complete further testing and will be entered into revenue service once they pass final inspection. MTA reported that this is “the first brand-new, full-scale subway car facility located on a new property that the Authority has added since the Pitkin Yard opened in Brooklyn in 1948.”

“The Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility was completed within its three-year timeline and $5.5 million under budget by utilizing design-build delivery that streamlines project design and management,” MTA said. “The MTA realized significant savings through the use of prefabricated building components and precast concrete for the track pit construction, speeding the project’s completion and minimizing cost.”

The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York recently awarded the Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility the silver medal in the Transportation category at the 2026 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition. This award recognized the yard’s “state-of-the-art design, innovation, complexity and the benefits it will bring to the subway riding public and community as a whole,” according to MTA.

“Our historic $11 billion investment in rolling stock calls for a top-of-the-line new testing facility,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Now we’re ready to start processing the 1,500-plus railcars included in the Capital Plan, no matter how they’re delivered—by land or by water.”    

“This facility consolidates work that was once spread among different yards and unites it all under one roof,” MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer added. “It’s another example of the MTA delivering a critical project on time and under budget to improve subway reliability for decades to come.”  

New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow commented: “As we continue to upgrade our rolling stock with modern cars, the Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility provides a state-of-the-art space for NYC Transit employees to ensure new cars are safe, reliable, and ready to enter service. With streamlined inspections and a direct connection to transit tracks, NYC Transit has never been more prepared to keep up with the historic 2025-29 Capital Plan and the unprecedented investment it provides in rolling stock.”