R160 (New York City Subway car)

R160 (New York City Subway car)
An R160A train enters 104th Street
Interior of an R160B in service on the IND Eighth Avenue Line.
In service	2006-present
Manufacturer	Alstom, Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Constructed	2005-2010
Entered service	2006
Number in service	1662 (1458 in revenue service during rush hours)
Formation	93 four-car sets (two B cars) (J, L, M, and Z) 258 five-car sets (three B cars) (E, F, N, and Q)
Fleet numbers	R160A Base Order: 8313-8712 First Option Order: 9233-9592 Second Option Order: 9593-9802; 9943-9974 R160B Base Order: 8713-8972 First Option Order: 8973-9232 Second Option Order: 9803-9942
Capacity	42 seating 198 standing (A car) 44 seating 202 standing (B car)
Operator	New York City Subway
Depot(s)	Coney Island Yard East New York Yard Jamaica Yard
Line(s) served	4 Car Sets: 5 Car Sets:
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel with fiberglass rear bonnets
Car length	60.21 feet (18.35 m)
Width	9.77 feet (2.98 m)
Height	12.13 feet (3.70 m)
Platform height	3.76 ft (1.1 m)
Doors	8 per car
Maximum speed	55 miles per hour (89 km/h)
Weight	85,200 pounds (38,600 kg)
Acceleration	2.5mph/s
Deceleration	2.5mph/s (full service), 3.2mph/s (emergency)
Traction system	Alstom Onix AC traction model: 4LCA1640A (8313-8842, 9103-9942) Siemens SITRAC AC traction motor (cars 8843-9102)
Power output	147.5 hp (110 kW) to 150 hp (112 kW) per axle All axles motorized
Auxiliaries	SAFT 250AH battery (B car)
Power supply	625V DC third rail
Braking system(s)	Dynamic braking propulsion system; WABCO RT-5 tread brake system
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge

The R160 is a class of 1,662 New York City Subway cars built by two different companies: Alstom Transportation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The class was built by two manufacturers, so they are designated as "R160A" (Alstom) and "R160B" (Kawasaki). However, since the two car types are almost identical, they can be discussed collectively.

About

The R160A base order was part of a $961,687,121 contract funded in part by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The R160 is designed to operate on the New York City Transit Authority's lettered lines (B Division), and intended to replace older subway cars. Some of these older subway cars have been in service since 1964. 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. Each R160A and R160B car is being purchased for $1.28 million USD.

The R160A base order of 400 cars (8313-8712) is further broken down into two different sets. 372 cars were built in 4-car sets and are running on the BMT's Eastern Division (J, L, M, and Z services) because the platform lengths where these services operate cannot accommodate longer trains. 630 cars were built in five-car sets for use on IND and BMT main line services.

Kawasaki and Alstom organized a joint venture 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.

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.

Features

Front route display

FIND system of the R160 in service

The R160 subway cars are equipped with the latest control system, HVAC and public address system to guarantee the utmost safety and passenger comfort.

One of the major changes and highlights of the new cars is the addition of the electronic "FIND" (Flexible Information and Notice Display) display, 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/S, and R143 cars. This allows for instant route or line changes with the correct information, which includes, but is not limited to, omitting of certain stops.

The R160A also feature unique door motors, which are not featured on the R160B. When the doors are opening and closing, they emit a whirring sound, similar to the M7 / M7A railcar units found on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North.

Cars 8313-8376 have been retrofitted with CBTC equipment for operation on the L train with the R143 cars.

Differences

Between the R160A and R160B cars

While the two models are almost identical to each other, there are some slight differences between the two car models.

• The R160Bs' door window rims are glossier than those on the R160A.
• With the exception of the first few cars delivered, R160Bs feature thin metal plates around all side windows.
• The R160A doors emit a noticeable whirring sound when they open and close while the R160B doors are silent. This is because the R160As use Vapor door motors while R160Bs use Fuji door motors.
• All R160A traction motors were constructed by Alstom while the R160Bs are split between Alstom traction motors and Siemens traction motors (400 Alstom cars and 260 Siemens cars). These two brands of traction motors have noticeably different sounds. Alstom cars (8713-8842, 9103-9232, 9803-9942) have stepped sounds while Siemens cars (8843-9102) have a smoother, rolling sound. All three sets of cars (R160A, R160B Alstom, and R160B Siemens) are interoperable.

Between the R143 and R160 cars

The R160s is almost identical to the R143s. However, there are differences between the two car models:

• The R143s have standard plastic card route maps and LED advertisements while R160s have FIND displays and Arts for Transit cards.
• The American flag on the ends of the A-unit cars is placed above the MTA New York City Subway logo on the R160s, but below it on the R143s.
• The R143s have Bombardier traction motors while the R160As have Alstom traction motors.
• The R143s have single storm doors while the R160s have double storm doors.
• The taillights on the R143s use incandescent bulbs with reflectors while the R160 taillights use LEDs with their characteristic dot-matrix look.
• The rim around the interior LED lights are black on the R160s and white on the R143s.

Delivery and train assignments

As of June 2010, R160A cars #8313-8652 and #9943-9974 are maintained at East New York Yard and run in service on the J, L, M, and Z trains (making up the BMT Eastern Division), while R160A cars #8653-8712 are maintained at the Coney Island Yard and are assigned to the Q train. R160A cars #9233-9802 are maintained at Jamaica Yard and run in service on the E and F trains.

The R160Bs are numbered #8713-9232 and #9803-9942. Cars #8713-9192 are currently maintained at the Coney Island Yard and run on the N and Q trains. 9193-9232, and #9803-9942 run on the E and F trains, being maintained at Jamaica Yard.

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). These cars all feature Alstom traction. As of June 2010, all R160 cars are in active revenue service.

Production problems

Early on in the order, Alstom encountered significant production problems since being awarded the base contract. In July 2005, Alstom missed its contractual deadline to deliver a 10-car test train, which arrived five months late in December, to the New York City Transit Authority. Alstom requested three additional months to deliver the test train. In addition, the Transit Authority rejected several car shells made in a plant in Lapa, Brazil, near São Paulo, after discovering welding defects. Since then, these problems have been fixed.

Delivery problems

Early on in the order, Alstom was also behind on its delivery schedule. Alstom was to have delivered 200 out of the 400 car base order by September 2007. However, by that month, Alstom had only delivered 80 cars. 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. However, the Transit Authority had not yet fined Alstom for its late deliveries and was negotiating with Alstom to accelerate their delivery schedule. The 200 cars were delivered 7 months late in early April. Since then, the problems have been solved.

See also

• R143 (New York City Subway car)

External links

• nycsubway.org: R160 cars
• New York City Subway Car Datasheet
• Train Set Assignments