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R143 (New York City Subway car)

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The R143 is a standard gauge subway car design used on the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. The cars are primarily used on the L service. The New York City Transit Authority owns 212 R143 cars, numbered 8101 to 8312, and built for an average cost of about $1.5 million per car.[1]

R143 M train running its Weekend Shuttle service.

History

Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. was awarded a $190 million contract for 100 new B Division cars in late December 1998, with an option for as many as 112 more.[2] The new design was based on the A Division's R142A, which Kawasaki also built,[3] and incorporated many features from the R110B prototype. Delivery began in late 2001, and a 30-day test with one train of eight cars began on December 4, 2001.[4] According to Kawasaki, the test was "extremely successful".[3]

R143s began running on the BMT Canarsie Line (L) on February 12, 2002,[1][5] and all 212 cars were delivered to the subway by March 2003.[6] In addition to the L,[7] where the R143s displaced the older R40 and most of R42 cars [1], they also displaced the R42s[8] on the M weekend shuttle service on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line. The R143s on that line were replaced by R160As in February 2008. One-Person Train Operation was tested on the L during mid-2005.[9][10].

The 212 cars delivered were expected to provide enough service for years, but the fast growth of Williamsburg, Brooklyn overloaded the L by mid-2006.[11]

On June 21, 2006, an eight-car R143 train overshot the bumper at the end of the tracks in the Canarsie Railyard after the operator suffered a seizure. Lead car #8277 suffered frame damage and is being stripped of parts for possible repair, but may be permanently out of service.

Specifications

Interior of an R143 car

R143s are used in eight-car ABBAABBA trains. They have the following specifications:[1]

  • Capacity: 42 seated and 198 standing for A cars; 44 seated and 202 standing for B cars
  • Car body: stainless steel with fiberglass front and rear bonnets.
  • Length: 60 ft 2.5 in (18.35 m)
  • Width: 9 ft 9.28 in (2.98 m)
  • Height: 12 ft 0.3 in (3.67 m)
  • Weight: 83,700 lbs (37,965.6 kg) for A cars; 81,900 lbs (37,149 kg) for B cars
  • Maximum speed: 55 mph (90 km/h)
  • Brakes: Dynamic braking propulsion system; WABCO friction braking system
  • Acceleration: 2.5 mph/s (1.1 m/s^2)
  • Doorway dimensions: 6 ft 3 in (1.9 m) high; 4 ft 2 in (1.3 m) wide
  • Traction motor: Bombardier 1508C; 150 HP (112 kW)

References

  1. ^ a b c New York City Transit Authority, Revenue and Non-Revenue Car Drawings
  2. ^ New York Times, Subway Job to Kawasaki, December 30, 1998, page B6
  3. ^ a b Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., New York City Transit R143 Subway Cars, accessed April 14, 2007
  4. ^ R143
  5. ^ Randy Kennedy, New York Times, 1,700 Subway Cars to Be Built Under Largest Such Contract in New York History, July 31, 2002, page B3
  6. ^ Railway Age, Kawasaki completes NYCT R143 order, March 1, 2003
  7. ^ Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, Port Authority to Replace PATH Fleet for $499 Million, April 1, 2005, page B5
  8. ^ Matthew L. Wald, New York Times, Crash on the Subway: The System, June 6, 1995, page B5
  9. ^ Sewell Chan, New York Times, On L Train, Drivers Perform Solo, Without Conductors, June 20, 2005, page B3
  10. ^ Jennifer B. Lee and Shadi Rahimi, New York Times, Conductors Are Returning To the Subway's L Line, September 24, 2005, page B3
  11. ^ New York Daily News, Oh, L, not enuf trains!, July 7, 2006
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