‘Open gangway’ subway trains debut on Brooklyn’s G line: ‘It’s refreshing’

The MTA rolled out its first “open gangway” subway train on the G line Tuesday, with more expected to enter service in the coming months, according to the transit agency.

New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said at a news conference that the trains — which lack doors between cars, allowing riders to walk the trains' full length — offer a “unique” and roomier ride for commuters.

“Everyone that’s taken the G train knows the experience of hustling down the platform to make that train,” Crichlow said, referring to the line’s traditionally shorter trains. “You get to the last car of the train and then the train is just a little bit crowded. No more.”

Trains on the G line, which are only five cars long instead of the typical length of eight to 10 cars, are shorter than regular subway trains because of lower-than-average ridership compared to other lines. This often means riders have to walk to the middle of the platform to board the train. Approximately 166,000 people ride the G line each weekday.

The MTA said the new train cars are more reliable and accessible. The new R211T model features wider doors, brighter lighting and digital screens that clearly display the train's stops and transfers.

Riders on the first open gangway train Tuesday morning said that while they enjoyed riding the more modern trains, they felt somewhat nostalgic for the older ones.

“We all got to get accustomed to new things and that’s how things change,” said Edwin Montez, 23, who rides the G train daily. He said he will miss the older models' yellow and orange “conversational” seats.

New trains are just the latest recent update to the G line, which is the only subway line that doesn’t enter Manhattan. Last summer, the MTA closed entire segments of the line to install a new signal system known as communications-based train control.

MTA officials said the technology, which operates on the L and 7 lines, will not go live until 2027. But during the closures, the transit agency upgraded and cleaned 10 train stations along the G line, including new wall tiles, repainted columns and LED lamps.

A second open gangway train will enter G line service on Wednesday, and two more cars are scheduled to run on the line in the next two months, according to officials. The MTA ordered 80 more open gangway cars as part of a $1.3 billion order of 435 new cars.

Liz Longo, 63, said on Tuesday that she had seen the G train evolve over the years, and welcomed the upgrades.

“It’s refreshing seeing people all the way through,” she said. “It’s fun.”