Hello. One piece of the L Project is to build three new substations so we can power more trains. (If you've been on the L during rush times like us, you know it's needed.) We have the flexibility to make this change because we already invested in modern signaling on the L. But there's more to making it all work than just the signals. Like the train cars! We go in, around and under the L line's train cars so you know how it all works.
Plus, a heads up on some upcoming weekend work that will impact you if you use the A/C/E as an alternative, especially if you transfer to one of them at 8 Av (because you won't be able to), and our tips for staying healthy in light of the coronavirus. Have a super weekend.
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Pop-top view of the R143, which holds 42 seated and 198 standing passengers. So yes, you’re lucky to get a seat. It's these cars, combined with the CBTC signaling technology on the L, that make the modern signaling system all work. And with the three new substations we're currently building, it's what will allow us to increase trains by 10% in peak times once the L Project is complete.
Photo: MTA
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Rollin’, rollin’, rolling stock—Know your modern signaling-ready L trains
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Any trainspotters out there? We’ve talked a lot about the L line, but not a lot about the trains themselves, the “rolling stock,” as we call it in the biz. On the L line, those are mostly Kawasaki R143 (B Division) trains—equipped with (for you serious rail punks) Pneuphonic Horns, Bach-Simpson Speedometers, Bendix/King Radios, and WABCO, Single-Handle Master Controllers.
Awesome! Now, here is more info on these trains, which are a key part of what makes our modern signaling system work how it's supposed to. We talk with a few members from our team (we'll call them "car experts") to get the details:
L Project Weekly: So, these are Kawasaki trains. Are they made in Japan?
Car Experts: The R143s are built in Kobe, Japan (home of Kobe beef), Lincoln, Nebraska (home of beef, generally), and Yonkers, New York (home of the first Otis Elevator Company factory). Kawasaki Heavy Industries opened its Yonkers rail car plant in 1988, mostly to be within the MTA region. It also supplies rail cars to LIRR and Metro-North.
LPW: When were the R143s first built?
CE: The first cars were delivered in 2001. The total order was for 212 cars, which come in coupled 4-car sets. The R143 cars are numbered from 8101 to 8312. You can find the number at either end of the car. Tip: if you ever need to report something wrong with a car, snap or write down the car number.
LPW: Was there anything new or special about these L train cars?
CE: Glad you asked. They were part of our New Technology Train (NTT) fleet. They came with electronic strip maps, LED screens, and other features. Above all, they were the first of our subway trains to be equipped with Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) automated signaling. This means the R143s typically have the best on-time performance in the system. We also have modern signaling on the 7 line. We're currently working on it in a stretch of the Queens Boulevard Line. And we're pushing forward to make a lot of progress in the coming months to bring modern signaling to the Culver Line in Southern Brooklyn, too.
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LPW: How big is the subway car?
CE: Each R143 car is about 10 ft. wide, and 60 ft. 6 in. long. Fun coincidence, that length is exactly the same distance a major league pitcher throws from the mound to a batter standing at home plate.
It is a B Division train, so it’s wider than our A Division trains, which are about 8 ft. 9 in. wide. The two divisions were originally built as separate subway systems, and the tunnels are different widths. Both have the same rail gauge. But B Division trains can’t fit on the narrower A Division lines, and the reverse doesn’t work, because the narrower trains would have an unsafe platform gap. Complicated? Tell us about it!
LPW: How much do the R143 cars weigh?
CE: They actually come in two different types and weights. But we’ll just say the main type weighs in at 83,700 lbs empty and 120,700 lbs full of passengers.
LPW: Wow. So that’s, um, about 43,300 lbs. of passengers per full car, right?
CE: Yes, about four African elephants worth of straphangers. Each full R143 car, of this type, holds 42 seated passengers and 198 standing passengers, or 240 passengers total. The typical L train will have 8 cars, so that’s 1,920 passengers per full train. Meaning it takes 1.5 full L trains to fill Carnegie Hall.
LPW: So, by my calculations, the audience in a sold-out Carnegie Hall performance weighs about 64,950 lbs, right?
CE: Music is not our area of expertise.
LPW: One last thing. It seems your subway car models all start with R followed by a number. Why is that?
CE: Beginning with the IND subway system (what we now call the B Division, along with the BMT subway system), all the car contract numbers began with R and have just stayed that way, from R1 up to the forthcoming Kawasaki R211. Some people say the R stands for Rapid Transit. Some say it stands for Rolling Stock. No one is sure.
LPW: Well, the good news is that none of that matters, as long as these cars enable that modern signaling to work! Thanks to our car experts for their insight on how this ecosystem of updated signaling infrastructure actually all works together.
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L Project service calendar: If you're an A/C/E customer, note March 13-16 weekend
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It's not because of L Project work, but it will impact your L Project service alternatives, so we wanted to make sure you know there will be no trains at A/C/E stations between 59 St-Columbus Circle and W 4 St on March 13-16 weekend.
The signal equipment in this area is really old, and we've been doing a lot of small, maintenance fixes lately to keep it running before we start implementing modern signaling. But it’s gotten to the point where service is not reliable and so we’re being proactive by putting a more permanent fix in place before things get worse.
This means that if you're taking an L train westbound, make those transfers BEFORE you get to 8 Av, because the only train running at that station will be the L.
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Upcoming L Project service changes
Mar 20-23 weekend: No L service from 8 Av to Broadway Junction.
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Health tips: Precautions against coronavirus
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We are taking steps related to the coronavirus, specifically named COVID-19. This includes giving you the latest information and advice we're getting—because one of the best ways to keep a healthy subway and bus system is to have healthy subway and bus customers.
Based on guidance we've received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here are the top precautions we're advising customers to take now:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you're experiencing symptoms and have traveled to areas of concern (or have been in contact with someone who has), call ahead to your health-care provider before you go in in person.
Click the button below for our current guidance about this for more info. We'll keep it updated, so check back periodically.
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Glamour shot of the week: 1924, meet 2020
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The 1 Av Station opened in 1924, including this entrance on the southwest corner of 14th St and First Avenue in Manhattan. We are fully redoing it for this project, including replacing the original structural beams. You can still see the original bricks here as we install the new ADA-compliant stairs.
Photo: Trent Reeves / MTA / February 17, 2020
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Construction look-ahead: Week of 2/29/2020
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Yes, we still have more conduit to install. And we're making progress on that discharge pipe testing we featured in the last issue. Here's what we have going on this week:
- Install fire alarm conduit and the alarm equipment at 1 Av
- Install conduit for: announcement system at Bedford Av, fiber optic monitoring cable and digital information screens
- Test the negative return rails
- Install heat trace boards at the two fan plants
- Put the finishing touches on tile and platform edge work at 1 Av
- Test the new discharge pump with pressure testing
- Install new pipes and gauges at the pump room
- Continue installing tunnel "no clearance" signs (the panels that have red and white diagonal stripes)
- Pull and install positive cable for the circuit breaker house
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