C Train, Garbage Trucks Get Makeover

The C train and the city's garbage trucks just got a makeover. 

Governor Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled the R211T open gangway subway cars, which will run between Washington Heights and East New York on the C line, offering larger and more secure train experiences for riders.

The cars feature 58-inch-wide door openings, which are a full eight inches wider than the doors on the city’s standard trains. The larger doors were designed as a way of speeding up the boarding process for transit users, along with reducing the amount of time trains sit stationary in stations, according to a press release.

Each of the cars also come equipped with security cameras, adding to the 1,000 NYC subway cars that have had cameras installed as part of the city’s initiative of making public transit safer. 

“The subway is the lifeblood of New York City and we’re making record investment so it’s safe, efficient and successful,” said Hochul. “New train cars, additional security cameras and more reliable service will make the subway system even better for decades to come.”

Other features include increased accessible seating, digital displays that provide more detailed station-specific information, as well as brighter lighting and signage, among others.

Meanwhile, as part of the city’s ongoing war against garbage and rats, Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Sanitation announced the city will soon have automated, side-loading garbage trucks to remove the large mounds of black trash bags that pile onto the sidewalk each week from large residential buildings.

“The new garbage truck we’re unveiling today — four years ahead of schedule — represents the future of New York City garbage collection,” said Adams. “It means we’ll be able to containerize trash from our large residential buildings, something people didn’t believe would be possible in our dense city.” 

In addition to the new vehicles, the mayor and DSNY also introduced a new strategy for determining the type and size of containers that will be used for buildings of different sizes.

Under the model, buildings with 31 or more residential units will be required to use stationary, on-street containers for their trash, while structures with 10 to 30 units get to choose between containers and smaller wheelie bins.

The city's aim is to have 70% of NYC’s trash in secure containers by the fall.