The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has opened a new Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The site will act as the first point of inspection and commissioning for all new subway cars before they enter passenger service.
MTA’s new Railcar Acceptance & Testing facility
© MTA
The facility, located near the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, has been completed within its three-year construction schedule and came in 5.5 million USD under budget. It forms part of the MTA’s wider 2025–2029 Capital Plan, which includes the purchase of more than 1,500 new subway cars and associated upgrades to the rail network.
The new yard can receive rolling stock by lorry, rail or barge. Once individual cars arrive, they are assembled into full train formations on site for initial testing.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said:
Our historic $11 billion investment in rolling stock calls for a top-of-the-line new testing facility. Now we’re ready to start processing the 1,500+ rail cars included in the Capital Plan, no matter how they’re delivered — by land or by water.
The facility includes its own internal tracks and a direct physical connection to the New York City Transit network, enabling new trains to move quickly from initial commissioning to mainline trials.
This is the first purpose-built subway car facility added on a new site by the MTA since the opening of the Pitkin Yard in 1948.
Governor Hochul said:
Thanks to funding from congestion pricing and the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, we are making generational upgrades to our subway fleet. Thousands of new, modern cars are set to improve the riding experience for millions of New Yorkers. By streamlining the process needed to get these new cars on the rails and into service, this new facility will ensure that riders feel the benefits of a new and improved subway fleet faster than ever.
The opening coincides with the ongoing delivery of the R211 subway cars, which began entering service in 2023. Around 750 units have already been delivered, with more expected. The R211 features wider doorways, onboard cameras, updated digital displays and adjusted seating layouts intended to support accessibility.
The MTA has also approved the purchase of 378 R268 cars, scheduled to enter service on B Division lines from 2028. The 2025–2029 Capital Plan includes additional orders for A Division trains to replace the existing R62 fleet.
Many of the new trains are designed to be compatible with Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC), the signalling system that the MTA is continuing to roll out across several lines. Current and planned CBTC projects include upgrades on lines in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, supported in part by revenue from congestion relief measures.
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