NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has opened a new Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility, where the MTA will inspect and test new subway cars and other equipment before it is placed into service.
The facility — the first new subway-car facility opened by the MTA since 1948 — is near the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park. It can accept equipment delivered by truck, rail, or boat. Individual cars will be linked for testing and commissioning on the facility’s in-house tracks, then sent onto the subway network for further testing.
“Our historic $11 billion investment in rolling stock calls for a top-of-the-line new testing facility,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said in a press release. “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 MTA is in the midst of a major replacement program for its subway fleet, with some 750 R211 cars already delivered and another 860 on order. The agency also recently approved purchase of 378 R268 cars, which will be similar to the R211 equipment [see “New York MTA orders …,” Trains.com, Oct. 30, 2025].
Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction & Development, says the new facility consolidates work that was spread amongst different yards. The MTA says the facility was completed within its three-year timeline and some $5.5 million under budget, although it did not mention the overall project cost.
“As we continue to upgrade our rolling stock with modern cars,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow,”the Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility provides a state-of-the-art space for NYC Transit employees to ensure new cars are safe, reliable, and ready to enter service.”
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