Type
- Interior Design
- Exterior Design
The R211 is the next generation subway car for the New York City subway system. Antenna designed the exterior, the interior and the customer information displays for the new cars, which started passenger service in 2023. Antenna was also responsible for producing a full scale mock-up showcasing the new design and its features to the public at a week-long open house, gathering feedback for final implementation.
The sleek face of the car instantly announces the new fleet, featuring a full-color digital line identifier and end route sign. Custom LED head/tail lights further communicate the evolution from previous fleets.
To address the demands of an increasing ridership, the cars feature wider doors, speeding up boarding and reducing dwell time. Further, colored door lights alert passengers when and which side the doors will open to get ready for exiting and when to stand back from closing doors. Doorway floor graphics remind passengers to clear boarding areas. Niches next to the doors allow people to step away from the doors.
Bright colored grab rails throughout help the visually impaired, priority seats are identified by the same yellow color and there is a clearly identified wheelchair parking area with flip-up seats. A variety of horizontal and vertical grab rails, including looped vertical poles, ensure numerous holding opportunities for people of different heights. Multiple digital displays provide real-time service and station information. Low-profile energy efficient interior LED lighting opens up the ceiling area and creates a more spacious feel.
The above door displays switch from showing the line map to showing the station map prior to entering a station. This allows passengers to orient themselves before exiting the train, thereby improving passenger flow.
A portion of the R211 cars will feature open gangways, connecting individual cars with accordion-like walls. This allows passengers to move freely between cars reducing crowding and improving distribution throughout the train.
Mock-up Construction: Level Collective, Inc.
One of the pre-production cars.