What You Need To Know


  • The oldest train cars at the MTA were called Brightliners, built in 1964.

  • The R32s were retired in March, without fanfare because of coronavirus.

  • The latest model of subway cars - known as R179s - were recalled for safety reasons for the second time this year

The oldest passenger train cars still in daily use anywhere on the planet were quietly retired by the MTA in March without a proper send off, because of coronavirus.

"It felt like we were never gonna see them again," said Jeremy Zorek, a train buff who rode the train cars.

Known as Brightliners, they made their debut in 1964.

Now they have made an unexpected comeback, giving train buffs and rail fans a second chance to see and ride them.

"They're fun, they're old. I love them," Zorek said. "We got a whole crowd of people here who also are happy to be out here and happy to be riding these cars again."

These cars fit for the Transit Museum were rolled out of retirement because the latest car model in the MTA's fleet is a lemon.

More than 300 of the new cars were yanked from service after two of them uncoupled as a train pulled into the Chambers Street station.

It was the second time this year the entire fleet was recalled - the latest in a series of malfunctions, defects and safety hazards that have plagued the cars, which were built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier in upstate Plattsburgh under a $600 million contract.

It has forced the MTA to summon nearly 100 cars of the old R32 fleet out of mothballs, mostly for trips on the Z line during rush hours.

A former MTA employee who once managed overhauls of the R32s to keep them in service is glad to see them return.

They are the go-to cars whenever there's a problem with the rest of the fleet, so it's nice to see this back in action," Kenneth Lin said. "It's a great testimony to the original craftsmanship that made these cars as long lived and as reliable as they are today."

Their age and endurance make them a fan favorite.

“I love these cars to death," said Patrick Stewart, a railfan."They’ve saved NYC Transit, over and over and over.”

“To see them back, it brings back a lot of great memories, nostalgia from my childhood," Brandon Cowans said. “Since I was a kid, for example, this was actually the type of train where i learned how to read, because i learned how to read from a subway map.”

MTA officials plan to convene a panel of outside experts to review bombardier's fleet of cars and develop a plan to bring them back to the tracks.