A Subway Car For The Future That Never Came

Although New York City's Second Avenue Subway may finally come to fruition, it is unlikely that the once futuristic Car 8013 of the R11 model will ever run on its tracks.

1 minute read

March 27, 2007, 9:00 AM PDT

By Mike Lydon

"Expectations are high for construction of the Second Avenue subway, and the futuristic new subway cars that will run on it. Made from gleaming stainless steel, the cars have a range of modern innovations: round porthole windows that would look at home on a rocket ship; high-tech air purification systems that use ultraviolet lamps to kill germs; illuminated route maps on the wall; and - incredible as it seems - public address systems that make clear, intelligible announcements.

Sound pretty good?

It did in 1949, too, when 10 prototype cars were delivered to the New York Board of Transportation. The board planned to run the cars on a new subway line it was just then preparing to build under Second Avenue.

Of course, the Second Avenue subway was never built, and no additional cars of the same futuristic design, known as the R11, were ever ordered."

FULL STORY: A Museum-Quality Car for a Subway Yet Unbuilt

Saturday, March 24, 2007 in The New York Times

Transportation New York

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