NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking bids for what it describes as the largest subway car contract in its history, a purchase that could replace more than a third of the New York City subway fleet if all options are exercised.
In a solicitation issued Thursday, the MTA said it is seeking proposals to design, furnish and deliver 1,140 new subway cars for New York City Transit’s A Division, with an option to buy up to 1,250 additional cars — for a total potential order of 2,390 cars. The base order is intended to replace the aging R62 and R62A fleets that operate on the 1, 3 and 6 lines. If the MTA exercises the option, the additional cars would be used to replace R142 and R142A trains operating on the 2, 4 and 5 lines.
The request for proposals calls for a mix of standard “closed end” cars designated R262 and “open gangway” cars designated R262OG, with multiple scenarios for how the final order could be split between the two designs. Open gangway trains — which allow riders to move between cars — would be a first for the A Division, the subway’s numbered lines, under the procurement’s terms.
The MTA said the contractor would be responsible not only for manufacturing and delivery but also for design, engineering, testing, training, warranty support, spare parts, tools and diagnostic test equipment. The contract term is listed as seven years, and the solicitation notes that resulting contracts may include federal requirements.
Proposals are due Sept. 8, 2026, and the MTA has scheduled a pre-bid conference for April 30, 2026, at MTA headquarters at 2 Broadway in Manhattan. The MTA said it expects to award a contract by early 2028.
The agency said the purchase is funded through its 2025-29 Capital Plan and includes funds carried over from the 2020-24 Capital Plan. The MTA said it has reworked the procurement under a new rolling stock program, updating terms and conditions and shifting many specifications to a performance-based approach. It is also asking bidders to submit projections on the total cost of ownership, a requirement the MTA described as new for its railcar procurements.
The new cars are intended to improve reliability. The solicitation sets a mean distance-to-failure requirement of 200,000 miles for the R262, compared with an average of 89,000 miles for the R62 and R62A fleets, according to the MTA. The agency said higher reliability would reduce in-service problems and cut the time cars are removed from service for repairs.
The solicitation also calls for upgrades aimed at customer information, accessibility, efficiency, and security, including improved announcement systems, assistive listening devices, automatic passenger counting, onboard cameras, and platform-edge CCTV, as well as measures to prevent unauthorized cab access.
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