MTA to start testing spacious new open subway cars

In a few years, you may never have to be stuck in the same subway car as your ex again.

As part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s 2015-2019 capital plan, the MTA will reportedly be testing “open gangway prototype” cars that are, as Time Out New York Editor Carla Sosenko helpfully points out, “basically Snowpiercer.”

The interconnected cars—that may or may not be able to survive a climate-related apocalypse—can already be found in cities like Berlin and Toronto. The current plan calls for an order of 10 prototypes at the cost of $52.4 million allocated for 2016. So a 2am jog through an empty train may be closer than you think! But don't drunkenly lace up your sneakers yet. The lines that will receive them have yet to be decided.

Second Avenue Sagas notes that the spacious, airy design can result in a substantial 8-10% more space within a train. You can see some examples of open gangway cars below.

 

Open gangways on the Berlin U-Bahn's U6. These so-called großprofil cars are spacious, and the design does wonders for passenger flow and crowding.

A photo posted by Second Ave. Sagas (@secondavesagas) on May 10, 2015 at 3:38pm PDT

 

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A photo posted by @x_ziyaturgut_x on Oct 2, 2015 at 1:33pm PDT