R143 (New York City Subway car)

Infobox Train
background =
name = R143 (New York City Subway car)

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imagesize = 250px
caption = An R143 train leaves Broadway Junction on the NYCS|L.
interior

interiorcaption = Interior of an R143 car.
Manufacturer = Kawasaki Railcar, Inc.
Factory = Kobe, Japan
Family =
Built =
Refurbishment =
Replaced =
Formation = stainless steel with fiberglass front and rear bonnets (except for stainless steel cab ends)
Designation = 8101-8312
Operator = New York City Subway
Depots = East New York Yard
LinesServed = NYCS|L
yearconstruction = 2001-2003
yearservice =
yearscrapped =
numberconstruction =
numberbuilt = 212
numberservice = 208
numberscrapped =
CarBody =
CarLength = convert|60.18|ft|2|abbr=onNew York City Transit Authority, Revenue and Non-Revenue Car Drawings]
CarWidth = convert|9.77|ft|abbr=on
CarHeight = convert|12.03|ft|1|abbr=on
floorheight =
platformheight =
entrylevelorstep =
art-sections =
doors = 8
MaxSpeed = convert|55|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on
Weight = convert|83700|lb|kg|0|abbr=on (A car)
convert|81900|lb|kg|0|abbr=on
Capacity = 230 (A car-42 seated), 236 (B car-42 seated)
Power-supply = 650 VDC Third Rail
Traction = Bombardier 1508C; 150 hp per wheel
Gauge = RailGauge|ussg standard gauge
Brakes = Dynamic braking propulsion system; WABCO friction braking system

The R143 is a standard gauge subway car design used on the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. The cars are primarily used on the L service. The New York City Transit Authority owns 212 R143 cars, numbered 8101 to 8312, and built for an average cost of about $1.5 million per car.

History

Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. was awarded a $190 million contract for 100 new B Division cars in late December 1998, with an option for as many as 112 more. [New York Times, Subway Job to Kawasaki, December 30, 1998, page B6] The new design was based on the A Division's R142A, which Kawasaki also built, and incorporated many features from the R110B prototype. Delivery began in late 2001, and a 30-day test with one train of eight cars began on December 4, 2001. [ [http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/r143.html R143 ] ] According to Kawasaki, the test was "extremely successful".Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., [http://www.kawasakirailcar.com/LRTR143.htm New York City Transit R143 Subway Cars] , accessed April 14, 2007]

R143s began running on the BMT Canarsie Line (L) on February 12, 2002, [Randy Kennedy, New York Times, 1,700 Subway Cars to Be Built Under Largest Such Contract in New York History, July 31, 2002, page B3] and all 212 cars were delivered to the subway by March 2003. [Railway Age, Kawasaki completes NYCT R143 order, March 1, 2003] In addition to the L, [Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, Port Authority to Replace PATH Fleet for $499 Million, April 1, 2005, page B5] where the R143s displaced the older R40 and most of the R42 cars [http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?5251] , they also displaced the R42s [Matthew L. Wald, New York Times, Crash on the Subway: The System, June 6, 1995, page B5] on the M weekend shuttle service on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line. The R143s on that line were replaced by R160As in February 2008. One Person Train Operation was tested on the L during mid-2005. [Sewell Chan, New York Times, On L Train, Drivers Perform Solo, Without Conductors, June 20, 2005, page B3] [Jennifer B. Lee and Shadi Rahimi, New York Times, Conductors Are Returning To the Subway's L Line, September 24, 2005, page B3] .

The 212 cars delivered were expected to provide enough service for years, but the fast growth of Williamsburg, Brooklyn overloaded the L by mid-2006. [New York Daily News, Oh, L, not enuf trains!, July 7, 2006]

On June 21, 2006, an eight-car R143 train overshot the bumper at the end of the tracks in the Canarsie Yard after the operator suffered a seizure. Lead car #8277 suffered frame damage and has been stripped of damaged parts for possible repair, but may be permanently out of service.

References

External links

* [http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/r143.html nycsubway.org - R143]