NYCT returns Bombardier rail cars to service

Rail News Home Mechanical 1/29/2020 Rail News: Mechanical
NYCT reinstated its fleet of Bombardier R179 rail cars following removal from service earlier this month.Photo – Bombardier Transport

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) last week returned 298 Bombardier R179 rail cars to service after removing them from the subway fleet in response to two reports of door problems earlier this month.

LTK Engineering, NYCT and Bombardier Transportation completed inspections of and adjustments to all door systems. They also performed software upgrades and testing for the entire fleet.

In total, 318 cars, 2,544 doorways and more than 5,000 separate doors were inspected and certified for safety, NYCT officials said in a press release.

Bombardier’s analysis indicated that the two door locking mechanism failures were caused by a rare combination of unforeseen mechanical and operational circumstances that were unlikely to reoccur, Bombardier officials said in a press release.

“Bombardier stands by the quality and integrity of its rail cars and components and wants to reassure customers and passengers that the R179 doors are completely safe,” said Elliot Sander, president of Bombardier Transportation’s Americas region.