R68A (New York City Subway car)
| R68A | |
|---|---|
A R68A train on the
 at Kings Highway. |
|
Interior of an R68A car
|
|
| In service | 1988-present |
| Manufacturer | |
| Built at |
Kobe, Japan; Yonkers, New York (final assembly) |
| Family name | SMEE |
| Replaced | All remaining R10s and R27s, and some R30s. |
| Constructed | 1988-1989 |
| Entered service | May 18, 1988, on the Concourse/Sixth Avenue 
|
| Number built | 200 |
| Number in service | 200 (168 in revenue service during rush hours) |
| Formation | 4 cars per trainset |
| Fleet numbers | 5001-5200 |
| Capacity | 70 (seated) |
| Operator(s) | New York City Subway |
| Depot(s) | Coney Island Yard (200 cars) |
| Service(s) assigned |
 – 8 cars (1 train, PM rush) – 160 cars (20 trains, AM rush)– 152 cars (19 trains, PM rush) |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | stainless steel with fiberglass end bonnets |
| Train length | 4 car train: 300 feet (91 m) 8 car train: 600 feet (180 m) |
| Car length | 74 ft 8.5 in (22.77 m) (over anticlimbers) |
| Width | 10 ft (3,048 mm) (over threshold) |
| Height | 12.08 ft (3,682 mm) |
| Platform height | 3.76 ft (1.15 m) |
| Doors | 8 |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Weight | 92,720 lb (42,057 kg) |
| Traction system | AdTranz E-Cam Propulsion with Westinghouse 1447J motors (115 hp or 85.8 kW on all axles) |
| Acceleration | 2.5 miles per hour per second (4.0 km/(h·s)) |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC Third rail |
| Current collection method | Contact shoe |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO (dynamic and friction), WABCO tread brake rigging model TBU GR90 |
| Safety system(s) | dead man's switch, tripcock |
| Coupling system | Westinghouse H2C |
| Headlight type | halogen light bulbs |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R68A is a B Division New York City Subway car order consisting of 200 cars built between 1988 and 1989 by in Kobe, Japan, with final assembly done at the Kawasaki plant in Yonkers, New York.
The R68A, numbered 5001-5200, was the fourth R-type contract and the last to be built with 75-foot (22.86 m) length (the previous three being the R44, R46 and R68). While the 75 foot length allows more room for sitting and standing passengers per car than the 60-foot (18.29 m) length that was previously used, 75-foot (22.86 m) cars suffer from clearance issues and cannot run on the BMT Eastern Division. As a result, B Division subway car orders made afterward (like the R143, R160, as well as the future R179 and R211 cars) have returned to the previous length of 60-foot (18.29 m).
The first R68A cars were delivered to New York on April 12, 1988 and transferred to TA facilities the following day. The cars replaced all of the remaining R10s, R27s, and unrebuilt R30s, all of which were retired between 1989 and 1991. The R68As were built with American and Japanese parts.
The R68As' first entry to revenue service was on May 18, 1988 on the Bronx and Manhattan half of the divided D train with the first fleet consisting of the consist 5010-5001-5006-5008-5009-5007-5004-5005. Originally, the R68A order was supposed to be a second option order of the R68. However, due to poor performance from the R68 cars produced by Westinghouse-Amrail, along with other issues, the MTA gave the order to Kawasaki, with an offer of $958,000 per car versus Westinghouse-Amrail's offer of $1,012,200 per car.
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