1. COULD GANGWAY CARS
Transportation Woes:
THANE RITCHIE
CURE CONGESTION?

2. Throughout human history, innovative
solutions have been conjured up by smart
thinkers to solve major transportation issues.
From the wheel to the airplane to the still
hypothetical Hyperloop, getting around gets
easier when the right ideas are supported,
developed, and implemented. Some of these
solutions are long overdue — for example, the
gangway-car subway system used by many
major cities — none of which are in the United
States.
INTRODUCTION

3. Subway cars have come a
long way. In New York City,
they’ve evolved from the
elevated “el” of the late
19th century, which left
much of the city in shadows,
to “million-dollar” train cars
to today’s 50-year old
stainless steel cars.
But across the pond — and even in
Canada — transportation has evolved
a bit further. Decades ago, countries all
over the world — China, Germany,
India, Japan and France to name just a
few — adopted open gangway cars,
which now run in 3 out of 4 subway
systems in the world.

4. What is an open gangway car? Essentially,
they are trains in which cars are connected
openly, allowing for greater capacity and
circulation. Instead of multiple cars joined
with doors and chains, the space between
each is attached like an accordion — hence
the nickname “accordion train.”
There was a time in New York City between
elevated trains when certain trains operated
this way. Called “articulated” cars, they ran
on select lines from the late 1920s through
the 1960s, when stainless steel cars took
over. Such bold experiments with trains cars
mostly ceased after this, as many of today’s
trains are leftover from the 1970s or earlier.
OPEN THE
GANGWAYS

5. The tides could be turning soon for the United
States, however. Of all states, Hawaii may be
the first to introduce open gangway cars in
2018 in Honolulu. Even more promising is
New York City’s bid to introduce gangway
cars: in January of 2016, the MTA
announced a plan to spend $52 million
prototyping just such cars while replacing 40-
year-old trains on two lines. Their goal,
allegedly, is to roll out 10 new open
gangway cars by 2020.
Why now? And how can we be certain
what’s worked for other cities will fit the US,
where cities and public systems are
admittedly different?
OPEN THE
GANGWAYS

6. As with anything, it’s important to look at the pros and cons of the solution. The
positives are pretty clear: open gangway cars add 5 feet of room between cars,
thus allowing for more people and the freedom to move between cars. Because
they are lighter, they are also more energy efficient. They are also arguably
safer, as passengers won’t be isolated in a single car in the face of a threat.
Gangways

7. Gangway dissenters have their own reasons to question the shift. For example,
the New York City subway has an efficient system for coming to the aid of sick
passengers, who are isolated in specific cars. If the cars were open, this isolation
would be impossible, and the passenger might be difficult to locate.
Gangways

9. Whether or not the concept
will catch on in the United
States and other countries that
have yet to adopt remains to be
seen, and it could be a while
before we find out for certain.
The only way to make progress
with issues like this, though, is to
test and test again instead of
allowing crowds to keep piling in
rusty old cars.