NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- The MTA will officially retire some of the world’s oldest subway cars — but not without a celebration first.
After 58 years of service, the MTA is retiring the R-32s, also known as the Brightliners.
The retirement is being marked with a celebration of its unique car design by placing one R-32 train into service to operate on four consecutive Sundays, the final of which comes on Jan. 9.
“As we continue the work to modernize the transit system and improve the customer experience, it is truly bittersweet to say farewell to a fleet of historic R-32 trains that have served New Yorkers for nearly six decades," said New York City Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano. “A significant amount of history goes along with these trains and we’re delighted that we are able to offer the opportunity to ride them one – or even a few – more times in their final days.”
For the final farewell on Sunday, the R-32 train will run on their original debut route from 1964 on the Q line (which was then the BMT-Brighton line).
The train will depart Sunday from Brighton Beach on the Q line at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., making express stops on the Brighton and Broadway lines via the Manhattan Bridge.
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It’ll depart from the 96th Street station on the Q line at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m and 6:30 p.m, making express stops on the Brighton and Broadway lines via the Manhattan Bridge.
According to transit officials, the R-32s were the first large fleet of mass produced stainless steel cars purchased by NYC Transit, which meant a total of 600 cars.
The Philadelphia-built cars were called “Brightliners” because of their washboard-like stainless steel exteriors.
It debuted on the Q line on Sept. 14, 1964, but in recent years the R-32s were mainly found on the A, C, J and Z lines. Most were retired in the late-2000s.
According to the Daily News, the R-32s were supposed to be retired in 2020, but dozens of them were pulled back into action due to issues with the newest cars, the R-179s.
As new cars debuted, many R-32s were sunk into the Atlantic Ocean as part of an artificial reef program.
The MTA said its design made the R-32 a favorite then and still now, bringing in design elements unseen previously that still inspire modern train cars today.
It was the last subway car class still in service that has a front window passengers can look out of, the MTA said.
The R-32s can be spotted in plenty of popular movies, including “Spiderman: Homecoming” and “Joker.”
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