The MTA is warehousing its newest subway cars indefinitely — while officials pursue a probe into a series of dangerous malfunctions, the agency said Monday.
“We will not compromise one inch on safety and will not return the fleet to service without certainty and validation that all cars are fit for passenger service,” Interim Transit President Sarah Feinberg said in a statement.
“The only way to truly investigate these repeated and unacceptable issues is with a deep-dive examination.”
Transit officials pulled the MTA’s 300-plus R179 cars earlier this month after two in-service cars detached as the train was entering Chambers Street station in Manhattan.
The agency previously pulled the fleet in January, after a train door burst open four inches in between stations.
The agency coughed up more than $600 million for the fleet from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.
A handful of the cars first began running on the A, C and J lines in 2017, but the full order was beset by costly delays.
Transit workers have voiced other complaints about the pricey wagons — including slippery controls, stiff windows and other ergonomic design flaws.
“While some quality assurance issues are expected with any large car order, we are concerned about issues experienced with the R179s and the safety of riders and employees will always be our top priority,” said MTA Chief Operating Officer Mario Péloquin.
Bombardier said in a statement: “We strongly believe the R179 is a safe vehicle.”
“We took the recent train separation incident and earlier events very seriously, moving quickly to investigate thoroughly and take appropriate action,” it added, noting it will “cooperate fully with the process outlined by NYCT’s third party investigation of the R179 fleet.”