Ride vintage subway trains in Brooklyn this June

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Commuters during the morning rush hour at the Fulton Center subway station in New York, US, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. New York City's aging transit system needs 2,000 new subway and commuter rail cars, 60 miles of new subway tracks and upgraded powe

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BROOKLYN - Get the chance to ride a vintage subway train this June.

Parade of Trains

What we know:

The New York Transit Museum is bringing a selection of its vintage fleet of subway trains out for riders to experience.

On June 7 and 8, the decades-old trains will be brought into limited service – the trains will run between the Brighton Beach and Kings Highway stations, on the B and Q lines, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Each trip will be 10 minutes long, and will cost the standard subway fare.

Lineup of cars

The lineup for this parade will consist of BU Gate Cars, BMT Standards and R-1/9s.

"BU" is a generic term used to refer to all Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) gate cars used on the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad. These cars have wooden bodies over reinforced steel frames.

The New York Transit Museum has three BU cars: 1273 (built from 1903 to 1904), 1404 (built 1908) and 1407 (built 1908). They ran from 1903, when the first of its kind was created, to 1969, when the model was officially retired.

BMT Standard cars were made from steel, and were designed to operate in subway tunnels. They ran from 1917 to 1969.

The "Arnines," or R-1/9 cars, were over 1,700 similar New York City Subway cars, also known as "City cars." These cars were also constructed with steel.

The cars entered service between 1931 and 1940 and remained on the rails until they were replaced between 1968 and 1977.

Hopping on

Advanced registration is not required, but will grant a ticket for a raffle that offers a family membership to the museum. Register here.

Photography and video recording are permitted; tripods, stands, selfie sticks and external lights may not be used.