BROOKLYN — If you’re on the "R" train, you aren’t leaving Brooklyn. But at least you can ride in style.
Brooklyn straphangers have had to forgo their weekday "R"-train commute into Manhattan since the Metropolitan Transportation Authority began repairs to the Montague Tubes which connect lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights. They were damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
The project will disrupt service for Manhattan-bound "R" trains for 14 months but, in the meantime, commuters can enjoy the ride from Court Street to Bay Ridge in a shiny new fleet of cars.
“R160” cars, which entered service in 2006, have temporarily been reassigned to the Brooklyn "R" line, according to an MTA spokesman.
"The R160s have brightly-lit interiors, crystal-clear digitized voice announcements, advanced heating-ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) and a smooth air-cushioned ride," according to the MTA website.
The "R" trains typically run on “R46s,” an older train model constructed in the 1970s which are usually maintained at an MTA facility in Jamaica, Queens.
Since "R"-Trains are effectively “cut-off” from Queens on weekdays, they are being serviced in Coney Island — which can only maintain the newer cars, the spokesman said.
“Once Montague Tubes service is restored, the R46’s will be returned to the R," he said.
