Home Subway Security R179s set to be surveillance camera-ready

R179s set to be surveillance camera-ready

by Benjamin Kabak

Amidst concerns over a porous subway system, the MTA is planning to equip the upcoming R179 order of new rolling stock with security cameras, Tom Namako of The New York Post reported today. While the system’s preexisting rolling stock will not be retrofitted with cameras, each of the 340 new cars that make up the R179 fleet will have the necessary technology built in so that the MTA can simply put the cameras, shown at right, into the new cars.

“Future cars will be camera-ready,” Paul Fleuranges, a Transit spokesman, said to The Post. “The hardest part of retrofitting old cars to run the lines is that it involved taking the car apart.”

The MTA is currently running one train on the E line that’s equipped with an in-car camera surveillance system, but that car is just a part of a 12-month pilot program. As Namako notes, by ordering the R179s with the ability to install cameras, the MTA may be leaning toward approving this pilot program on a wider scale. The cameras, said Fleuranges, “will be part of the infrastructure, in case we want to go that route.”

As part of the pilot program, four cars along the E are each equipped with a set of four cameras, and the cars with cameras are identified with a decal, seen here at left. The camera sets are linked into one DVR system, and the four cameras are tied into a network controller unit that transmits the signals between cars. The cameras are placed to “effectively cover the passenger area,” according to Transit, and while the agency stressed that the cameras are for recording purposes and not live monitoring, it’s unclear how Transit plans to make use of the footage. The police have yet to request the video feeds.

As with many MTA pilots, the camera program was in development for years. The MTA first announced plans to create what many call a ring of steel in March 2007, reiterated a commitment to the pilot in April 2008 and again in August 2009 before installing the surveillance equipment this February. Various other cities, including Washington, DC, and London, have long outfitted their subway cars with such technology, and it has been used as both a criminal deterrent and a tool for identifying perps and terrorists.

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12 comments

SEAN August 31, 2010 - 3:24 pm

Witch lines will the R179’s be opperated on.

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Benjamin Kabak August 31, 2010 - 3:26 pm

Mostly the 8th Ave. line. The order will replace the oldest cars running as A and C trains now.

A handful of old sets on the Nassau St. line will finally get replaced too.

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SEAN August 31, 2010 - 4:52 pm

Thanks. Happy Labor Day.

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Anthony Boyd August 31, 2010 - 5:35 pm

A/C , J/Z to Replace the R32s and R42s .

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SEAN August 31, 2010 - 7:12 pm

What about the R44’s & 46’s will they still opperate?

When are the R62’s through 68’s up for replacement.

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Al D September 1, 2010 - 9:39 am

These cars are all going to around for a good, long while, except for the R44. The R44 is currently being retired in place of the remaining R32s and R42s.

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Benjamin Kabak September 1, 2010 - 9:40 am

The R62s/R68s entered service in the early and mid 80s, respectively. They won’t be replaced until the mid-2020s when their 40 years are up.

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Sharon August 31, 2010 - 10:16 pm

It goes to show how lost MTA management was not to have state of the art r-160 cars have camera’s or at least the wiring

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Nabe News: September 1 - Bowery Boogie | A Lower East Side Chronicle September 1, 2010 - 2:38 pm

[…] ready for more Big Brother in the subway system [Second Avenue Sagas] Tweet Street: n/a Tags: Nabe News You can follow any […]

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Bombardier set to win $599 million R179 contract :: Second Ave. Sagas March 28, 2012 - 12:44 am

[…] now, the exact technical schematics of the new cars are unknown. It appears as though they will be surveillance-camera ready and will likely be modeled off of the R160s currently in service. We know that the 300-car order […]

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Bombardier set to win $599 million R179 contract April 8, 2012 - 5:00 am

[…] it appears as though they will be surveillance-camera ready and will likely be modeled off of […]

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