The Non-Passenger Trains of the New York City Subway

Sam Denbyand Amy Muller ofHalf as Interestingexplored the different types of non-passenger trains that run on the tracks of the New York City subway system (MTA).

The idea that there are non-passenger trains on the subway is only weird until you think aboutit for a couple seconds.

Most of these trains are used to maintain and clear the tracks of debris, water, and snow. These particular trains include the Track Geometry Car, the crane car, the VakTrak, snow removal cars, and pump cars.

If you want to take careof the subway, of course you don't want to haulgear around the roads, get it down through the stations somehow, then back up after. Better tomake trains that can zip station to station and do the job themselves. To that end, a lot of the non-passenger trains in the MTA's rolling stockdo rail maintenance.

There are other cars that transport garbage, materials, and once upon a time, even money.

Onecar would hold the money, the other would holdtwelve armed MTA agents and a supervisor. They'dgo station-to-station collecting revenue, then bring it all to the Jay Street station-close to where many of the lines meet-take it through thisgate, and up to a money room. But alas, in 2006, they changed to armored cars and a money room in Maspeth, and with the Metrocard phase-out,they soon won't even need those.

Examples of Non-Passenger NYC Subway Trains

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