There is a new sight on the G line this week. Riders got a chance to experience the inaugural ride of the R211T, commonly known as the open-gangway train, on the crosstown line. 

“The OG is going to the G,” New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said before the train left the Church Avenue station.

These new trains have a feature especially important for this line, which only runs five-car long sets. 

“Everyone that’s taken the G train knows the experience of hustling down the platform to make that train,” Crichlow said. “You get to the last car of the train and then the train is just a little bit crowded in that one last car. No more. The open-gangways are open from end to end, so customers have the ability to walk from one end of the cab car to the opposite end to where there’s space.”

There is a lot of excitement about that.

“Now, you can move away and go to the first car as it should be,” commuter Larry Geddis said. “They’re fantastic. There are transit systems around the world that have them and it’s about time that we have them.”

The R211Ts have other practical features. They’re more reliable and have clearer displays, more cameras and wider doors for faster boarding.

The first two trains running this week made from one of the two 10-car sets running on the C line that debuted about a year ago.  

“It’s nice,” rider Elizabeth Germano said. “They’re nice and bright.”

“It works,” daily rider Elaine Angelopoulos said. “It’s better.”

“It’s definitely a nice new train,” commuter David Chung said. “It’s probably going to prevent a lot of the issues with the surfing that’s happening.”

There will be a total of four open-gangway trains on the G line, two more over the next two months.

Unfortunately, that means no more on the C train. But they will be coming back by 2027.