The R44 was the first New York City Subway car class to use 75-foot cars.
The R44s were introduced in the 1970s for the B Division, the part of the subway system using lettered routes. Their longer bodies represented a major change from the earlier 60-foot B Division cars and allowed a different interior arrangement, including wider gangway areas between some cars in a train set.
The design was built for both New York City Transit and the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority. New York’s R44 fleet entered service in 1972, while related cars operated on Staten Island. The R46s followed and became the largest 75-foot fleet in the city for many years.
People sometimes identify the R46 as the first 75-foot New York subway car because it was more numerous and remained familiar longer. The distinction belongs to the R44, which introduced the basic 75-foot format to the city’s B Division.