Accepting the challenge of the New York subway system
The NYCT subway system started running in 1904 and is the second oldest in the world. Many of the ancient tunnels are still used and they vary greatly in diameter from large to small. Some regions are extremely grimy, and therefore dust-proofing measures are required in the cars. More than 6,400 cars run on the NYCT subway, making it the world's largest underground transit system. In 1990, NYCT decided to install a new generation of subway cars. Mitsubishi Electric was keen to take advantage of this huge market. The difficulties were severe, however. Let's skip to the conclusion. In 1991, Mitsubishi Electric succeeded in acquiring an order for air-conditioning systems in 10 new R110A cars. Only 10? But this was only the start. In 1999, it received an order for 600 R142A cars. Including orders for the new R160 cars in 2004, the total reaches 1,482 units. This is solely due to the fact that NYCT has recognized Mitsubishi Electric's superior technology. It wasn't all plain sailing, however.
