R32

The R32 is a New York City Subway car model built by the Budd Company from 1964 to 1965 for the IND/BMT B Division. A total of 600 R32s were built, numbered 3350–3949, though some cars were re-numbered. The R32 contract was divided into two subcontracts of 300 cars each: R32 (cars 3350–3649) and R32A (cars 3650–3949); the former was paid by the city's capital budget and the latter was paid through a revenue bond. All are arranged as married pairs. The R32s were the first mass-produced stainless steel cars built for the New York City Subway.

A ceremonial introduction trip for the new R32 "Brightliners" cars was held on September 9, 1964. Various modifications were made over the years to the R32 fleet. In the late 1980s, all of the R32 cars were rebuilt, with ten cars being rebuilt by General Electric and the remaining cars being rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen. As part of the refurbishment, the original scrolling indicators and express/local marker lights at the end of each car were replaced with flip-dot signs. After refurbishment, the R32 and R32A cars were renamed R32 Phase I, R32 Phase II, and R32 GE. The R160s replaced most of the R32s in the late 2000s, though about one-third of the original fleet remained, all being Phase I R32s. The rest of the R32s were initially retired in early 2020 and replaced with the R179s; however, they returned to service in summer 2020 due to the R179s being pulled from service. Several retired cars were saved for various purposes throughout the New York City Subway system, with some used as work cars, and others preserved for the New York Transit Museum and Railway Preservation Corp.

Appearances
R32 appears on the opening of Times Square 42 Street.