Been on the C more since the new open gangway cars started showing up during the week. Last Tuesday around 8:30 at Hoyt-Schermerhorn, train pulls up, doors open, and you can see straight down the whole set. Nice, right? People actually move inside instead of pretending the middle doesn't exist.

But now if one person starts a phone call, the whole car hears it. Maybe not just the car, the whole train. Is the AC actually colder on these or am I just excited to see seats without duct tape?

I got one from Franklin to 14th last week. Standing near the hinge connection is not the move. The floor shifts under you like a slow wave, and if you lean on the accordion wall you'll end up in someone's lap.

But it did fix the bottleneck at the doors. For the first time in a while I saw people walk toward the middle without being shamed.

I'm mostly on the ferry or express bus these days, but I took the C from 72nd to Jay Street to test it. The new cars are quieter in a weird way, less metal on metal and more of a high-pitched hum. Not bad.

Seating still stinks if you're not fast. The flip-up bench near the big open area was taken by a guy with a full cart by the time I got on.

Steve, the hum is better than the old R46 scream. My ears used to ring after the Hoyt curve. Rita, leaning on the accordion is a mistake. I almost lost a whole iced coffee.

But being able to spot a seat two cars away and just walk there without the 'excuse me, sorry, my bag' routine is a win. Though I did see a guy try to walk through while the train hit a switch and he grabbed a stranger's shoulder.

Question: if someone is blasting music from a JBL in car 2, and you're in car 4, are you allowed to be mad? Asking because I moved twice and could still hear the bass.

The open gangway is great for crowds but it turns the train into one long studio apartment with no doors. Also, the door closing chime is almost polite now, makes people think they have time. They do not.

You can't escape smells either. Rode from 168 to 42nd and some dude was eating something that smelled like old fried whiting. Whole train knew. That's the downside of open gangway: no more separate air.

I'd still take it over the summer sauna on the old cars. Does anyone know if these are on the A yet or is that just a rumor?

The A has a few I think but I've only caught them on C. Door delay is true even on the regular R211s. If you're running and the doors start closing, you're not making it. The sensors pop open for any bag or late hand.

I've watched three people miss at Utica. But maybe that's better than getting your arm caught.

Every C I've caught this month has left Euclid 3-4 minutes late. The new doors aren't helping dwell time. They bounce open, then close, then open again because someone's messenger bag strap is hanging.

Good for accessibility, but the schedule needs to account for it. Right now the dispatcher just yells.

Leaving Euclid late is not a new feature. It's been that way since they put the timetable up. The open cars didn't invent that.

I just want them on the A express where you can actually walk to a quieter car when someone is having a full speakerphone therapy session about their landlord.

The landlord calls on the C are a genre now. Honestly the open gangway helps there too, you can see who's crying and pick another car before you get stuck.

Saw one at Lefferts last week with the new digital ads, looked like an A train but might have been deadheading. Either way, best part is stroller plus bike plus luggage aren't all crammed in one end.

Steve, I heard the A has them on the Rockaway runs, but I haven't caught one yet. The bend is luggage central if you're getting on at Howard Beach or JFK, especially late. Everyone stacks bags in the accordion section and then the airport crowd gets mad.

If people just moved to the middle we'd be fine. I'll take the new cars on hot days though. AC actually works.