A total of 500 R4s were built, numbered 400–899, and arranged as single units.

The R4s were used primarily for increased service in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.

They served exclusively on all IND lines for most of their service lives, but were also used on the BMT Division during their final years.

[1] The contract of subway cars was ordered to equip extensions of the IND in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.

The last remaining R4, car 722 (renumbered 1398), made its final trip on the J on March 31, 1977, along with three R7/As and four R9s, marking the end of the R1–9 fleet.