CTA's new trains to arrive soon

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/traffic/ct-met-getting-around-1024-20111024,0,3785794.column

 

CTA's new trains pulling into the station

First of 700 new-generation trains set to replace cars that are up to 42 years old

 

Full production is finally under way on an order of 706 new CTA rail cars, and the first 26 cars have been delivered to the transit agency, officials told Getting Around over the weekend.

 

The new rail cars recently arrived in Chicago on trucks from Bombardier Transportation's manufacturing plant in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and will enter service soon, officials said.

 

"We are making final adjustments (to the 26 new cars) before putting them into revenue service in the very near future," CTA spokeswoman Molly Sullivan said.

 

The CTA expects to have 40 more cars delivered from Canada-based Bombardier by the end of the year and another 192 cars delivered in 2012, officials said. The schedule for the remaining cars in 2013 and possibly 2014 is still being worked out, officials said.

 

CTA is the first customer in the U.S. to receive this new generation of rail cars that includes a variety of new features and technologies such as more energy-efficient propulsion, regenerative braking and improved diagnostic systems.

 

The total cost of the 706 cars is $1.137 billion, officials said. The order was placed in 2006.

 

The new 5000 Series rail cars will replace trains that are up to 42 years old, far beyond the normal life of the equipment. The old cars have been increasingly prone to breakdowns and safety failures. The CTA expects to save $8 million to $10 million a year on maintenance when the old fleet is retired.

 

The new rail cars feature aisle-facing seats, which CTA officials say have approximately the same number of seats as other CTA rail cars but allow more standing passengers, increasing the maximum number of people each car can carry.

 

But the center-facing, "bowling-alley-style" seating is unpopular with some passengers who rode test trains the CTA has operated since 2009 or on similar New York City subway trains. They complained that the bodies of standing passengers, particularly rear ends, were in their faces.

 

The new trains also are outfitted with alternating current propulsion designed to deliver quicker acceleration out of stations, a smoother ride and better braking. In addition, each car is equipped with electronic route maps showing the next station, destination signs and security-camera systems capable of providing a real-time feed to the CTA's command center and the Chicago Police Department.

 

Once the real-time security system is fully activated, passengers experiencing an emergency will be able to activate the security camera by pressing a panic button inside each car, officials said. The train operator, CTA dispatchers and police will be able to view the video as the camera rolls, to respond to crimes or other emergencies, officials said. But for now, video feeds will be stored in the camera.

 

The new cars will be equipped with an "active suspension system" to ensure that the car floor is level with the platforms at stations so passengers can board and exit easily, Bombardier said. Other features include glow-in-the-dark floor strips and safety signs; door sensors that detect obstructions and pop open if a person or object is caught in a closing door; and an event recorder, similar to the "black boxes" on airplanes, to capture mechanical and operational data.

 

CTA President Forrest Claypool gave the go-ahead in July for Bombardier to begin production, CTA and Bombardier officials said, although Claypool told reporters as recently as Oct. 13 that final approval had not been authorized because minor issues with the new trains were still being worked out.

 

Ten prototype cars that the CTA tested with and without passengers over the last two years have been returned to Bombardier for retrofitting with changes ordered as a result of the tests, Sullivan said.

 

CTA and Bombardier officials declined to describe or characterize an assortment of problems that arose and needed to be resolved before production could begin.

 

"We can't as there is a contract clause that won't allow us to discuss those details," Sullivan said.

 

The CTA cited proprietary information in refusing to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Tribune.

 

Production of the new trains follows several years of rigorous testing and a complicated purchase and financing strategy in which the CTA is acquiring the rail cars under three options.

 

The CTA will soon go to market to sell up to $625 million in bonds to pay for 300 rail cars, interest costs and associated charges. Financing for 406 other cars was completed several years ago.

 

The trains will replace the 2200 Series Budd cars that were purchased in 1969-1970 and the 2400 Series Boeing-Vertol cars purchased in 1976-1978.