What is the current status of the AC-propulsion car project? When are these cars being delivered?
In May 2003, the CTA® publicly announced that their plans to purchase new rail cars, for which an RFP that had already been issued was pulled off the street in December 2003 (see Question 4.10), was delayed because of their decision to start buying trains with alternating current (AC) technology, which is increasingly used in transit system traction. This represented a substantial change from the previous designs, which had called for another order of DC-propulsion units.The conversion will come incrementally as rail cars are replaced and start with the next car order, projected for sometime in 2004. The CTA® plans to eventually buy more than 700 new rail cars to replace the aging Budd 2200-series cars delivered in 1969-70 and the Boeing-Vertol 2400-series cars delivered in 1976-78, as well as to expand the fleet size for various expansion plans.The decision to convert the fleet to AC traction is based on both passenger comfort and cost savings.
In May 2003, the CTA® publicly announced that their plans to purchase new rail cars, for which an RFP that had already been issued was pulled off the street in December 2003 (see Question 4.10), was delayed because of their decision to start buying trains with alternating current (AC) technology, which is increasingly used in transit system traction. This represented a substantial change from the previous designs, which had called for another order of DC-propulsion units. The conversion will come incrementally as rail cars are replaced and start with the next car order, projected for sometime in 2004. The CTA® plans to eventually buy more than 700 new rail cars to replace the aging Budd 2200-series cars delivered in 1969-70 and the Boeing-Vertol 2400-series cars delivered in 1976-78, as well as to expand the fleet size for various expansion plans. The decision to convert the fleet to AC traction is based on both passenger comfort and cost savings. AC cars have practical benefits for ri
