Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has officially kicked off the search process for a manufacturer to make the CTA’s next generation of rail cars as part of the agency’s modernization of its rail fleet. The estimated total cost for the rail cars is USD 2B, funded through a combination of federal and local funds. When the new cars are in service, expected as early as 2018, the CTA will have one of the youngest fleets of any U.S. transit agency.
On October 16, CTA issued a new Request for Proposals for bids from manufacturers for the 7000-series. The initial base order will seek 400 rail cars, with the ability to purchase as many as 846 new cars.
The new bid solicitation also is the first in CTA history to include a ground-breaking provision that asks bidders to provide the number and type of new jobs they will create related to the production of the new rail cars, an agreement reach by the Mayor, CTA and the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) in July 2014. The provision will also ask bidders to outline their job recruitment and workforce training plans.
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