#4000 Arrives

[Kevin]

#4000 was at 567 W. Lake today. I didn't know of this in advance, so unfortunately all I have are crappy cell phone pictures for now. Note the "K" sticker in the windshield.

[Tcmetro]

Nice. Better late than never though .

[Busjack]

The pictures are pretty good.

Were you able to tell if the "More room to breathe" was a letterboard wrap, or a permanent logo?

Also, I'm somewhat surprised this wasn't part of today's news conference.

[rmadisonwi]

The pictures are pretty good.

Were you able to tell if the "More room to breathe" was a letterboard wrap, or a permanent logo?

It's a wrap. If you got up really close, you could actually see the "Clean Air Hybrid Bus" lettering underneath, similar to what is on the 800s and 900s.

This bus should be on the 156 tomorrow morning, but I don't know which run will get it.

The interior of bus #4000 has 58 seats, but that will be changed to 54 seats as the seats in the artic joint area will be replaced with standee bars. The seats are too close together and if people sit across from each other, it hinders the ability for riders to walk through.

The front section has lots of longitudinal seating. Both wheelchair positions are on the left side, and inward-facing seats run the same length across the aisle. The back of a bus is configured similar to a NABI. The rear doors are activated by the same system found on the 1000s, but they are wider to accommodate two people exiting at once (again, similar to the NABI doors).

Overall, it should be a pretty good bus.

[ryanbytes]

If you're sure it'll be on 156 I'll drag my butt out of bed to be at Belmont and Halsted in time for the 5:13 run.

[Zol87]

These new buses look pretty cool.

It's a stretch New Flyer. What routes will they be on?

[artthouwill]

#4000 was at 567 W. Lake today. I didn't know of this in advance, so unfortunately all I have are crappy cell phone pictures for now. Note the "K" sticker in the windshield.

This blows away my theory that 77th or 103rd would get them first. Why Kedzie first?

[Guest]

Cool, its finally here. Very impressive I have to say.

[trainman8119]

Is this considered a prototype, here for testing...or is this the real first and all will

follow in a normal delivery manner without any testing involved ????

Looks good though.

[Busjack]

Is this considered a prototype, here for testing...or is this the real first and all will

follow in a normal delivery manner without any testing involved ????

One could make the assumption that this is part of the delivery from:

• CTA is picking up the Seattle option and specs (also apparently including some things it told Proposer 1 it didn't want on the next 900).
  
• The stated delivery schedule to be completed by Summer 2009 remains unchanged (as stated in the CTA Budget).
  

The front section has lots of longitudinal seating. Both wheelchair positions are on the left side, and inward-facing seats run the same length across the aisle. The back of a bus is configured similar to a NABI.

Apparently the spec for the next up to 900 was consistent with that, and hence having 7 fewer seats than a NABI wasn't original to that spec.

[geneking7320]

:unsure:

It's a wrap. If you got up really close, you could actually see the "Clean Air Hybrid Bus" lettering underneath, similar to what is on the 800s and 900s.

This bus should be on the 156 tomorrow morning, but I don't know which run will get it.

The interior of bus #4000 has 58 seats, but that will be changed to 54 seats as the seats in the artic joint area will be replaced with standee bars. The seats are too close together and if people sit across from each other, it hinders the ability for riders to walk through.

The front section has lots of longitudinal seating. Both wheelchair positions are on the left side, and inward-facing seats run the same length across the aisle. The back of a bus is configured similar to a NABI. The rear doors are activated by the same system found on the 1000s, but they are wider to accommodate two people exiting at once (again, similar to the NABI doors).

Overall, it should be a pretty good bus.

Will the bus have a "separator" at the rear doors to create two streams?

Gene

[renardo870]

Very nice!!!! Any idea the order of garages that will recieve them?

[jajuan]

Very nice!!!! Any idea the order of garages that will recieve them?

Kedzie first definitely given Kevin's photo showing a 'K' sticker on 4000's windshield. Chicago may be next since it got 6000s for D40LFs like Kedzie. Don't know about the order after that.

[BusHunter]

Kedzie first definitely given Kevin's photo showing a 'K' sticker on 4000's windshield. Chicago may be next since it got 6000s for D40LFs like Kedzie. Don't know about the order after that.

I'm thinking 5 sets of 30 each for Kedzie, Chicago, 103rd, North Park and 77th. I'm kind of surprised there was no press conference for the first big order of hybrids. It will be interesting to see where they'll run them at Chicago when the time comes. BRT is still a ways off. Also there wasn't a different paint scheme for them being BRT's. To the average customer they seem the same from the front. I wonder how someone will distinguish when the time comes these are in fact BRT's and not the regular service.

[Busjack]

I'm thinking 5 sets of 30 each for Kedzie, Chicago, 103rd, North Park and 77th. I'm kind of surprised there was no press conference for the first big order of hybrids. It will be interesting to see where they'll run them at Chicago when the time comes. BRT is still a ways off. Also there wasn't a different paint scheme for them being BRT's. To the average customer they seem the same from the front. I wonder how someone will distinguish when the time comes these are in fact BRT's and not the regular service.

I would tend to put 74th over North Park, in that North Park seems adequately served by NABIs, and 9 and 63 could use a higher capacity bus. Basically, you wouldn't get a 3 for 4 replacement at NP.

Given jajuan's surmise that 40 6000s are at K and C for 30 4000s each, that would seem to make sense.

Also, I would think that 77th would get a heavier allocation than the other garages, eventually. I think I might have also thrown in FG for Belmont and Lawrence.

One, of course, has to throw in that fleet swaps have become more common and it having been said that some 4000s might temporarily supplement 7500s while the 7500s finally get fixed (spayed or neutered). I agree that it is not clear that this has any relation to the BRT project, which would put a question as to when Jeffery (and hence 103 Garage) gets them.

[Guest ctafan630]

Sorry if this was discussed already, but I thought this new set of buses was supposed to start with #600? Does any one know why this changed?

[Kevin]

Sorry if this was discussed already, but I thought this new set of buses was supposed to start with #600? Does any one know why this changed?

No decision made at CTA is final until it actually happens. This is the same agency that announced North Park would be first to get Bus Tracker in Summer 2007.

While 600 was the plan at one point, this later changed. The possibility of accommodating more than 200 buses in the series could have been a consideration for the change.

[Busjack]

While 600 was the plan at one point, this later changed. The possibility of accommodating more than 200 buses in the series could have been a consideration for the change.

As well as the RFP for up to 900 more.

[RailBus63]

Looks great. I'm glad CTA is sticking with the classic New Flyer styling instead of wasting money on BRT styling, frameless windows, etc.

[nflyer22]

Wow, I must say, it does look cool! Can't believe it's a New Flyer, since it looks like a NABI and a NF D40LF crammed together! Can't wait to see all of them rolling out there! :lol:

[daerah]

The 4000 bus arrived to Kedzie Garage about two weeks ago from what I've been told. Here's more pictures of it, at the Garage. At this time..they were placing the stickers on the bus, and installing the mirrors (fine-tuning) before it goes out.

P.S.

Yes I am a cta employee.

[daerah]

The 4000 bus arrived to Kedzie Garage about two weeks ago from what I've been told. Here's more pictures of it, at the Garage. At this time..they were placing the stickers on the bus, and installing the mirrors (fine-tuning) before it goes out.

P.S.

Yes I am a cta employee.

Forgive the image quality....I didnt have my digital camera at the time,...so I used my my iPhone camera. I'll post interior shots, as it becomes available to me.

5000 should arrive soon,...a 60ft version of the 900 (ISE) series

The 4000 is based off the 800 with a GM/Allison drive train.

[real cta fan]

WOW BEAUTIFUL BUS. LOVE NEW FLYERS. YALL DONT KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO LIVE IN CHICAGO AND SEE A VARIETY OF BUSES.

SEE WHERE IM FROM IM STUCK WITH BAGS. YES WE HAVE BAGS FOR TRANSIT BUSSES HERE.

BORING ASS GILLIGS.

[Guest]

Forgive the image quality....I didnt have my digital camera at the time,...so I used my my iPhone camera. I'll post interior shots, as it becomes available to me.

5000 should arrive soon,...a 60ft version of the 900 (ISE) series

The 4000 is based off the 800 with a GM/Allison drive train.

These artics will look great operating alongside the 40 foot NF buses. In an unrelated topic, a few days ago one of your operators out of Kedzie broke down at 16th/Pulaski, Flx #6038. The operator named Shawn came into my firehouse and asked to use the phone to call control. We took care of him, I told him I was an exCTA operator, bought him a soda and I gave him a tour of the firehouse. We let him stay there until he recieved orders. Control requested him to pull it in.

[MVTArider]

Looks nice, I hope they have as nice a ride for you folks as all the D60LF/LFR's here do for us. Looking forward to riding on one next time I'm in town, however near or far into the future that is :)