ibebobo Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 From Crains....... RTA gets $33M in mass-transit stimulus boost Aug. 21, 2009 (AP) — There's more federal stimulus money in the pipeline for mass-transit projects in Illinois, including $33 million for the Regional Transit Authority in Chicago. Authorities say the latest cash accounts for more than $60 million of the total $467 million set aside for mass transit in the state. The newly available funds will go to different parts of Illinois. The Madison County Transit District, for instance, will get more than $5 million to buy more than a dozen biodiesel buses. Normal will receive more than $2 million for the design and construction of a new administrative, maintenance and bus storage facility. One of the largest chunks of the money goes to Regional Transit Authority in Chicago. It gets $33 million to buy up to 58 fixed-route buses and up to 190 paratransit vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusExpert32 Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 So does this allow for the CTA to start those fixed routes that have been discussed, proposed, and approved for a while now? Maybe this winter pick? Possibly not, since the text above cleverly states that any new buses would be the "RTA's", so these 58 buses could be Pace buses in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 So does this allow for the CTA to start those fixed routes that have been discussed, proposed, and approved for a while now? Maybe this winter pick? Possibly not, since the text above cleverly states that any new buses would be the "RTA's", so these 58 buses could be Pace buses in the future. Answer is in your second paragraph. As indicated by following the FTA ARRA link in the "New Eldorados" thread, the grant is to the RTA SUBURBAN BUS DIVISION, i.e. Pace. Note the congruity between the ARRA announcement and the Pace home page. Always go to the primary source, if possible. BTW: Trainman will probably again accuse me of not noting the reference in the ARRA announcement to Chicago and Roundlake, neither of which will be getting the 58 buses (and the paratransits are for the suburbs, not Chicago, according to Pace board minutes). However, again, all of interest to me is that Kirk didn't muck up the grant, and the rest is just gummint work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Moving Forward, just issued, clarifies both this and the New ElDorados thread: When Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February, Pace immediately began a plan to prioritize the agency’s share of stimulus funding to quickly replace numerous vehicles in its fleet that have aged past their useful and intended life. The purchase of up to 58 30-foot buses, 190 paratransit vehicles, and additional support vehicles comprises the $33.1 million grant. The funding has been formally approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation, meaning the vehicle orders can be finalized and built, though it will be some time before Pace takes delivery and the new vehicles are on the street.I guess I won't be heading to South Holland this weekend to see the new buses in the yard. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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