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5000-series - Updates


greenstreet

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To this extent, 5750 is correct, in that if the first 7000s show up in 2019, as the news reports indicate, it is going to take until about 2022 to get the Blue Line completely equipped. Of course, by then, the 5000s will probably be wrecks (or at least encrusted in feces), so the debate will have flipped.

I also agree that if the point were to replace 2200s, the Blue Line should have received the cars first (or maybe second after testing them on the Pink Line), and including up to about 5360. The Blue Line first was what was first represented to the media, but somehow the allocation changed. But then I suppose the other parts of town would have griped.

Otherwise, if one was talking about maintaining mixed operation of 2600s and 5000s on various lines, that theoretically could have caused operational difficulties. However, unless enough cars are being obtained so that the Pink, Green, Red, Yellow and Purple Lines are all 5000s, and the Blue, Orange, and Brown Lines are all either DC or 7000s, some line is going to get incompatible equipment for the next 30 years. Then, I guess, Midway Yard would have to decide whether to send out a 5000s or 7000s train.

How this got to buses, I don't know, but I've said since about 2007 that the bus allocations didn't make any sense. Just ask anyone served by 74th.

I had to throw in the argument of buses because the fact that Forest Glen has a majority of its buses assigned are "hand me downs" from 77th and Chicago ave. Plus the 6800 Novas 77th had assigned that were originally assigned to FG years ago, have been sent back to FG! More examples of unfair equipment distribution by the CTA.

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I'm just shocked that fg has all 12 year old buses. I don't think that has ever happened to a bus fleet at CTA, ever. Ridership does seem to be dropping a hair on the nw side, I was noticing this weekend the #90 was dead for ridership and that goes to a mall. I hate to crack jokes about this, but I was thinking the last new bus FG has had is currently in the scrap yard at south shops. Now who can say that!! :P Eventually though the tide will shift. Personally I'd rather see NF's than Nova's. And the #3200's to the blue line idea is not dead yet. You know putting all the oldest cars in one spot makes that entire line sound like it's junk. Ask yourself what line has been in the news with all the defective cars and derailments and retirements. I bet there will be more stories coming too. Anyone can tell you that if you run your junk equipment hard it will fail. All that happens is the line gets shorter and shorter on equipment. Eventually I believe they'll be at a point where they'll have to do something, but maybe just maybe the #3200's are coming, but they need rehabbing too, they are almost 25 years old.

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I never said I had an issue with the south and west sides getting the new equipment. My concern is why does it seem that the NW side riders are having to ride the oldest equipment either trains or buses in the CTA fleet when a large number of new buses and rail cars are currently being delivered and we don't see any of them where we live!!! Every part of the city should have the right to new and good equipment! I just think it should be a fair and balanced distribution which is not been the case lately with CTA! . The Blue runs through the west side and those riders do have to ride those cars as well. But they also have access to the Green line which has the new cars! Now, I don't have an issue with the Red and Green lines running new equipment. I would just like to see a fair distribution. The 4300 series buses, there were only 100 delivered!!! CTAs bus fleet is much larger than that! And BTW, those buses mainly serve the riders along the north shore areas of the city, the lakefront and downtown.They do not serve areas northwest of the city! So that is not a valid argument! There has to be a question of why is one part of the city having to ride "hand me down" equipment while the rest of the city enjoys new or refurbished trains and buses??? I said before I would be satisfied seeing rehabbed 3200 series cars on the Blue but that too dosent look like a possibility that will happen! It just seems to be that the NW side is always shunned by the CTA! You misread my post!!! Whats the problem with the nw side being able to enjoy new equipment as well??? The Blue may not see new equipment for another five to seven years!!! That is totally unfair considering its youngest cars, the 3100 series were delivered almost thirty years ago!!! A fact that I will raise to my alderman when I finally get a chance to speak about this! So, what is slippery slope are you talking about??? That I am stating facts??? I am just a concerned rider who feels CTA is giving the NW side areas the "short end" of the stick while the rest of the city enjoys riding new or nearly new equipment!

Look, I know how you feel about certain bus and rail lines getting hand-me-downs. I hate having to ride any of the 27-30 year old 2600s (first cars were delivered in 1981--last ones in 1987) on the Blue Line, but nothing can be done about it now. In a year or so, something might happen. I wasn't happy when I found out that all of FG's NFs got moved to 77th. When the 5000s first appeared on the Red Line, they had about 2 or 3 trains of 5000s and 8 or 9 trains of 2600s.Now it's practically flip-flopped. Hopefully when they are all said and done with the 5000s, then maybe some of the rehabbed 3200s will appear on the Blue Line.

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Look, I know how you feel about certain bus and rail lines getting hand-me-downs. I hate having to ride any of the 27-30 year old 2600s (first cars were delivered in 1981--last ones in 1987) on the Blue Line, but nothing can be done about it now. In a year or so, something might happen. I wasn't happy when I found out that all of FG's NFs got moved to 77th. When the 5000s first appeared on the Red Line, they had about 2 or 3 trains of 5000s and 8 or 9 trains of 2600s.Now it's practically flip-flopped. Hopefully when they are all said and done with the 5000s, then maybe some of the rehabbed 3200s will appear on the Blue Line.

I would be happy to see at least fifty to sixty new 5000s on the Blue. That way CTA can prove they distribute equipment equally and fairly to all parts of the city! For example, to shift the 2600 series equipment to replace the 2200s. Does the CTA think were blind or stupid??? They think we don't see this??? Think again!!! I have written to my alderman about this matter, some of you here, call me a cry baby, fine!!! As a taxpayer we have the right to new transit equipment on the NW side just as much as other parts of the city!

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Things will probably equal out when the #7900's start up at 77th. Most likely FG will get some of those 77th NF's. I don't see 74th getting 100 NF's or they might as well go all nf. Chicago seems to be doing well with their novas, but 86 out of 260 is a good share of buses that can have downtime to be fixed more quickly and not build up on them. In a way chicago is a model to how the garages could look if they divided up the junk and ran it sparingly.

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Things will probably equal out when the #7900's start up at 77th. Most likely FG will get some of those 77th NF's. I don't see 74th getting 100 NF's or they might as well go all nf. Chicago seems to be doing well with their novas, but 86 out of 260 is a good share of buses that can have downtime to be fixed more quickly and not build up on them. In a way chicago is a model to how the garages could look if they divided up the junk and ran it sparingly.

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about 8 of them made their way to the Orange Line recently.

I managed to get a couple numbers today. I was walking away from the tracks @ Jackson/Wabash so I was only able to get a quick glance, but if I saw correctly, I saw: 2615-16, 2861-62, coupled to four more that I didn't see.
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I'm just shocked that fg has all 12 year old buses. I don't think that has ever happened to a bus fleet at CTA, ever. Ridership does seem to be dropping a hair on the nw side, I was noticing this weekend the #90 was dead for ridership and that goes to a mall. I hate to crack jokes about this, but I was thinking the last new bus FG has had is currently in the scrap yard at south shops. Now who can say that!! :P Eventually though the tide will shift. Personally I'd rather see NF's than Nova's. And the #3200's to the blue line idea is not dead yet. You know putting all the oldest cars in one spot makes that entire line sound like it's junk. Ask yourself what line has been in the news with all the defective cars and derailments and retirements. I bet there will be more stories coming too. Anyone can tell you that if you run your junk equipment hard it will fail. All that happens is the line gets shorter and shorter on equipment. Eventually I believe they'll be at a point where they'll have to do something, but maybe just maybe the #3200's are coming, but they need rehabbing too, they are almost 25 years old.

Forest Glen has had among the oldest buses in the city for many years. For instance, they were the last to get new-looks (fishbowls), not until 1972, while Beverly was all new looks since 1964. But the reality is that FG also is well know for being good at keeping old junk running. They kept 5000 series Twins in base service for 23 years, until 1972, while North Av and Kedzie mostly ran them on trippers by the mid 60's.

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I believe the 3200's will be on the Blue Line sooner than you think they are putting 2600's on the Orange line which I saw today btw pretty cool sighting might I add. But they already have a good amount of 2400's as well but I'm thinking the 2600's are probably replacing the 24's and the 3200's while they are being retired and rehabbed.

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I believe the 3200's will be on the Blue Line sooner than you think they are putting 2600's on the Orange line which I saw today btw pretty cool sighting might I add. But they already have a good amount of 2400's as well but I'm thinking the 2600's are probably replacing the 24's and the 3200's while they are being retired and rehabbed.

Your last line is correct, in the sense that something has to replace the 2400s on the Orange Line, which probably means your first one isn't

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I'm really starting to think that the Orange Line is being mislead by Cta because of the simple fact that they said that it would get some of the 5000s and Blue and Brown Lines were going to be the only lines to have DC-propulsion cars by the end of this year. Low-balled much?

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I'm really starting to think that the Orange Line is being mislead by Cta because of the simple fact that they said that it would get some of the 5000s and Blue and Brown Lines were going to be the only lines to have DC-propulsion cars by the end of this year. Low-balled much?

Who said that would happen this year? I was told officially they want the #2400's out by Sept. so, they should be able to move 50 #2600 cars easy by then. Seems to me like they will be finishing up on the red line with #5000's first, maybe by late sept early oct, and the remainder of the year will see the purple line stocked with #5000's. Alot of times when I'm checking up on the Purple line, I only see one or two #5000's in service, so i think those are really just loans so they can get acquainted really well with the equipment. If so then it makes sense to assume the orange line may get a set or two of #5000's to use before the end of the year as a loan. In turn the blue line may get a set of #3200's too before the end of the year as a precursor to next year's transfers.

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I'm really starting to think that the Orange Line is being mislead by Cta because of the simple fact that they said that it would get some of the 5000s and Blue and Brown Lines were going to be the only lines to have DC-propulsion cars by the end of this year. Low-balled much?

That is the same question I had....."I'm really starting to think that the Orange Line is being mislead by Cta because of the simple fact that they said that it would get some of the 5000s ".

Garmon, please give us your source.

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Who said that would happen this year? I was told officially they want the #2400's out by Sept. so, they should be able to move 50 #2600 cars easy by then. Seems to me like they will be finishing up on the red line with #5000's first, maybe by late sept early oct, and the remainder of the year will see the purple line stocked with #5000's. Alot of times when I'm checking up on the Purple line, I only see one or two #5000's in service, so i think those are really just loans so they can get acquainted really well with the equipment. If so then it makes sense to assume the orange line may get a set or two of #5000's to use before the end of the year as a loan. In turn the blue line may get a set of #3200's too before the end of the year as a precursor to next year's transfers.

Well hold whoever created chicago-l.org accountable for the wacky information that's on there.
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"It is expected that the Pink Line will be fully outfitted with 5000-series cars by Spring 2012. CTA expects another six cars to be put in service every two weeks through 2014, when the entire 706-car order will have been delivered.1 Following the Pink Line, CTA says the new cars will be put into service next on the Green and Red lines in 2012, followed by the Orange, Yellow and Purple lines.2 This would leave only the Brown and Blue lines operating DC-propulsion cars by the end of 2014 and will have allowed the retirement of approximately half of the Budd/Transit America-built 2600-series cars (delivered in 1981-87), in addition to the 2200-series Budd cars (1969-70) and the 2400-series Boeing-Vertol cars (1976-78) previously identified for retirement."

http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/roster/5000mkII.html

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Well hold whoever created chicago-l.org accountable for the wacky information that's on there.

You gave your source, but "it is expected" as stated by one CTA employee in the customer service dept. on his private website doesn't mean that it is going to happen, nor that it is official.

Note that this was before the 2 delays (for the wheel bearing journals and welding the fronts) and of course is now inaccurate because it doesn't look like the entire order will be delivered in 2014. At the rate stated in the article, there are another about 70 weeks (or 16 months) to go.

I also bet it predates the fleet increase that occurred.

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You gave your source, but "it is expected" as stated by one CTA employee in the customer service dept. on his private website doesn't mean that it is going to happen, nor that it is official.

Note that this was before the 2 delays (for the wheel bearing journals and welding the fronts) and of course is now inaccurate because it doesn't look like the entire order will be delivered in 2014. At the rate stated in the article, there are another about 70 weeks (or 16 months) to go.

I also bet it predates the fleet increase that occurred.

That's what I thought about the site but now I feel like I'm getting picked on (not by you) and it might be certain reasons why. I rarely let my emotions explode but I'm really pissed off right now.
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