Project Management Oversight (PMO) Capital Projects

Life Extending Overhaul - Up to 430 Standard (1000 Series) - This project will overhaul the engine and other major sub-components to provide the minimal amount of work necessary to keep the fleet going. By end of FY2020 630 buses will have met their estimated 12 year life expectancy. This extension would extend the bus life by four years. The life extension for the 40 foot 1000-1629 New Flyer Bus is essential to keeping a majority of the CTA fleet running in optimal condition. The current fleet of 40 foot NF buses is over 1000 buses. This project is essential to meet availability requirements for CTA. These buses were purchased in 2006-2007 and this life extension is essential to maintaining peak availability requirements at all 7 bus garages.

Metra’s track renewal crew will rehabilitate dozens of miles of track along the Milwaukee District West (MD-W) Line in 2022. The project will be the most comprehensive investment in track conditions since Metra acquired the MD-W in 1987. Metra forces will Replace ties, clean or replace ballast, and replace switch components to provide smoother, faster, and safer track conditions. Metra partners with the Canadian Pacific Railroad to fund improvements to particular portions of the MD-W as freight train traffic degrade track conditions more rapidly than Metra trains.

This project involves upgrades to protected grade crossings to improve safety and reliability of grade crossing protections. Metra has approximately 300 active grade crossings with warning devices. This project will fund upgrades of circuitry at these grade crossings to the latest technology. Metra will install monitors to remotely check the condition of the grade crossing protection system. When a monitor detects an anomaly, the system will send notice to the back office and dispatch a signal maintainer to perform repairs.

The bridge that carries the Milwaukee District North Line over Milwaukee Avenue near Kilbourne Avenue was built in 1899. It will be replaced with a new bridge with new abutments. Grayland Station, just south of the bridge, will be rebuilt with longer platforms, new public address equipment, visual information signs, shelters with on-demand heat on each side, new lighting and new stairs and ramps, making it fully ADA-compliant.

CTA Open Fare Payment System - Equipment (Lease) - VENTRA: funds will provide in part for the principal and interest of the agreement need for the Open Fare Standard equipment, hardware, and software costs.The contractor (Cubic) costs including, but are not limited to, expenses incurred to design, build, finance, operate, maintain, repair and replace the equipment, the software and the Open Standards Fare System, and provide the Services, in accordance with the specifications and performance at the service levels and perform any other obligations pursuant to this Agreement.The capital share of the annual Base component cost is $15 million which provides for necessary design, testing, purchase and installation of assets such as the following: Ventra Vending Machines, Mobile Data Validators (readers), Driver Terminal Displays, retail terminals, and B26all software applications, and back-end hardware.

Additional construction funds are provided to this project to complete the rehabilitation of the Homewood Metra Station and associated intermodal facilities on the Metra Electric (ME) Line. The scope of work may include, but is not limited to, general tunnel rehabilitation, tunnel drainage solutions, elevator and stair improvements, the addition of a pedestrian ramp into the tunnel on the west end of the station, platform improvements, warming shelter, and head house improvements, and improvements to the Pace and Amtrak facilities.

Metra’s Union Pacific North (UP-N) Line will undergo significant rehabilitation in 2022. Union Pacific Railroad’s crews will replace ties, clean or replace ballast, and replace switch components on the northern extents of the UP-N Line. This project improves the riding quality of the trains and reduces the incidence of slow orders, which can impact the ability to maintain on-time performance. Metra provides funds to improve the track along the UP-N Line and other lines and yard facilities owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Farebox System Replacement - Over 700 fareboxes on Pace fixed route buses will be replaced, with prior PAYGO funding of $7.5M from 2020 included.

This project involves the life?extending rehabilitation of up to 85 commuter cars,originally built by the Budd Company between 1974 and 1978, last rehabilitatedbetween 1990 and 1993. The rehab includes, but is not limited to, replacementand/or repair to electrical and control lines, heating and lighting systems,replacement of seats, floors, walls, AC units, overhaul of trucks, replacement of allwindows, door mechanisms, and emergency lighting requirements, etc..

Bus Tracker Signs - Production of new electric signs and associated installation costs to provide real-time bus information to riders. In 2021, ten will be replacements for Pulse Milwaukee Line vertical markers, while an additional ten will be for new locations.