Innovation, Coordination, and Enhancement (ICE) Projects

To attract new riders and retain current ones, the CTA will remain focused on providing a healthy,clean, and comfortable riding environment, and continue to make investments to modernize the system and improve the overall experience of our customers. (1) Enhanced Cleaning Tools and Measures; to include multiple daily cleanings, targeted deep cleanings of 150 buses and 150 rail cars each night, Mobile Cleaning SWAT teams and efficient Air Circulation. (2) Customer Amenities: Free Masks, Travel Healthy Kits distributes to customers, Ridership Dashboard Information uses technology to help customers plan their trips to avoid heavy ridership periods or overcrowding.

Provides for the installation of LED/LCD signs at various points of contact throughout CTA’s service area in an effort to coordinate information for customers using multiple modes of transportation. The displays will provide real-time bus arrival information or as an outlet to make other related transit announcements. FY 2013 funding will provide for the installation of additional LED/LCD Real Time Bus Arrival Signs in the CTA service area. In addition, funds will provide for maintenance, installation, network costs and an additional back end leased service needed to support the implementation of signs.

Funds will be used for the development and deployment of the Ventra Mobile Application and to provide improvements to the Ventra system such as the Express Menu on Ventra vending machines. The mobile application, for use on smartphones, will enhance the customer experience by providing an application to manage Ventra accounts, purchase fare products, receive account alerts, gain scheduling and trip planning information, interact with customer service and purchase tickets. In addition, the Express Menu on Ventra vending machines will allow customers to quickly purchase a Single-ride ticket or Pass products.

The project will provide funding for implementation systems for automated downloads of camera information at rail terminals, yards and bus garages. Automated downloads will provide better access to camera data without manual downloading (as is currently done) on an as-needed basis. Project costs will provide for hardware, software, site design, implementation and wireless network connections at terminals, yards and garages to facilitate the automated downloads.

The MMIS Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Facilities Project focuses on expanding the existing MMIS to encompass facilities. Facilities management data will seamlessly be integrated with the rolling stock data in CTA's MMIS. This expanded MMIS will support the activities of several CTA Departments. A pilot demonstration will also be included to test the use of a mobile device that will allow work-order information to be updated in the field.

The MMIS Modules and Upgrade Project entails upgrading the current MMIS software to the latest version, adding additional software modules for electronic document management, standardizing bus and rail maintenance data, and providing a platform for user defined reports.

A new electronic crew calling system will help Metra better comply with the Passenger Hours of Service (PHOS) regulation’s hours of the service reporting requirements. It would enable crew members to electronically sign their hours of service logs. In addition, the crew callers will be able to assign jobs based on the entries from the crew members and under the strict guidance of PHOS. The current crew calling system does have PHOS built in, but does not allow for crew members to log their time. The regulation has a set of guidelines that govern the ability for employees to sign up for an assignments based on previous assignments worked. The current employee logs are done on paper, are cumbersome, and are more difficult to audit. A new system could allow for assignment alerts and possibly not allow employees to be assigned to an assignment that could possibly violate the PHOS regulation. Purchase and implement a new train scheduling software. Metra’s current scheduling software is no longer supported by its distributer, and the replacement will be fully integrated with the ACORN system, currently in development. This scheduling software is necessary to provide General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data for train announcements, delay information, and for real-time tracking data used by application developers. It also has the ability to perform equipment and crew analysis. Crew information can be entered into the system to calculate duty time. The analysis this software provides can help in monitoring crew duty times and creating crew assignments.

The scope of the project is to create a new pilot to increase on-board and in-station police and nonpolice personnel. The goal is to enhance the quality of the on-board experience of customers through the additional personnel and increase the overall safety environment through the additional police.

This project includes but is not limited to the implementation, launch, continuation, and improvement of mobile ticketing on the Metra system. This project may include the purchase of conductor handheld devices, as well as training. This project may include but not be limited to the costs involved with the contract with Cubic, the base cost, processing and monthly service fees, as well as all material purchases. All testing will be included in this project that will include but not be limited to on-board credit card sales and printers at home and other app testing. All trip planning is included in this project. Other elements that may be included in this project are marketing, service fees, attorney fees, testing. FY 2015, 2016 and 2017 ICE funds will be used for this project. The operating costs may eventually be offset by increased ridership from the convenience of mobile ticketing.