Innovation, Coordination, and Enhancement (ICE) Projects

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.

The project will provide operating assistance (due to loss of revenue related to COVID-19) to CTA System-wide. Funds can be used for any operating shortfall.

This project includes operational improvements as follows: #4 - Selected trips to operate to and from 115th/Cottage Grove; #26 - Expanded hours of service and all trips will now begin and end at 103rd/Stony Island; #34 - More frequent midday and evening service; #71 - More frequent midday service with all trips operating to/from 112th/Torrence improving frequency of service south of 73rd Street; #95 - Routes 95E and 95W have been combined into a single route providing more convenient service for customers traveling along 95th Street; #119 - More frequent midday and evening service; and Green Line - More frequent service from Cottage Grove and 63rd/Ashland during AM and PM rush.

The project funds will help ensure critical extra capacity will be provided throughout the CTA network, allowing CTA to address unsafe crowding as ridership continues to recover unevenly throughout the network. CTA will routinely modify/adapt these supplementary services to evolving ridership dynamics and crowding concerns related to the ongoing public health crisis. This project will be used to fund additional frequency of service in areas experiencing excessive crowding. All routes of the CTA bus system will be monitored for excessive crowding and additional service will be added as needed to address issues.

The scope of work being performed will vary by location, but includes deep clean power washing of all surfaces (all locations), station painting (all locations), lighting upgrades, improved platform amenities, renewal of finishes and fixtures, utility and plumbing line repairs, removal of outdated fixtures and equipment, permanent repair work and updating of old/damaged signage.

Esri will develop an agency-wide GIS Strategic Plan or System of Engagement (SoE) that will provide CTA with a roadmap for future uses of GIS within agency departments. Esri will conduct detailed interviews with business units to establish their GIS needs and identify data, maps and apps that are necessary to achieve their goals. The goal of the SoE is to provide a way for all business units to utilize GIS to improve processes, make work more efficient, retrieve and create authoritative data, effectively utilize applications, provide convenient access to relevant spatial data, and share contributions throughout the agency. The recommended technology with be reusable and the applications will be configurable with little or no custom code.

This project supports Pace's first arterial rapid transit line on Milwaukee Avenue, the first of seven priority corridors in the Pulse network. ICE funds will be used to support the operation of this line.

Esri will develop an agency-wide GIS Strategic Plan or System of Engagement (SoE) that will provide CTA with a roadmap for future uses of GIS within agency departments. Esri will conduct detailed interviews with business units to establish their GIS needs and identify data, maps and apps that arenecessary to achieve their goals. The goal of the SoE is to provide a way for all business units to utilize GIS to improve processes, make work more efficient, retrieve and create authoritative data, effectively utilize applications, provide convenient access to relevant spatial data, and share contributions throughout the agency. The recommended technology with be reusable and the applications will be configurable with little or no custom code.

The project is to enhance CTA’s Safety Management System (SMS) implementation by applying technological innovations to its safety risk management process and collaborating with contracted subject matter experts in transit safety performance and risk reduction.

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.