Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

The signs will be strategically placed at bus stops, with at least one in each ward and where higher numbers of boardings occur, and also at busy transfer and connection locations.

In addition, its board approved a contract that creates a collection of 13 vendors that are capable of providing operations and maintenance support for the agency's information technology systems as needs are identified.

Estimated arrival times will be generated through a combination of scheduling information and data collected by the CTA's QuickTrak program, which monitors signaling systems and indicates when a portion of track is occupied by a train.

The $1.337 billion proposed budget maintains current fares and service levels. The budget is $66.7 million, or 5.2 percent, more than the 2010 budget due in part to contractually required union wage increases, along with pension and healthcare obligations. These fixed increases were partially offset by management efficiencies that are expected to save nearly $54 million in 2011.

Will save approximately $7.2 million in salaries and benefits by eliminating more than 70 positions — including more than a dozen at manager level.

The vending machines, which are from Time Inc. and serviced by The Classic Group, dispense magazines such as People, Time, Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly.

Railcars expected to resume passenger service on the Green Line in a few weeks after adjustments are made and the trains are tested without any passengers on board.

After each station has at least one high-definition camera, additional cameras will be installed across the rail system beginning with the Loop stations and along the Brown and Red lines by this fall. All stations will have multiple cameras by the end of the year.

The ATM contract will generate a total of at least $1.3 million over the next five years, and increases the number of ATM locations on CTA property from 77 to 97.

Through a competitive RFP process, CTA selected Bombardier Transit Corp. located in Bensalem, Penn. for the contract.