Railway Track & Structures - May 2008 - (Page 8)

I N D U S T R Y T O D AY CTA continues aggressive slow zone elimination plan The Chicago Transit Board approved a $22.8-million contract for repair work and materials that will reduce slow zones on a total of 8,280 feet along the north end of the Red Line and sections of the Brown Line. Under the terms of the contract, CTA will be able to eliminate 4,700 feet of existing slow zone on the Brown Line between the Belmont and Western stations and 3,580 feet of existing slow zone on the Red Line between the Belmont and Sheridan stations. “We are continuing our aggressive efforts to invest in our rail infrastructure by replacing deteriorating track and rail ties and eliminating slow zones and improve the travel time for our customers,” said CTA President Ron Huberman. “Our goal is to put the ‘rapid’ back in transit.” Work to eliminate slow zones includes replacing wood rail ties and old tie plates with 100-percent recycled plastic ties and insulated tie plates; and replacing track. In order to facilitate the work, single tracks and reroutes will be needed. Customers will be notified in advance of any work that impacts service. The slow zone elimination plan began in summer 2007 and through March CTA had removed nearly 25 percent of the slow zones. Through the meticulous efforts of replacing rail ties and track replacements, slow zones currently occupy 15.9 percent or 187,911 feet of the entire rail system, down from 250,057 feet of track. F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Assoc., LLC, was awarded the contract through a competitive bid and will perform the work on the Brown Line. The contractor will supply materials for CTA crews to complete the work on the Red Line. The Brown Line work is scheduled to begin this month and is expected to be completed in December. The Red Line work will begin this month and is expected to be completed in summer 2009. In April, CTA officially dedicated the renovated Southport Brown Line station, which had been been closed for 12 months for renovation. Major improvements include longer platforms to accommodate eight-car trains, a rebuilt station house and newly-installed elevators that make the station accessible to customers with disabilities. At the dedication ceremony, CTA also previewed a new digital advertising communications initiative that will ultimately enable the CTA to provide next train arrival information and notify customers of service changes and is also expected to provide the CTA with more than $100 million in revenue. Southport is the ninth station reconstructed and modernized as part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion project. Accessibility features include new elevators, wheelchair-accessible turnstile, TTY telephones, Braille signs, gap fillers and tactile edging. Other improvements at Southport include a larger, newly-rebuilt station house, wider stairways, additional turnstiles, a new platform canopy, customer assistant call buttons, an information kiosk, heaters, benches, brighter lighting, windbreaks and improved station and www.rtands.com 8 Railway Track & Structures May 2008 http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - May 2008 On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D NRC In Good Shape to Face Upcoming Challenges Pipe Ramming Can Aid Drainage Conrail Building to Handle Booming Northern New Jersey Traffic Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - May 2008

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