After more than two years of testing, trials and tribulations, the CTA finally started rolling out new rail cars on the ‘L’ last weekend, starting with the Green Line.

The new cars, made in New York and dubbed the 5000-series, are wider and feature center-facing seating, allowing more standing room. They have a smoother acceleration and braking system than older cars, and LED displays showing which line the train is on and what stop is next. A map inside the car lights up to show just where the train is in the system.

An eight-car test train has been rotating throughout the CTA system since early 2010, moving from line to line. But it was pulled off the tracks last year when flaws were found in some of the new trains’ Chinese-made parts, delaying the trains’ deployment while changes were made in the manufacturing process.

On Sunday, the CTA sent out a press release announcing that the new trains were finally hitting the tracks for their full roll-out. One six-car train was added to the Green Line, and more will be added as they’re delivered, the CTA said, until all of the 35-year-old cars on the line are replaced. The cars will then roll out to the other routes.

All in all, the CTA has ordered 706 of the new rail cars from New York-based Bombardier, at a cost of $1.137 billion.

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By jojody
Posted: 05/05/2013 5:36 AM

I really excited to try riding this one. But the important thing is it will ease up traffic at the down town area. - James Stuckey

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By George from West Side
Posted: 07/09/2012 4:57 PM

What is the timeline to put these new "L" cars on the other train lines? Some of these train routes are still using the cars with the folding doors.

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By railfan from Chicago
Posted: 07/06/2012 7:56 AM

Ben , If that's what you took away from the recent CTA press release, then the CTA needs to do a better job of communicating information. The cars were officially put back into service on the pink line in April. The Pink LIne testing was completed before then. The Pink Line has been 100% 5000s for a while. This is the second line to officially receive the 5000-series for service.

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By Ben Meyerson from Chicago Journal
Posted: 07/05/2012 2:00 PM

@chicagoan: The trains on the Pink Line are test trains, which have been floating around for some time. This is the beginning of the CTA's full deployment of the new cars.

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By chicagoan from everywhere
Posted: 07/05/2012 9:35 AM

Ben, the 5000-series trains have been in service for a few months on the Pink Line. This is just the beginning of their service on the Gren Line, not their first return to service.