Table Of Contents - Chicago Transit Authority

CTA Express Airport Train Service Business Plan
train control, there is a limited capability to provide instruction to the express train operator on how to
achieve smooth operation and overtake the local trains with a minimum of delay.
Eliminating the variability of much of the train operation by upgrading to Automatic Train Operation
(ATO) seems desirable from the standpoint that the central computer would now determine the optimum
and safe speed profile for an express following a local train. However, ATO is not a cure-all, as there are
several things that can occur in the course of an operating day that are beyond CTA’s control. Further,
ATO or any major control technology upgrade would require significant additional capital investment.
Equipping the entire Blue Line, 706 ordinary service AC rail cars, and 596 2600-series rail cars with ATO
equipment could cost approximately $120 million (in 2006 dollars). This concern is not as significant if
the Kennedy Expressway-UP alignment alternative is used, because the express and local train operations
would then be largely segregated and the potential for interference between the two services is greatly
reduced.
Existing service restoration and maintenance practices on the portions of the express route shared with
local trains may require revision prior to the inception of the Express Service. Service restoration
practices (holding of trains mid-line, etc.), which are commonly employed today on the Blue, Orange, or
Red Lines, may adversely affect the premium express train service. In a similar context, midday and
weekend single-track/work/slow zones could also subject the Express Service trains to unacceptable
delays. Where dedicated express tracks are to be provided, work on the local tracks might occur without
significant impact on the express (other than the requirement to slow while passing workers on the rightof-way).
Work on the express tracks could occur during the period when the premium service is not
operating. As above, this concern is not as significant if the Kennedy Expressway-UP alignment
alternative is used, because the express and local train operations would then be largely segregated and
the potential for interference between the two services greatly reduced.
A more limited means of addressing reliability and service restoration issues (using either the Blue Line
elevated or Kennedy Expressway-UP alignments) would be to implement more remote control of
interlockings along the express route. On a preliminary basis, implementing this system over the entire
express route is estimated to cost approximately $10 million.
Preliminary estimates of the staffing required at the start of the Express Service are summarized in Table
13.
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