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Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. (Metra) Dec. 13 announced its board has approved a $398.6 million order for 300 new stainless-steel bi-level coaches, with delivery expected to begin in early 2003 and continue until fall 2005.

Metra plans to use a 250-car base order to replace 208 painted carbon-steel cars with an average age of 45 years. The remaining 42 cars would enable Metra to expand service on its North Central and South West routes. A 50-car option would enable Metra to replace stainless-steel cars used on its Burlington Northern route since the 1950s.

"The rail cars that we will replace with this new procurement are the oldest in our entire fleet," says Metra Chairman Jeffrey Ladd. "All have been rebuilt at least once — many of them twice."

When delivery is complete, the average age of Metra’s entire bi-level fleet would drop from 26 years to 16 years.

Metra also plans next year to order 25 self-propelled electric cars for its Highliner fleet used on the Metra Electric District, which would be funded by savings resulting from favorable contract prices from the current procurement.

Sumitomo Corporation of America would supply car shells and components; Super Steel’s Milwaukee plant would assemble the cars, which would include larger windows, automatic station announcements and LED signs.

For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, the cars’ design includes wheelchair lifts, automatic door devices and a notification system, which mobility-limited passengers may use to request assistance. Capacity, however, would decrease from 159 seats per car to 136 seats per car to meet ADA compliance.

The entire car order would be covered by Illinois Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools and Transit (Illinois FIRST), a five-year, $12 billion public works program proposed by Gov. George Ryan, which the state legislature approved May 21, 1999.

"If we didn’t have Illinois FIRST, we’d have to carve $398 million from somewhere else," says Ladd. "We would have needed a major shift in allocations."

Through increasing vehicle, and large truck and trailer registration fees, title transfer charges and alcohol taxes, Illinois FIRST allocated $4.1 billion for mass transportation infrastructure needs and $100 million supplement to continue preparing existing track for high-speed rail service.

Illinois FIRST also provides Metra 20 percent matching funds for its North Central Service (NCS) expansion project, which Federal Transit Administration requires to be considered for New Start Full Funding Grant Agreement money.

NCS is beginning the final engineering phase and Metra officials expect an FTA decision on its FFGA early next year.

—Kathi Kube