Chicago orders 300 more Bombardier metro cars

Bombardier AC5000 test train running northbound between stations on the Lake Street side of the "L" Loop, May 2010.

Last week Bombardier Transportation announced that it received from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), an additional order for 300 metro cars as part of a contract from July 2006. This order is valued at "approximately $ 331 million" (233 million Euros) and brings to 706 the total number of cars ordered by the CTA. These new generation cars (5000 series) will be the first fleet of the CTA to implement AC drive, allowing for recovery of energy from dynamic braking. This new fleet will also have an active suspension positioning the car floor level with the platform. Other features of the 5000 series, Bombardier says, are more capacity, better communications, greater security and a diagnostic system in real time. These cars are manufactured by Bombardier at its plant in Plattsburgh (New York).