A growing fleet of new and refurbished buses, reconditioned railcars and mountains of salt and sand are on hand to help Chicago Transit Authority commuters arrive at their destinations this winter, the transit agency said Thursday.
The CTA is overhauling 330 Flxible buses and 65 New Flyer buses to help improve the performance and reliability of the fleet, officials said. The agency has installed preheaters on buses that are stored outdoors overnight to ensure they will start and warm up quickly.
The CTA also is acquiring 484 new standard-size Nova buses through 2004 and 226 new NABI articulated buses.
A $355 million rehab that was completed last year of the CTA’s 2600 series railcars included installation of casings to protect electronic controls under trains from the elements, officials said.
As part of the annual winter preparations, the agency is restocking sandboxes on rail station platforms and salt storage boxes at bus turnarounds, as well as testing overhead heater fixtures on rail platforms, officials said.
