Unveiled in late 2011, the 5000 series rail car has become more visible on the CTA as the cars continue to be manufactured and placed in service. The new cars have electronic displays, added technology for those with disabilities and inward-facing seats.
A Red Line train to 95th leaves the Belmont station in Lincoln Park. Bright electronic destination signs are a distinguishing feature of the new 5000 series rail cars.
El riders generally prefer the brighter, cleaner 5000 series rail cars to older models, according to Chicago Transit Authority officials.
The CTA officially launched the 5000 series into service in late 2011 after several years of planning and testing on all rail lines. Now that the new cars are operating on the Pink, Green and Red lines, most riders have seen the 5000 series cars.
The cars debuted in November 2012 on the Red Line, which has the highest ridership in the system with about 250,000 customers a day, according to the agency.
Although the transit agency has not conducted a survey, the majority of customer feedback has been positive, said Lambrini Lukidis, the CTA Spokeswoman.
“I love them,” said Jenny Smith while waiting for a Green Line train at the Clark/Lake station in the Loop.
“There’s no hardened goo or stains on the seats.” Unfortunately, the cleanliness of the new cars will likely not last, she said.
Smith prefers the new rail cars to older cars, which have seen decades of use. The average CTA rail car is between 32 and 41 years old, said Lukidis. CTA last purchased new rail cars in 1992.
“You can see them coming from farther away,” said Johnny Malgeri, waiting with a suitcase for the Orange Line at Clark/Lake.
Electronic LED destination signs are one of the distinguishing features of the 5000 series.
“That’s helpful in the Loop, especially, where you’ve got multiple lines running along the same track,” said Lukidis of the LED signage.
Malgeri, who uses the Red and Brown lines, also likes the additional interior space made available by inward-facing seats.
“There isn’t anything I didn’t like,” Malgeri said about the older rail cars.
In addition to LED signage and a new seating design, the cars have interior electronic signage and additional features for disabled customers that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The CTA added blinking lights above doorways on the 5000 series cars to indicate that doors are opening or closing for deaf customers. The agency also added a chime for blind customers.
“That was mainly because the trains are so quiet now and a lot of customers who were visually impaired weren’t hearing the trains coming up,” said Lukidis.
Safety features for the 5000 series include onboard security cameras and diagnostic event recorders that operate like the “black box” on an airplane, according to Lukidis.
Onboard security cameras might stop some of the crime, but police patrols at stations are more effective, said Smith.
The event recorders will store diagnostic information that will help the CTA prevent equipment problems that cause delays and, in the event of an emergency, will aid investigators.