Project Management Oversight (PMO) Capital Projects

Metra executed a contract in 2021 to purchase modern, multilevel railcars which will allow Metra to retire railcars built between 1953 and 1979. Metra's new railcars will have two entranceways on each side with doors nearly level to with boarding platforms which make the railcars easier to board. The new railcars will include numerous safety advancements, require significantly less maintenance, and will increase the reliability of the railcar fleet. Funding for the project will be utilized for the base order of 200 new railcars and contract "options" to order additional units as available funding affords.

CTA complex (campus) to include a Control Center and Training Facility. The facility will be equipped with modern state of the art technology, heighten security criteria and redundant power sources. The Control Center portion of campus will include an auditorium, situation room, network operations center, and communication and training rooms. While, the new training facility portion of the campus will contain offices, classrooms, and conference rooms for CTA employee training. The training facility will contain both bus and railcar inspection pits including embedded rail track and testing track for rail operations. This project consolidates training functions across the agency within a centralized facility. Currently training is dispersed throughout the CTA system at various garages, yards, and offices due to space limitations. Thousands of CTA operating and maintenance employees use these facilities for employee training, instruction programs, and employee engagement. The primary rail and maintenance training is performed at a leased space and lacks all components necessary for proper training.

Plainfield Garage - Completion of construction of a new 189,000 square foot bus storage and maintenance facility in Plainfield, housing up to 130 buses with 12 maintenance bays and administrative offices. Pace has executed an I.G.A. with Northern Builders and the village of Plainfield to construct the project.

Northwest Wheeling Garage - Completion of the renovation of a 430,000 square feet bus storage and maintenance facility in Wheeling that will replace Pace's Northwest Division garage in Des Plaines. This CNG fueling facility will house approximately 133 buses with 17 maintenance bays and administrative offices.

Equipment and Non-Revenue Vehicles (Diesel Locomotives): Funding will provide for the replacement of CTA's diesel locomotive snow fighters. The self-propelled locomotives with special attachments to remove snow and ice during severe winter weather conditions are able to operate and clear system track, so that CTA can safely power up the system to restore/provide service. When traction power is down, this equipment will also be used to move rolling stock to secure locations.

The new station in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago will be built to modern standards and feature a platform-length canopy and a heated headhouse. Four ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps and six staircases will provide numerous access points that are accessible to all. A landscaped plaza with benches and bicycle parking will be installed at the station entrance. A passenger drop-off drive aisle, five accessible parking stalls, and 50 parking stalls will be constructed.

This project funds the rehabilitation or replacement of several passenger boarding platforms each year and may include improvements to access pathways as necessary. Platform cracks, fissures, and buckling will be addressed to ensure the boarding platforms are level and safe. Improvements will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and may include the installation or replacement of deteriorated tactile surfaces with ADA-compliant “truncated dome” surfaces.

This project will fund the professional services necessary to deliver capital projects. Project activities may include but are not limited to funding studies, concept design, developing new business tools and processes, professional services under the Project Management Oversight (PMO) contract, and the procurement of software. Historic levels of capital funding necessitate additional program management capacity.

Vanpool Vehicles - Pace plans to purchase 164 replacement 17'-20' vans including associated equipment and services (Buy America audit and inspections) for vanpool services.

Paratransit Vehicles - Pace plans to purchase replacement vehicles (22'-25' cutaway) including associated equipment (cameras, destination signs, etc.) and services (Buy America audit and inspections) for paratransit services.