Friday, April 24, 2009

CTA unlikely to resume using accordion buses

Tribune:
About 225 accordion-style buses that the CTA removed from service in February after cracks and other structural defects were found will not be returned to the streets of Chicago, transit officials said Thursday.

Among the issues still to be resolved is how many millions of dollars in losses the CTA, the bus maker and taxpayers will be on the hook for in the $102.1 million deal gone sour.

The CTA and the manufacturer, North American Bus Industries Inc., continue to battle each other in Cook County Circuit Court. Lawsuits were filed after negotiations reached an impasse several years ago.

Hours after receiving inquiries from the Tribune on Thursday, the bus maker issued a voluntary recall aimed at inspecting and repairing the CTA buses. The company said it had been denied an opportunity to "fully inspect'' the CTA buses pulled from service two months ago.

The CTA still plans to return the buses to the Alabama-based manufacturer, CTA President Richard Rodriguez said.

"Given the six-year performance history of these buses, concerns about their long-term structural integrity and ongoing litigation with the manufacturer, it does not make sense to expend any more of our limited resources on these buses,'' Rodriguez said.
You might have seen these buses rolling around at 95th Street serving among other routes the 34 & 119 routes. Will there be other articulated buses purchased in their place?

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