Art Peterson
CHICAGO — The first Chicago Transit Authority cars being built by CRRC Sifang America have begun testing. The two-car trainset of 7000-series cars, Nos. 7005-7006, was conducting tests Thursday in the area of the Bryn Mayr station on the CTA Red Line.
The first cars were delivered to the CTA’s Skokie Shops in August. The 48-foot stainless steel cars are being built at a plant opened in 2019 in Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood by CRRC Sifang America, part of China-based CRRC, the world’s largest rail equipment manufacturer. They are part of a 400-car order, $632 million order awarded in March 2016; the contract includes options for another 446 cars.
The new cars are intended to replace the oldest cars on the CTA roster — the 2600-series cars built by Budd Co. in 1981-87.
