New L cars?

In the Jan 29 Trib there's an article about the Brown line reconstruction which includes a blurb about CTA acquiring up to 700 new rail cars. Is this a definite order or is it still in the planning stages? The blurb mentions the cars will have NY subway-like seating. I lived in NYC for more than 10 years back in the 70's and 80's and rode the subway almost every day. That arrangement is great for maximizing standees, but it sucks for seated passengers. The homeless and drunks long ago found out that longitudinal seats make a great "bed" where they can stretch out to full body length.

By the way, I believe some of NYC's newer subway cars have 2-aisle-2 seating, kind of like CTA (1-aisle-2). I find that curious.

Personally, I don't really like the "bowling alley" seating they want to put on the new cars, either. It works well in New York because their trains get extremely packed, but the CTA doesn't see peak loads like the MTA does, so other then during rush hour (and Cubs/Sox games) the new seating won't be a substatial improvement, in my opinion. But if they do go through with it, I hope they stick with the same style of seating they used on the test cars, because using the individual seats (like the CTA uses on its railcars now) would make sleeping on the new seating arrangements a lot harder for people who don't like back pain.

Guys: From Chicago-L.org - which I personally think is a great site - I noticed that what you all mentioned - ordering new cars. The CTA would probably like to retire all the 22 and 24 hundred series cars from the 70s. How long do you all speculate they have left? You guys are right-"bowling alley" seating as used in NYC probably would not go over well. MACTRAXX

Hey Gang:
If memory serves me correctly, the newer MTA cars have different seating plans than of the earlier years. They have unique seating arrangements in the shape of an L or U in some instances. Hard to describe but I doubt the article is speaking of the bowling ally lane effect.

You're right, while IRT cars had all longitudinal ("bowling-alley") seats for many years, the more recent cars use a combination pattern. Between each set of doors, on one side of the car there are all longitudinal seats, and on the other side of the car, there are two longitudinal seats adjacent to the doors and a transverse seat between them. The pattern is reversed between the other set of doors. This pattern was actually used on some early NYC subway cars many, many years ago.

I think I did read somewhere that the CTA was going to try a similar arrangement in the next order of cars.