The high-speed train manufacturer CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd. has been awarded a US$1.3 billion contract to build 846 new 7000-series railcars for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), according to a statement from the CTA. [dailyqd.com]

The high-speed train manufacturer CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd. has been awarded a US$1.3 billion contract to build 846 new 7000-series railcars for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), according to a statement from the CTA.

It is the biggest train purchase in the CTA's history and the biggest order China's rail transportation equipment enterprises have won from a developed country.

The purchase will replace about half of Chicago's railcars, which were built in the 1980s. It is expected to create 169 jobs at a new purpose-built plant.

The prototype railcars are scheduled for delivery to the CTA in 2019 and will go into service the following year.

The new vehicles will have stainless steel bodies and can be run at 112 kilometers per hour.