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The Aurora Subway is a rapid transit system serving Aurora County, and some of the surrounding counties in the United States.

Infrustructure

Railway

As of 2021, the system serves 296 stations. 19 of those stations are outside of Aurora County. The system's 9 lines consist of many different types of track, such as: Open-Cut, Underground, Elevated, at Grade, and on Viaducts. The system totals 230 miles (370 kilometers) in length, making it the ninth longest metro system in the world.

The system runs on 675 V DC Third Rail. The average speed of the system is 23 mph (37 km/h). Many lines tend to travel at over 40 mph (64 km/h).

Lines

There are 9 lines in the subway system (excluding shuttles). Each route has a color and a local or express designation. Aurora residents rarely refer to the services by their color (e.g., Red Line or Blue Line), but out-of-towners and tourists often do. They only do so when the line's name represents the color of it (e.g., Gold Line, Silver Line), although, sometimes, they'll abbreviate it as a single letter (e.g., G Train, S Train).

The Silver and Gold Lines have a unique section of track, where it operates alongside the ACRR, which is unique to the other lines, which some of them have connections to the ACRR, but do not run on their tracks or alongside them.

Even though the subway system operates 24-hours a day, during late-night hours, some of the lines do not run, run as a shorter route, or run with a different stopping pattern. These are usually indicated by smaller, secondary route signage on station platforms. Because there is no nightly system shutdown for maintenance, tracks and stations must be maintained while the system is operating. This work means that sometimes, there would be service changes during midday, overnight hours, and weekends.

When parts of lines are temporarily shut down for construction purposes, the ACTA can substitute free

All passenger trains are electric multiple units. Some trains, specifically the S1 Stock trains, run with conductors. Conductors are meant to open & close doors, and make announcements. Conductors will also perform yard duties, like turning track switches. This is similar to the way the New York City Subway operates, with conductors even having to point at a Black and White striped board at each station to show that the train is fully in the station, and that they are paying attention. Conductors are slowly being phased out. This is due to the new S2 trains having in-cab cameras, allowing for operators to see the whole train, and OPTO to be operational, and the S2A trains having open-gangways, with no center cabs.

All trains are either in

Most stations in the system have an elevator and/or escalator. Some stations have ramps that lead from street level to platform level. Most stations that have ramps are either at or just below street level. Passengers that stand on the escalator tend to stand on the right, so people that choose to walk can overtake them on the left.

Wi-Fi and 4G Signals

The newest trains in the system have Wi-Fi hot-spots on-board. Recently, the ACTA formed a partnership with Sprint and T-Mobile to bring Wi-Fi and 4G signals to all stations in the system. Currently, 95% of the stations in the system have a 4G signal and/or Wi-Fi. It was not previously possible to use mobile phones on most parts of the system (excluding services running overground or elevated).

Modernization

Since the mid 2000's, the ACTA has started several projects to improve the subway. The ACTA purchased 2,000 new, CBTC (Communications-Based-Train-Control) enabled trains, and converting parts of the system to use CBTC.

The ACTA has also started some projects to improve passenger amenities. It added 'countdown-clocks' to all stations. This allowed passengers to see train arrival times using real time data. Many stations that were refurbished as a part of the ACTA's Updated Station Project, were given countdown clocks, and other features, like Help Points.

Interactive touchscreens, which give station, next train, and time and weather information were installed starting in 2011. The ACTA also rolled out a new payment system called ACM.

Traveling

Fares

Riders pay a single fare to enter the subway system and may transfer between trains at no extra cost until they exit through station turnstiles; the fare is a flat rate regardless of how far or how long the rider travels. However, there is a 50 cent fee for exiting or entering a station that is outside of Aurora County. Riders must tap their ACM Card, Smartphone, or Contactless Payment Card, on an ACM reader when entering and exiting the system.

The base fare is $2.25 for stations in Aurora County, and $2.75 for stations outside of Aurora County.

Hours of Operation

The system operates 24 Hours a day, with reduced service at night.

Capacity Constraints

During peak hours, stations can get so crowded that they need to be closed. Passengers may not get on the first train, and the majority of passengers do not find a seat on their trains. When asked, passengers report overcrowding as the aspect of the network they are least satisfied with, and overcrowding has been linked to potential poor heart health. Capacity increases have been overtaken by increased demand, and peak overcrowding has increased by 3 percent since 2004/2005.

Compared with 2003/2004, the reliability of the network had increased in 2010/2011, with lost customer hours reduced from 54 million to 22 million. Several subway lines have reached their operational limits in terms of train frequency and passengers, according to data released by the Transit Authority. As of June 2007, all of the lines except the shuttles, were beyond capacity. The subway reached a daily ridership of 5.5 million for 3 months in 2020, however, that quickly decreased due to COVID-19.

With the ending of the pandemic in sight, passenger numbers are increasing throughout the system, and, in July 2021, the system recorded a daily ridership of 3.7 million.

Platform Crowd Control

The ACTA uses 'Platform Controllers' to direct passengers onto trains, and to alleviate overcrowding. They were deployed on the Expo, Gold, Silver, and Central Lines to manage the flow of passengers during Rush Hours. These workers also answer passengers' questions about subway directions, rather than having conductors answer them and thus holding and delaying the trains. In early 2017, the test was expanded to the afternoon peak period with an increase of 35 platform controllers. In November of the same year, 140 platform controllers, and 90 conductors received

Cameras are also being installed in most stations so overcrowding can be observed.

Safety & Security

Passenger Safety

Track Safety and Suicides

The ACTA has installed

In both 2001 and 2005, in response to the London Bombings, and the September 11 Attacks, the Aurora County Transit Police deployed Air Quality machines, and Emergency Response Posts inside of some stations.

Signaling

Wayside Block Signaling

Parts of the system not fitted with CBTC technology use automatic block signaling with fixed wayside signals and automatic train stops. These parts of the system are controlled by ATS, also known as Automatic Train Supervision, meaning dispatch can see where a train is at all times, and if the train is running early or late. Dispatchers can also hold trains for connections, re-route them, or short-turn them.