2600 series (Chicago "L")

2600 series
Rehabbed 2600 series cars on the Blue Line.
In service	1981–present
Manufacturer	Budd Company
Built at	Red Lion Plant, Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Family name	High Performance
Constructed	1981–1987
Entered service	1981
Refurbishment	1999–2002
Number built	600
Number in service	505
Number scrapped	31
Formation	Married pair
Fleet numbers	2601–3200 3458 (renumbered from 3032)
Capacity	45 (seated-A car) 46 (seated-B car)
Operator(s)	Chicago Transit Authority
Depot(s)	Desplaines Yard Rosemont Yard Midway Yard Ashland Yard
Line(s) served	Blue Line - 380 cars      Orange Line - 124 cars
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel with fiberglass end bonnets
Car length	48 feet (14.63 m)
Width	9 feet 4 inches (2.84 m)
Height	12 feet (3.66 m)
Doors	4 per car
Maximum speed	55 miles per hour (89 km/h)
Weight	54,140 pounds (24,560 kg)
Traction motors	4 GE1262A1 per car
Power output	110 horsepower (82 kW) each motor
Electric system(s)	600 V DC third rail
Current collection method	Contact shoe
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The 2600 series is a series of Chicago "L" car built between 1981 and 1987 by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 600 cars were built, and 505 of them remain in service as of 2017.

The 2600 series was the fourth of five series of Chicago "L" cars known as the High Performance Family.

The 2600 series cars (numbered 2601–3200) were manufactured by the Budd Company, the same company that made the 2200 series. The cars were first delivered to the CTA in 1981, in time for the upcoming O'Hare Airport extension of the Kennedy Line (now known as the northwestern end of the Blue Line). Originally, an order was made for 300 cars, but this order was later increased to 600 cars, all of which were delivered from 1981 until 1987. They were the last railcars to be built by the Budd Company later renamed to Transit America.

The cars were rebuilt by Alstom of Hornell, New York, from 1999 until 2002. They are quite similar in design to the earlier 2400 series cars.

Currently, these cars make up the entire Blue Line fleet and most of the Orange Line fleet. Car 3458 can be found on the Brown Line. In June 2014, as more 5000-series cars were being delivered, CTA began to transfer the Red Line's 2600-series cars to the Blue Line due to them being newer than the existing 2600-series Blue Line cars, transferring the Blue Line's older 2600-series cars to the Orange Line as an interim replacement for its 2400-series cars until the Red and Purple Lines are fully equipped with the 5000-series cars. Beginning in October 2014, CTA has also started to transfer some of the Red Line's 2600-series cars to the Orange Line to replace the rest of its 2400-series cars until the Red and Purple Lines are fully equipped with the 5000-series cars. However, since the delivery of all 5000-series cars is complete, the assignment of 2600-series cars on the Orange Line is now a permanent assignment until the delivery of the future 7000-series cars.