Illinois Central Suburban Automated Revenue Collection System

It was the promise of reducing costs and the production of higher collections, that convinced the management of the Illinois Central Railroad late in 1964 to let a contract for the development, design, and construction of an Automated Revenue Collection System (ARCS) to serve its suburban railroad in Chicago. The plan was to automate the off-train operation in such a way that all except the very busy stations would operate completely unmanned, 24 hrs. each day. The first part presented herein describes the use of computer controlled high speed passenger gates, ticket vending machines and an excess fare collecting device as the basic system components at each station, together with a supporting system consisting of closed circuit television, a voice communication link and remote gate control capability from a central control office to each station. The remaining parts presented herein deal with the system requirements and objectives, the design of the passenger gate in detail, the problems that were encountered during the first new years of operation.