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Combine Clark/Lake and State/Lake, and introduce a real transfer between the Loop and Red Line, using either the Page Brothers Building or the new theWit Hotel. A transfer staircase/elevator through Page Brothers would be interesting. Combine Randolph and Madison, and do a historic renovation on Madison like the one at Quincy (but without the vintage advertisements). If any other Loop station is superfluous, it's Quincy. Service to the Financial District is well-served by LaSalle. It's been renovated, though, so I say keep it. Keep Washington, too - a lot of bus lines run on Washington that will be short-changed with a station cut. |
I don't think eliminating stations would be in the best interest of riders. Sure, it sounds good, but I like being able to basically get on any line that is needed within three blocks. It is much easier for the disabled too (not saying every station is 100% accessible though).
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The guiding plan for the past few decades has been a target of two stations per leg of the L, which I think is a good balance of efficiency and accessibility. Combine Randolph and Madison into a Washington station, as long as it has entry/exit stairs at both far ends of each platform (so that it still effectively serves Randolph and Madison as well). The preliminary plans I saw sometime back had it connecting to a station facility in the Garland Building (a la Clark/Lake's connections to 203N and JRT or the Merch Mart), which I find annoying because of severely reduced and tedious access for anyone other than tenants of the building it connects to.
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re Quincy: does it really serve Union station? isn't the station across the river? the Clinton Blue Line is probably a more direct connection to Union, isn't it? I may be wrong. re historic stations. this is same rationale that doomed the project in the 70s to place the loop underground. let's face it, these historic stations are old, rickety and quaint at best. they make chicago an absolute laughingstock among northeasterners. and they're incongruous with the rest of the downtown. the state/lake station looks like an elevated bomb shelter next to the chicago theatre and the television studio. maybe the solution is to improve the signal technology. it's embarrassing to watch trains sitting on the tracks between and at the stations. or maybe get rid of the pink line (which, I suppose, is the plan if the circle line is ever implemented). |
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The Franklin subway plan needs to be revived, completing the underground loop. However, I don't think that even then, we should immediately get rid of the elevated loop. Having both loops can make downtown access via CTA very efficient.
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State/Lake, and all 3 of them along Wabash. I mean one of them has the siding all covered in torn gross green sheet metal. It just looks so 3rd world, very embarassing. They could at a BARE MINIMUM replace that, or better yet just rip it down. |
What should have historically happened would be downtown el stations that are fully integrated with the buildings along side of them, essentially part of one or more buildings that completely spans the street with monumental architecture, integrated internal entrance/exits and glass train sheds. That would have been something worthy of this city. The current rundown station hodgepodge with filthy crappy materials covered in about 200 layers of paint is an absolute embarrassment. I just returned from Paris and trust me, they got us beat. Of course they fund transit.
I'm surprised Burnham never dictated more guidelines concerning the "L" structure and station design. |
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The money would be better spent on track upkeep and switch upgrades in other parts of the system to keep problems from rippling into the loop in the first place. |
^^ I said they should not decommission the elevated tracks, even if and when they complete the subway loop. Having two loops would be beneficial, in my view.
And what do you mean by "Given the CTA's recent experience at Block 37" etc? |
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By the same token, many of the downtown Loop stations have been horribly mutilated. When I said I didn't want demolition, I was referring to the fact that I wanted CTA to preserve both sets of mezzanines and all 8 staircases at the Randolph/Madison/Wabash station, and restore the Madison/Wabash building like they did for Quincy. AFAIK, Madison/Wabash is simultaneously the only Loop station worth preserving and the only one facing demolition. I'd even accept a facadectomy, if it's done properly. |
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I recommend taking a look at the new City on the Move book - it really shows just how torn up State Street was for subway construction. |
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I live out east, and I don't see anybody here laughing about Chicago's system ;) . Without being offensive, I would hardly see Boston's or Philly's system as some model of greatness either |
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The CTA has no real interest in doing anymore subway work in the loop after this since they then have the only thing they really wanted (Red-Blue connection). They have other things on the mind like the Circle Line, extending the Red Line to 130th St or thereabouts, addressing the (literally) crumbling Howard branch, and others. The Airport Express plan will probably sit on the shelf for a long while (if not forever) given the capital expenditure that would be required to implement it effectively. That money would be better spent by the RTA in providing improved METRA service to ORD or making sure the CTA gets the Blue Line into the best possible shape. |
So can't they repair any of the stations in the loop?
From what I see, these are fine by my standards: Washington/Wells Quincy Library Clark/Lake These need some work: Lasalle - isn't too bad, just needs some minor cleaning up. Wabash/Randolph Wabash/Madison Wabash/Adams These are just horrid. You can't see off the sides of the platforms because they've put up random sheet metal, plastics that's all etched up. Paint peeling, the structures look horrible when walking down the cross streets. I don't understand WHY they haven't at least done a cosmetic fixing up of these stations. Blast the paint off and re-paint. Repair the flooring, clean up all the crap they use for "walls" in the center of the stations. I honestly feel like I'm standing in some random shed when I use these. State/Lake looks better from the street, but could use some cleaning up and repainting, etc. The station is SO thin though, sometimes I feel like I'm going to fall over the edge during rush hour since it seems you only have 4 feet of room, if that. |
There's no glory--or federal capital funding--in repairing an existing station, only in building a monumental new one.
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