And it's working very well, isn't it?

Mayor Chuy Garcia Transit Coalition
 

Please join the new Mayor Chuy Garcia's Transit Coalition, together all those with Public Transit concerns can communicate, exchange ideas -- and help create a new and more receptive City Government, but we only have six weeks: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...Coalition/info

Will Chuy be a better mayor for transit than Rahm?

At least Chuy MIGHT [ just MIGHT ] actually > listen < to his constituents -- Rahm's CTA Board Administration is famous for it's brutal Smackdowns of the #11 Lincoln Ave. bus people (people cried), the poor laughed-at 31st St. bus people (I was there); and looking at
me the many times I have addressed the Board, as if I were a large bug. They TELL YOU what they are going to do, not ASK YOU what
YOU need. (same way he handled the Schools)

AND the ongoing war over the Belmont Flyover -- which delay problems could be easily solved by a single high-speed switch, and some cushioned and spiraled precision rail-crossing diamonds: http://www.railway-technical.com/Jap...ut-160-kmh.jpg and without any major construction.....

Spoken by a man who has no degrees in engineering..... what makes you think that speed limit over the switches are the great factor at Clark Tower on the CTA north side main. Stick to your "grey windmills."

[IMG]http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...P1000640_1.jpg[/IMG]

Where is the space for your switch?
[IMG]http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...f/P1000648.jpg[/IMG]

See that white sign....it says, "25 MPH" The curve limits going to the branch.

There is no war over the Belmont Flyover (yet). The opponents' case is exaggerated.

Right now, CTA needs some money to do 30% design so they can find out how their new flyover will layout and construction will be staged. That will let them know how many properties need to be taken. Then they will tear down the minimum number of buildings necessary to build the thing, which could include partial demolition at the back of historic or noteworthy structures.

The images released by opponents of a completely clear-cut Clark Street are vastly overblown - the streetscape will absolutely not be devastated by this project that takes place on the inside of each block. CTA is right, though, that after construction, larger vacant sites will be easier to sell to developers for TOD projects.

David, I will try to answer you soon, but right now I do not have the Photoshop skills to be able to superimpose a high-speed switch over the images; but that is not the issue anyway.

For whatever reason you have some type of personal vendetta again'st me; so nothing I say or do could be considered in anyway correct . If you like David, I will explain "crabs-in-a-barrel" in detail. (it will be quite ugly)

Also David, I never claimed to have any degrees; I am (proudly) a min. wage gas station cashier, but in the past I have driven many 100 car C&NW transfers from Proviso Yard in Northlake, to Wood St. at 16th and Western. I know you've driven "L" trains -- but I've driven many mile-long Class I freight trains from the suburbs into Chicago, so I do sort of understand RR engineering.....

I also driven many switching runs down Carroll St. dropping cars at the Mart, the Tribune, various small industries, and chemicals to the Filtration Plant. I've also operated 100 car transfers from Proviso to the big yard out by 145th & Ashland, and had to learn IHB operating rules. I DO understand railroad engineering!

To go back to the brown line extension for a moment, wouldnt it be a better option to build a separate elevated/underground platform for it so as to not take up any of the blue lines capacity? I think it might be sensible since its only stopping at one blue line station and would remove a potential future bottleneck.

There is NO VENDETTA....I haven't responded to 99.99 percent of your postings on the internet except when you cry "baby tears" about the CTA/city Red Line Extension or you make some stupid judgement about the "L" operations. You claim experience from driving trains...therefore you should have known better to know there is not enough room to place that switch you pictured at Clark Tower. I even posted pictures to show that.....not enough room! Plus, the Brown line entrance is from track three. An additional move has to be made from tracks four to three needing more room because Brown line trains run on that track. And last but not least, you could equip Clark the biggest switch imaginable, the speed would still be limited by the curve beyond the junction which is printed on the white sign in my photo....25 MPH. What ever other arguments you have about the Clark Tower you are right to hold them.....but, it a switch won't cut it.

That depends on if you want Brown Line trains to interline with Blue out to O'Hare. If you do, then it doesn't matter and they can call at the same platform. If they don't interline, then there should be a separate underground platform for Brown Line trains, maybe with a single-track connection to the Blue Line for service moves.

Interlining might be valuable - the Brown Line is more convenient than the Blue Line to the River North/Gold Coast area where many tourists are heading. It's also convenient to the North Side neighborhoods where many of Chicago's frequent fliers live*. On the other hand, it does mean that service disruptions would more easily ripple across the network.


* = Interestingly, a big factor in the continued gentrification of Wicker Park/Bucktown beyond the hipster stage is the one-seat ride to O'Hare - very valuable to professionals and businessmen who travel frequently.

Those are good points you raise, I admit I was thinking more about the logistics of possible a future extension south to Midway using the tracks and RoW east of Cicero

First Jeffrey Jump, now Loop Link. What's next, Ashland Artery?

Looks like we are getting an early jump on the construction season. Surprising considering it's still too cold to pour concrete.

Expect more announcements like this out of Team Emanuel in the next few weeks. Anybody wanna take bets on the opening date for the Bloomingdale Trail?

I should try to find some time to document Madison/Wabash before it comes down. The Inner Loop side is a historic stationhouse.

If I knew how to use Photoshop (I don't), I would do that, but I will find a way soon (later today in fact). What is the limiting speed zig-zagging through the present crossovers, to get to the 25mph branch?

in the meantime, read the comments in the "Getting Around" article ardecila linked to below.

btw David, tell me what you think of all the Red Dots in this Crain's article, those are the poorest Black and Hispanic communities in the entire NE Illinois Region; is it OK to you to leave them in the miserable financial state that they are in now?: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...income-levels#

Because to my knowledge, I am the ONLY person attempting to change that situation! You are Black like I am, do YOU have any suggestions David on how to turn all those Red Dots green, or do you know of any other plans by anybody else, (CTA says service there is OK right now) and the Red Line Extension south of 95th if built obviously would have NO effect whatsoever on Woodlawn, Chatham, South Shore, and Grand Crossing.

You say you drove trains....the "L" trains keep the same 25 MPH through the "zig-zagging" crossovers. What don't you understand??

I told you before I refuse to be drawn into internet arguments with people who have no power. My life has other needs. The Red Line Extension south of 95th is not to have any effect whatsoever on those communities you named and two of them are already on the Red line and a third is on the Green line. The fourth has express buses that evidently they are quite happy with.

As for the red dots on the maps, can I suggest Crayons?

How about you two meet up somewhere, have a few cold ones and talk it out and/or arm wrestle.

NO WAY, he wanted to fight somebody else under the Green Line "L" at 59th St, for some bottom-line meaningless reason; and he's bigger than me...... http://www.buzzfeed.com/alivelez/wat...-at-an-arm-wre

WOW -- Those red dots are Black People in extreme distress, and that's your answer -- Crayons???

And N O they are not "Happy", that's CTA "spin" -- I USED TO LIVE THERE, you can't "spin" my (and others) experiences.

I was finally able to scan and upload a type of image: https://app.box.com/s/alm8rzgfcotdmkaua9bbp6d73rlvkexk

Multiple switches would NOT have to be re-aligned for each run, which takes time; only ONE switch alignment to route Brown Line trains; and Brown Line trains could operate at posted speeds on an uninterupped, resiliently cushioned (for noise attenuation), and high-speed spiraled curve.

Some people will see the logic in it; But Y O U (beyond any shadow of a doubt) will make absolutely sure that you search, investigate, reconnoiter, and try to find something/ANYTHING wrong with it! Have at it David...... Please come and get me!

btw David, you are NOT a bad person -- It's just that you seem to support whatever the present day Skanky-@$$ed City Hall/CTA Administration in whatever they say, or whatever they choose to do; even if that includes (and PLEASE pardon me, and you Skyscraper folks can delete this truly, and deeply honest vulgarity if you want to) F U C K I N G > O U R < Black Community.

WHAT can't you understand? The posted on that curve IS TWENTY FIVE MILES PER HOUR. It is 25 MPH because it is a curve about 300 ft. radius. To go faster would increase the passenger discomfort level. The curve speed limit will never be increased unless you want to lay a new curve.