Wow, that would really be something if we had 2 circumferential lines(circle and midcity) connecting up all the el and commuter lines. Hopefully it would spur TOD in many west side communities in dire need of infrastructure improvements. I hate to start thinking too wishfully about this stuff when we have so many problems maintaining the current infrastructure, but I think these two lines would give chicago a transit system that would compare to the best systems in the world (provided the trains stay on the tracks).

It was announced at the Central Area Plan lecture, that the Green Line will be getting a stop at Morgan Street very soon. TIF money is being used to finnance engeering for the station design. Construction could start as soon as 2008.

Also, a major part of the plan is creating another subway under Larabee and Clinton Streets. It would break off the Red Line at North and Clyborn, head south to link up with Ogilvie and Union Stations, head south to the St. Charles Airway, east over the river and then south to link up with the Red Line at ~18th Street.

Yup, in terms of transit projects, the City is currently pursuing:
1) River Line BRT/LRT
2) West Loop subway/Trasportation Center
3) Mid-city line along the Crosstown ROW from Montrose/Kennedy southward
4) green line infills stops, probably one at Morgan, one at ~18th or Cermak, and one at either Damen or Western (i.e. as many as 3, eventually)
5) downtown subway station rehabs (Jackson/Dearborn currently underway, Grand/State is next, and I think Clark/Division after that.... I wish they'd pick up the pace)
6) Reconstruction of State/Lake L station, and construction of new Washington/Wabash station to replace Madison/Wabash and Randolph/Wabash.

CTA is pursuing:
1) Circle Line
2) Red, Orange, and Yellow extensions
3) Ogden BRT/LRT, but I think this might be about dead at this point
4) Some other cool stuff I can't tell you publicly....yet. But you guys will like it. Some stuff that will hopefully be authorized in the next big transportation bill in 2008 or 2009.

And theres Airport Express, which is unclear whether it's a city project or a CTA project, and hence the quasi-mess surrounding it at the moment.

The CTA stuff will generally take longer to execute than the city stuff because CTA is going through the federal new starts process, whereas the city would be looking to pay for it's projects through TIF and property tax revenues.

Hot damn, these are great ideas. I didn't realize that the "second Loop / Clinton superstation" had been revised to include a whole new line!

Now, how would this work with the routes? Would there be two types of Red Lines, one on the existing track and another on the new track, and a third "circulator train" that simply went around and around the new underground loop, to interface with the Blue? Or, is there an even better idea?

I thought that part of the idea was always to have the Cermak train become the "underground looping" train, but since this is now the pink line, this seems out of the question.

Connections and more stations are really what hurts Chicago's system from being a truly usable system for daily activity, and I am just thrilled that the various agencies are apparently aligning to make some of these improvements happen. :tup: :tup:

That's news to me. Has the CAP been updated recently? Because I distinctly remember that the red line extension from North and Clybourn south to the West Loop was one of a couple possibilities (not a definite), and I read nothing about extending that line southward and across the river. That's great news as it'll free up the current red line alignment for circle line trains (once that phase is completed).

I mentioned earlier in this post how important that last subway link is for the future of downtown development. A new larger underground loop would effectively be created that would not only allow for more capacity, but more systemwide operational flexibility. I also hope they have airport express service in the new WLTC in addition to Block 37. It would be very convenient to have your choice of two places to go to for quick rides to the airports.

Oddly enough, I'd also like to see Metra offer express service to O'hare, but I'm not sure how feasible that is considering it would require tunneling under existing infrastructure just to build a branch from the current NCS line over to the central terminal area. The more cost-effective solution there would be to simply extend the ATS from its current endpoint in the middle of the long-term parking lot to the Metra station itself. They're expanding the NCS line anyway for the purpose of providing the same service levels as the other major Metra lines.

Another killer idea. More interconnectivity opens up so many intriguing options... for instance, with the Mid-City tracks, it would finally be possible to run convenient transit between both airports.

Metra to Ohare would be awesome. I love the Green Line stops..I would prefer 18th to Cermak though.

The Metra to O'Hare would be a great idea and I have thought so for a long time. Just stick some DMU's like the STAR line is planning to use and I bet it could be done rather easily (along with extending the O'Hare ATS). The thing is i bet city hall would not want any competition with the CTA x-press in which it has a lot riding on. Not to mention I would bet that the Metra line could get to O'Hare just as fast or faster then the X-Press on a smoother ride then the refurbished CTA cars/blue line can provide which wouldn't bode well for maximising the CTA x-press prospects. You guys know way more then I do about this stuff though so maybe I am off base and it could be explained to me.

I am trying to think of another city that has two express lines to the airport. Does London have two express trains to Heathrow?

.....Another off topic thought. Has there even been serious discussion about joining the brown line up with the blue line at either Jefferson Park or Montrose? The two are so agonizingly close and open up for so many faster access to O'Hare and the NW side that I have hard time thinking it hasn't been explored.

I've heard numbers of around $20-50 mil to extend the O'hare people mover to the NCS station. This would probably be a more cost-effective option for Airport trains from Union Station then adding additional Airport Express infrastructure, since the Clinton/Larrabee subway as proposed would cross under the current Milwaukee subway so there probably wouldn't be a track connection. This sort of frequent service would also be contingent on upgrading the junction on the west side where the Milwaukee District lines (which the NCS runs on) cross the UP-W lines, but I understand that design is underway or maybe even complete and some funds have been located for this key upgrade which is part of CREATE.

You also brought up something interesting that has mostly been absent from the public discussion on the Circle Line: There is simply not enough capacity on the State street subway for Red Line + Airport Express (Midway) + Circle Line trains. The Circle line only works if it includes routing Howard-Dan Ryan trains through what was heretofor "Phase 4" of the project, the West Loop subway, which is basically the alignment Shawn described.

Part of the problem is that all of these are pipe dreams, totalling billions in infrastructure costs. Without the political muscle to appropriate funds, these will never happen. The outlook isn't great, but there's some reason for hope: the new congress, which features prominent Illinois and Chicago pols (Emmanuel, Obama, Durbin), and Daley, who's starting to show signs of taking the transportation infrastructure seriously in conjunciton with the Olympic bid.

All I can say is that I doubt we've heard the last of this concept.

VivaL, pardon my ignorance, but wouldn't this preclude the possibility of this track serving as the future leg of a second undergound Loop that includes existing Blue Line subway? Or would there be new track added above this "West Side Subway" tunnel to achieve the above?

Probably, but not necessarily; the subway under Lake actually was built with a flying junction (nice bit of foresight, this is actually there because they eventually wanted to demolish the Lake st. L and replace it with a subway) as it turns towards the NW under Milwaukee (the 2 diverging routes just dead end after about 50 ft) but this would place a track connection to the Clinton subway within the realm of comprehension, if the money and operational need for it were present. Then there's the issue of how you would hook it up at the south end; head west through the portal that already exists in the Ike median, or build a new flying junction underground to loop back into the Blue line subway? The latter option would be massively expensive.

The "ideal" solution would have a perpendicular Monroe st. transitway to eliminate the need for that 2nd loop.

Needless to stay, there's alot of options and possibilities that will utlimately be most contingent on funding.

Both Tokyo's international airports have two completely independent rail systems serving them.

VivaLFuego, are you with CTA or something (I guess you wouldn't know CTA #4 above if you weren't..) ? Also, about #4, are you suggesting that, while there aren't enough funds to rehab existing infrastructure, there is already the prospect of getting funding for some new projects authorized within the next year or two?

Also, the above shows that both the City and the CTA are pursuing new lines. Can you (or anybody) explain which has jurisdiction over what?

Well, Haneda doesn't have any form of express service, just JR's Tokyo Monorail and another local service by some company (I think Keikyuu, but I could be wrong).

Narita has two express services operated by two different companies on two different tracks: N'EX and Skyliner. Both take about an hour from NRT to central Tokyo.

Since this is turning into a "let's all question Viva" thread, let me add another, somewhat unrelated question into the mix.

Is there any reason that the city has not, at certain subway stations, encouraged surrounding buildings to tie themselves into the station? In NY, you see that private architects have used their expertise in creating nice-looking, attractive entrances for subway stops that are integrated into the surrounding buildings.

http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/...dehomelawn.jpg
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/...e-regopark.jpg
http://www.wandco.com/projects/TSQ1-500.jpg


In Chicago, all we have are crappy little claustrophobic stairs with peeling paint, or possibly a Pedway connection. These are uninviting and I'm sure they drive some people away. Of course, North/Clybourn has an above-ground building, and it looks great.

^ Sorry to sound negative, but those NY buildings do not look appealing to me. Not sure how they are any more "nice looking" or "attractive" than Chicago's. I think the Wilson Station and many other stations along the Red Line, and some of the Blue Line, achieve this feeling but in a much more pleasant manner.

I do agree that North / Clybourn is a nice station, and I am glad they apparently are not planning to tear it down any longer.

^ Well for example, I know the Washington/Wabash station is supposed to integrate with the Garland building. The issue is that if you dont also add the street connections, you get a situation like the Merchandise Mart station which is a real pain to access unless you happen to already be in the building.

^ Thanks for those great updates, Viva and Shawn.

But when it comes down to it, why should we get our hopes up about any of this stuff when the CTA has derailments every month, and also given the article in the most recent Crains (Feb 3rd edition) talking about how nobody (Daley, the Governer, or Springfield) is even talking about spending money to fix the CTA's woes?

Now I know that this is an operational issue, NOT a capital spending issue. But while Daley has all of these improvements tagged to Chicago winning the Olympics, does he even have a Plan B?

How are we planning to implement any of this if the Olympics don't come to town?

This is the article of which I speak:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=23740
Feb. 04, 2007
By Greg Hinz
CTA woes: funding outlook grows dim


Public transit needs appear to be taking a back seat as the contest for state dollars heats up in Springfield.

Chicago-area transit bosses this week are scheduled to officially unveil their funding requests for the legislative session that opened last month. At a minimum, the Regional Transportation Authority is expected to seek about $150 million a year in new money to fill holes in the operating budgets of the Chicago Transit Authority and other agencies, as well as billions of dollars in bonds for capital needs in the next few years.

But Springfield's triumvirate has other priorities, as Gov. Rod Blagojevich focuses on expanding health insurance and keeping his no-new-taxes vow, Senate President Emil Jones pushes education-funding reform and House Speaker Michael Madigan works to shore up pension plans for government employees.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/image.../og020507p.gif

"Right now, we have three different Democratic leaders who have their own concerns, none of which involves transit," concedes state Rep. Julia Hamos, an Evanston Democrat who heads a House panel studying transit matters for Mr. Madigan.

"I don't hear any of the big three talking about public transit right now," agrees DuPage County Board President Robert Schillerstrom, a Republican.

Mr. Jones' spokeswoman says the Senate chief indeed "is focused on education-funding reform." Mr. Blagojevich "will take transit requests into consideration," his office says. And Ms. Hamos says Mr. Madigan "is walking around with that Commercial Club report," a recent study by the Chicago business group that sounded alarms about unfunded state retirement costs.

Mayor Richard M. Daley's office reports that he would like the General Assembly to give transit more money this session. But Mr. Daley recently has spoken only about boosting funds for schools, not transit. Moreover, the mayor has made it clear he opposes tying new funds to a shift of power from the CTA to the RTA, sources report. The mayor's opposition could cause political problems, because some transit experts and suburban leaders argue that only a strengthened RTA can fully monitor spending and set regional priorities.

If Springfield does nothing, the biggest short-term loser is the CTA, which faces a $110-million hole in this year's budget and needs $6 billion in capital to fix its train system (Crain's, Jan. 22). But Metra and Pace have their own woes, and failing to act could box in pro-transit suburbanites like Mr. Schillerstrom, who supports new money only in exchange for new suburban service.

The best odds are for a capital plan, because it's politically tied to new money for highways. Operating assistance is a harder sell unless the CTA unveils extremely deep service cuts, something it has been reluctant to do so far.

I know that a fair number of stations on the elevated lines accomplish this nicely, which is why I restricted my post to subway stations.

All subway stations except North/Clybourn lack above-ground entrances, instead choosing to rely on narrow, unappealing stairs. While I agree that the CTA's priorities RIGHT NOW should be on maintenance, I'm wondering if the CTA encourages new developments adjacent to its subway stations to tie into those stations and offer unique, attractive entrances using their buildings.

I can think of several new developments right now that could integrate this approach: Block 37, Grand Station (Grand/Milwaukee), Library Tower, and theWit Hotel. An attractive subway entrance will draw many people into these buildings, drawing potential customers for the retail and hotel components of the above developments.

As an added bonus for the CTA, they would no longer have to try to attract retailers into 1940s-era concourse-level shops when the ground-level shops can be outfitted with modern floorplans and fixtures. This in turn can be used to make the concourses more spacious by removing the retailers' partition walls.

I think the CTA needs to investigate starting some sort of public bond issue that is within reach of everyday citizens. Perhaps something like offering a $1000 bond in which the yearly coupon can be used as transit fare instead of actual money. Perhaps even at a guaranteed [discounted] fare that will never change even when the CTA raises fares.

Well don't forget the Clark / Lake entrances, which are accessed through the State of Illinois building to the South and the "Loop Transportation Building" (or whatever that thing was supposed to be) to the North. I think both of these are nice entrances, and I wouldn't be surprised if future buildings handle them this way.

The disadvantage, I think, is lack of visibility and the burden on private owners.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-b...ate=2007-02-03
By Bob Tita
Extra trains raise Amtrak ridership
State funds aid increase in round trips; more service demands likely

Amtrak has increased the number of trains traveling between Chicago and three other stops: St. Louis, Quincy and Carbondale. Newscom photo
Additional trains led to a dramatic increase in Amtrak ridership within Illinois late last year.
Ridership in November and December rose 36.4% after Amtrak increased the number of trains operating daily between Chicago and St. Louis, Carbondale and Quincy. Amtrak recorded 155,669 passengers on the three routes during those two months, compared with 114,154 passengers during the same period in 2005.

"Everywhere in the country where you provide high-quality rail service, people will ride it," says Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Assn., which lobbied the state to pay for additional Amtrak service.

Besides the cost of gasoline, which averages more than $2 a gallon statewide, Mr. Harnish says congested expressways and expensive parking garages provide further incentives for Downstate residents to leave their cars at home when traveling to downtown Chicago. One-way fares between Carbondale and Chicago ranged from $30 to $70 last week.

Illinois is one of 14 states that subsidize Amtrak trains. Last year, the Illinois General Assembly voted to increase Amtrak funding to about $30 million a year from $12 million.

The money allowed the number of state-funded round-trip trains to St. Louis to be increased to three a day from one. Two long-distance Amtrak trains from Chicago also stop at St. Louis, bringing to five the number of daily round trips on that route.

One daily round trip between Chicago and Carbondale was added, bringing the total to three, and another round trip was added between the city and Quincy, bringing the total on that route to four a day. In all, four additional passenger trains began operating in the state on Oct. 30.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/image.../og020507x.gif

The state money pays for operating expenses that aren't covered by fares. An Amtrak spokesman declines to give specifics for Illinois but says the levels are consistent with Amtrak's 64% average cost-recovery rate from fares.

PENT-UP DEMAND

If ridership continues to increase, state funding for Amtrak could decrease. But demands to expand service to other Illinois cities and add more trains to existing routes are likely to keep pressure on state officials to maintain funding at an elevated level.

"There's tremendous pent-up demand for intercity rail service in Illinois," says Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago.

For instance, Mr. Learner says, trains should be added to Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago service, because a three-hour gap between trains after 5 p.m. discourages travelers from riding Amtrak. There are now seven trains a day.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Department of Transportation has asked Amtrak to prepare a cost estimate for service from Chicago to Rockford and Dubuque, Iowa. Discussions also are under way about a new route to the Quad Cities and Peoria, which haven't had passenger rail service since the 1970s.

"There would be significant capital costs involved," an Amtrak spokesman says. The tracks and signals used by Amtrak trains must be able to withstand train speeds of at least 79 mph. That's about twice the speed of many freight trains.

Illinois provided more than $80 million in recent years for upgrading tracks, signals and crossing gates for high-speed trains between Chicago and Springfield. Nevertheless, passenger rail advocates argue that the state's support for Amtrak is small compared with the billions of dollars the state spends each year on airports and highways.

"Amtrak service is a veritable drop in the bucket," Mr. Learner says.

The Chicago-Carbondale numbers are great; service was increased by 50%, and ridership increased by 46%, in such a short time period. Pent up demand, indeed. Obviously, at a certain point there would be diminishing returns by adding more trains, but this is great news for people pushing for more intercity rail traffic in the Midwest.

How can there be a 46% increase on the Chicago-Carbondale route if they just instituted it?

That is what I have been told by a certain source, some engineers say the Circle Line cannot happen without this new subway. It could be grouped with the CL project and opened by 2016 if suffiecent funding is present. Its a dream for sure, but the Olympics will help the chances of it happening.

Hmm, me thinks you know something about this. ;) It would be really nice, the Lawrence bus is slower than hell, and always crowded.

There used to be 2 trains per day in each direction, now there are 3. 50% increase in service, 46% increase in ridership.

^Shawn, next we meet up, let me know who you talked to about it, I'm curious...but yeah, basically the Circle just doesn't work without the Clinton subway as well. And I can imagine that north and south siders wouldn't be thrilled with having their trains now going to the moribund west loop instead of their probable destination in the loop or river north. It would reeeeealy be nice if the State st subway were a 4-track line....

As the east loop becomes more and more retail and residential oriented, offices are going to be pushed west right into the proposed clinton subway. The average commuter may actually be better off in 10 years with the red line going through the west loop as opposed to state street.

what are the details for this? I haven't heard of it

Downstate certainly needs more connection to Chicago's financial, legal, and service presence. Some of the cities along that route (eg Kankakee) have still not fully recovered from the manuf downturn and can use all the help they can get.

Agreed. This is already happening to a large extent with the huge shiny new office buildings going up on Wacker and East Loop's lumbering transition to retail/housing. useless anecdotal evidence ahead: I know quite a few people working in the West Loop who transfer from the red line to the brown line at Fullerton to avoid a big walk from the east loop. These folks would be happy. But I'm sure, as with the pink line, somebody will eventually complain and try to gum up the works...

Also, if they can pull off a nice super station at North/Clyborn with convenient transfers between the circle and red lines, none of this may be a problem at all. The key is to a) run enough trains, b) make it easy to get between trains and c) make the transfer indoors. If all of that happens, I'm not sure there will be much complaining. Add a convenient brown line transfer into the mix and most Nort'-siders would be in transit heaven.

Taft

Yeah, a cross-platform transfer at North/Clybourn (northside) and Cermak/Chinatown (southside) would probably assuage any problems. Agreed that employment is shifting westward, but that would make LaSalle or Franklin the ideal location, not Clinton, which is a bit of a hike.

But....well, to build the Circle Line + the Clinton subway, I'd be -shocked- if we're talking less than $2 billion....and no one has a clue where any of that would come from.

The Olympics, of course! As far as I'm concerned we can start spending that money now. Its as good as ours.

;)

Taft

3-K is a shithole. I have friends that lived and live there. They describe it as a sort of quality of life vacuum. I tend to agree with them.

Sorry, off topic.

Somewhat related. . .

Metra-Milwaukee link seen
Wisconsin line may tie into suburban rail

By Dan Gibbard, Tribune staff reporter. Freelance reporter Andrew Schroedter contributed to this report

February 6, 2007

A Wisconsin agency pushing a $200 million Kenosha-to-Milwaukee commuter rail line that would link with Metra has come up with a funding plan and hopes trains could be running as soon as 2010, officials said Monday.

The 33-mile, nine-stop line would use existing tracks and share a station with Metra in Kenosha, said Carl Mueller, a spokesman for the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority. The commission hopes to sell up to $50 million in bonds and pay them off by raising the $2 car rental fee in the affected counties to $15, Mueller said.

"The growing consensus is that it will both provide economic stimulus to the cities along the route ... [and provide them] with a reliable direct link to Chicago and its northern suburbs," Mueller said. "We're becoming one big metro area."

Officials with the group estimate annual ridership at 1.4 million and hope the line could begin service between 2010 and 2012. With 14 round trips on weekdays and seven on weekends, riding would be more convenient and cheaper than Amtrak, Mueller said.

The Wisconsin legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle would have to approve raising the car rental fee. That decision will be made in May, Mueller said, and Southeast Wisconsin RTA plans to submit plans for federal funding this summer.

The project would use existing stations in Kenosha and Milwaukee and build seven new ones, with one linking to Milwaukee's Gen. Mitchell International Airport. The KRM, as officials call it (for Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee), would operate its own trains.

The lion's share of the cost would come from federal funding: $100 million in Federal Transit Administration "New Starts" money and up to $27 million from a congestion mitigation program, Mueller said.

"We're increasingly but still cautiously optimistic," Mueller said. "The vast majority wants it, but everyone wants someone else to pay for it."

Metra officials said they are aware of the proposal but are not involved in it.

"We have enough projects in our own service area," spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said.

On the other hand, she said, "If they do it and it brings us additional riders, we'd certainly appreciate it. We'd always take more riders."

In other north suburban transportation news:

Skokie officials are finishing plans to revamp Old Orchard Road and hope to fix the maddening interchange with the Edens Expressway.

For now, northbound Edens drivers who want to go east toward Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard confront a traffic signal at the top of the ramp. That's no problem on a green light, but on a red, things get confusing.

There is no stop line, and the right-turn lane adds a third lane to Old Orchard Road. Technically, then, drivers aren't turning into traffic, so some are tempted to stop briefly and drive on.

But many drivers heading east on Old Orchard make a right turn on Lawler Avenue, just 100 yards or so from the junction, and others want to merge into the right lane to turn into the mall, maybe 100 feet east of Lawler. So pulling straight onto Old Orchard from the Edens ramp can bring a horn blast, a slam on the brakes or both.

It doesn't help that high guardrails make it almost impossible for drivers on the ramp to see whether anyone is coming from the west.

The village hopes to have plans to rectify the problem by mid-March, engineer Fred Schattner said.

"We've never had a serious accident there, thank God, but it seems like a place that's just waiting for one," Mayor George Van Dusen said.

Glencoe has become at least the second North Shore village to offer a break on vehicle stickers to hybrid vehicles.

The Village Board raised the vehicle license fee last week from $30 to $50 per year for cars, vans and sport-utility vehicles that hold up to nine passengers. However, hybrid owners will pay only $25 for the mandatory license if they buy it before April 15, Village Manager Paul Harlow said. Village officials said they don't know how many hybrid cars are in Glencoe.

Glencoe expects to raise an extra $100,000 per year through the fee increase, with the money earmarked for road maintenance.

Man, that blows that such a large percentage is allocated to roads and bridges. Out of the 2.4 billion earmarked for mass transit, only a portion will end up going to the CTA, which so badly needs the money. I hope a few of the upper echelon central area businesses will take the cues from Crains and band together and lobby for a much bigger chunk for the CTA. Clearly functional mass transit is in their interests.

^ Well, the article doesn't really say what proportion of the $2.4 billion would go towards the CTA, so I probably wouldn't draw any conclusions.

But yeah, the business community really needs to speak up. But then, perhaps Crains is their voice. I'm glad Crains isn't letting up on this issue--and they sure as hell shouldn't back down.

^ Yeah, I'm just pleased that more and more people, especially influential people, are making noise about the problem. The state government, and our representatives in DC have REALLY dropped the ball on supporting our transportation infrastructure lately, the latter group of which is all the more pathetic seeing at the Speaker of the House was from Illinois, and the #3 Democrat in the US senate is as well.

The state of course has the usual Chicago vs. Suburbs vs. downstate gridlock going on, and Blagojevich hasn't done much to please anybody with any spending programs. Everyone in this state always seems so obsessed with throwing more money at education.

^ I couldn't agree more. The Chicago area isn't by any means lacking in good public education. It's the usual scenario--shitty schools in the city (except for charter schools), and good ones in the suburbs. So what's new? Every other major city in America has the same situation going on.

How about updating our transportation system so that the people educated at our schools can GET TO THEIR FUTURE JOBS

I suppose, but we are talking about Illinois as a whole here, and yes, the education problem is real. Illinois ranks LAST (or 48-49 depending on the year) when it comes to the state's share of school funding and well below the national average. That is absolutely terrible.

So the million dollar question is: where the hell *is* the money going?

It isn't going to schools (if spyguy's numbers are right). It isn't going to public transportation or even roads (if Lukecuj's article is right). Where is the money going?

Or do we have an exceptionally low tax rate? (I have a hard time believing that...)

Taft

Well actually Illinois ranks in the bottom half for (state + local) taxes per capita. When considering the actual state income tax rate, Illinois is also very low on the list - our flat 3% of federal adjusted gross compares very favorably with any other state that levies an income tax.

The school issue is that local taxes pay for almost all schooling in the state, which means that schools in rich areas get tons of money while schools in poor areas get almost no money. All the wrangling down in Springfield is to find a way to make school funding a bit more equal without increasing our tax burdens and without upsetting the silver spoon crowd.

To make this post on-topic, I don't believe that transit is going to get a whole lot of attention in Springfield until this gets resolved.

Yeah, our income taxes are low, and property tax isn't bad either, which is why our sales tax is so high; to pay for stuff (including transit).

I've heard that over the coming weeks (or at least very soon), the head honchos at CTA, Metra, and Pace, and more importantly, RTA, will start unveiling detailed proposals for fixing the transit funding situation. the problem of course, is as discussed, none of the politicos other than Hamos seem to care that much.

One also has to ask where all the tax money we pay to the city goes; obviously the top priorities need to be things like police/fire/schools, and I know all of those combined probably get about 75% of property tax. But what about the rest of the property tax, and of course our ridiculously high sales tax? Why can't more of that go towards supporting vital infrastructure?

I'm not even sure the high sales tax rate makes the city money. I personally don't make any large ticket purchase in the city and most people I know that live in the city don't either. The tax really ends up hurting people without a car disproportionetly since they can't drive out to oakbrook or old orchard. The situation might be similar to the cook county cigarette tax hike which actually ended up costing the city money. I'd really like to see some numbers on this.

This is a serious problem for CTA's funding as well, since the bulk of CTA funding is in-city sales tax which is plummeting (in real terms) as people go to the suburbs for big purchases, and of course with the rise of online shopping. This goes back to a topic earlier on this thread, when I said CTA's funding source isn't keeping up with inflation...

New $10M Metra station set for South Loop

By Richard Wronski
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 7, 2007, 8:26 PM CST


Work will begin this spring on a new South Loop Metra station that will replace a rickety, rusty eyesore with a new beaux-arts structure that will complement its Grant Park surroundings and the Museum Campus, officials said Wednesday.

The entrance to the $10 million station will be from the 11th Street pedestrian bridge. The project, being done by the City of Chicago and Metra, involves constructing new platforms and two elevators, making the station accessible for the disabled, officials said.



E-mail this story

Gone will be the shabby wooden Roosevelt Road station and pedestrian walkway serving the Metra Electric and South Shore Lines. The structures are believed to be about 100 years old.

Grant Park advocates hailed word that the Chicago Department of Transportation had signed a contract for the new station.

"We've been getting complaints about the pedestrian bridge and station for over 15 years," said Bob O'Neill, president of the Grant Park Advisory Council.

"This is Chicago's front yard. [The old station] looks like something out of an old Wild West movie. When you walk on it, it's even in worse shape. People have said to me that it is really an embarrassment."

The new station is designed to blend with the nearby public architecture of Grant Park and Museum Campus, said Brian Steele, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation.

Construction is expected to take about 18 months and will not affect vehicle traffic or Metra users because most work will be done during non-rush-hour periods, Steele said.

The Grant Park Advisory Council and others have pushed for several years to replace the old station, but progress was delayed by lack of funding. Finally, in November, the Illinois Department of Transportation came through with a long-promised $2.8 million grant.

The money will be used to relocate Metra tracks to facilitate construction, said Judy Pardonnet, a Metra spokeswoman.

Current ridership figures are unavailable, but the Metra station is well-used by commuters, South Loop residents, Museum Campus visitors and tourists, and Bears fans at Soldier Field, Pardonnet said.

Recent additions to the area include a dog park, skate plaza, and the Agora sculptures.

"There's a lot going on in that area now," O'Neill said. "There needs to be a world-class station for a world-class park. It's elegant. It's one more piece to finish the south end of Grant Park."

^ a beaux-arts station, sounds interesting. i'm curious to see a rendering. Is the 11th st ped bridge decently located? i.e. will it be convenient?

There was an image in the Chicago Journal a couple months ago
http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/8539/2276ata4.jpg

Sorry to rehash but I gots to know. I think I have read the answer somewhere before but it escapes me. The one thing I am not certain on is how many stations would there be on the Clinton subway (between the green and blue lines)? Would there be just one for the WLTC (which then would connect with the stations by a moving walkway/pedway)? Or would there be two statoins going direct to the Union and Oglivie? Would the new LTR/BRT have similar stops as well? Or would there be three incredibly short stops at all three?

Also if the blue line loop isn't in the cards wouldn't it make sense (maybe it is in the plans) for the Clinton subway to hook up with new transfer stations at the Clinton/Green-Pink and the Clinton/Blue stops in order to provide loop access? Or is the thinking is that is not direct enough?

Transit agencies go after billions
 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...-newslocal-hed

Transit agencies go after billions
Higher taxes, fees among ideas to fund infrastructure rehab

By Richard Wronski
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 8, 2007


After warning for months that northeastern Illinois is in dire need of improvements to its commuter rail, bus and subway network, top transportation officials on Thursday will propose ways to come up with billions of dollars they say are needed to keep the system running.

Capping a yearlong campaign to build public support, the Regional Transportation Authority will outline investments and reforms needed to provide consistent service, put aging equipment such as the CTA elevated system in sound working order, replace outdated Metra trains and Pace buses and add new commuter lines for growing suburbs.

Although the RTA will not endorse any specific proposals, it will recommend ways the money can be raised through increases in taxes and fees, sources familiar with the campaign said.

Among the revenue-producing recommendations are passing a one-quarter percent sales tax increase, either imposed in the collar counties alone or across the entire six-county RTA region; adding a new tax on parking in paid lots and garages; and collecting taxes on Internet sales.

The next step will be to persuade the Illinois legislature and Gov. Rod Blagojevich to come up with a funding plan for transportation infrastructure and daily operations.

"The simple fact is, the transportation people have to make their case for the money, and the decision makers need to decide if its worth the financial support. That's always the tough part," said Jack Schaffer, a former Republican state senator from McHenry County and a current Metra board member.

Lobbying for transportation funding this spring will be difficult, since Blagojevich and legislative leaders already face mounting pressure to increase state spending for education, pensions and health care.

Nevertheless, what's at stake is "a transit system worthy of our reputation as one of the great metropolitan regions of the world," RTA Executive Director Steve Schlickman said in an e-mail to a grass-roots network of residents, groups and businesses who have joined the RTA's campaign, called Moving Beyond Congestion.

Schlickman, RTA Chairman Jim Reilly and the leaders of the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra commuter rail system and Pace suburban bus system will outline the funding proposals Thursday.

The RTA estimates that $57 billion is needed to preserve, enhance and expand transit projects in the region over the next 30 years. Maintaining current service over the period will cost $34 billion, the agency said.

All three agencies are counting on significant amounts of extra money from Springfield in their 2007 budgets. Together, the agencies will face a $209 million shortfall next year.

Officials agree that raising funds by changing the sales tax allocations in the region's public transportation funding formula will be difficult.

Under the present formula, Chicago and suburban Cook County contribute the equivalent of 1 percent of their sales tax revenue to mass transit, and the collar counties contribute one-quarter percent.

In the past, calls for an increase in the collar counties' sales tax contribution have met stiff opposition. Critics believe many outlying suburban communities do not receive the same level of public transportation as Cook County and Chicago.

A 2005 legislative committee's report on the funding formula found that Cook County suburbs are subsidizing service in Chicago and the collar counties. Some scoffed at this, insisting that the collar counties and suburban Cook are subsidizing service in Chicago.

"Obviously, this is a tremendous political challenge," said Peter Skosey, a transportation expert with the Metropolitan Planning Council. "You have suburban versus city transportation interests."

The transit agencies are striving to present a unified approach to the funding problem, said RTA board member Arlene Mulder, mayor of Arlington Heights.

None of the recommendations will be popular, Mulder said, but the agencies can no longer afford not to invest in transportation infrastructure.

"You can put off fixing the leaking roof only until you have gaping holes," Mulder said. "Then the cost of fixing it triples."

----------

rwronski@tribune.com

Midwest Passenger Rail Bonding

WisDOT is seeking federal funding to implement an extension of the existing Chicago-Milwaukee Amtrak service to add service to Madison as part of a larger Regional Rail System for a nine state region.

Long range forecasts estimate the entire Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison corridor could attract 1.4 million passengers each year and may generate enough revenue to cover operating costs. Governor Doyle’s proposal would provide a total of $80 million in state funds for the project, providing a clear signal to Congress that Wisconsin will match whatever federal funds are appropriated during the biennium.

http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=10524