Multiple doors can be specified on any bus. I don't think MAN can meet Buy America regulations these days.

Probably A question I could find out if I searched, but does every public transit agency have to meet Buy America regs? What about AC Transit out in Oakland that has a fleet of Van Hool's? Where those assembled in the US?

Do private coach operators have to meet any of those regs? Even Greyhound has Van Hool's now, and there are a few Setra's on the road out there...

While there may also be local regulations in some areas, I think it mainly applies to purchases made with Federal funding.

Yes, it is a federal regulation. If you take federal money then you have to comply. It is also my understanding that AC Transit has used the State to, some say shadily, go around Buy America regulations by using federal money for operations and local money for purchases. Therefore no federal money went to "purchase" the Van Hool buses even though without federal money AC Transit would not be able to afford those purchases. Also, if I remember correctly, AC Transit no longer puts an emphasis on their partnership with Van Hool and buys American manufactured buses now.

Indeed, it's an eternal question when buying artics. There are pros and cons of each. It's a no-brainer on "BRT" style routes with prepaid boarding, or on systems that can operate on a near-honor basis and have unmonitored electronic fare collection in the rear. If all fare collection is to occur at the front, multiple rear doors can become an operational hassle.

They simply don't sell to the North American market... not meeting Buy America is perhaps both a cause and symptom of that, but ultimately you would simply pay a fortune to get one over here even if purchasing with a non-federal funding source, and there is effectively no parts/maintenance support distribution network.

Depends on the funding source of the purchase --- if any federal funds are involved then Buy America is required unless a waiver is approved --- but generally when vehicles are bought with all local money (as New York MTA generally does), part of the deal in assembling that all-local funding source is that the vehicles are assembled locally, too, as they are in New York. Such a requirement also violates federal procurement regs, which disallow any state-by-state contracting preferences if federal money is involved.

Houston tried buying non-Buy America compliant light rail cars from CAF using local funds, to run on its federally-funded new light rail lines, and incurred pretty serious FTA sanctions with some very expensive resulting litigation.

I think back in the 80s MAN had a final assembly plant in North Carolina, which allowed them to meet the regs and sell to CTA and Seattle Metro.

^And WMATA.

CTA Promises More Alternate Trains, Shuttles For South Siders During Red Line Rebuild
 

http://chicagoist.com/2012/06/11/cta...ate_trains.php


The Chicago Transit Authority is going to great lengths to assure south side residents reliant on the Red Line that their commutes will be minimally affected by the five months the south branch of the line will be shut down for a complete rebuild next year.
When CTA made the announcement last week they said the 40-year-old branch was in such a state of disrepair that a complete shutdown was required, instead of working on the repairs on nights and weekends. The overhaul is expected to save the transit agency $75 million.


That's all well and good, but it's the alternate transportation plan—the train routes and shuttle services intended to get South siders who regularly use the Red Line to get to their destinations‐that left many scratching their heads. Here are the travel alternatives CTA has announced so far:

Free shuttle buses with 24-hour service from 69th, 79th, 87th and 95th/Dan Ryan stations to the Garfield station on the Green Line (including express service from stations with free entry at Garfield for shuttle bus riders and a local, station-to-station shuttle from 63rd to 95th/Dan Ryan)

Free rail entry for shuttle bus riders at Garfield on the Green Line
50 cent discounted bus rides on many South Side routes

24-hour Red Line service on Green Line tracks between Roosevelt and Ashland/63rd

Expanded bus service on existing routes


Sorry, but this isn't much. Tribune transportation reporter John Hilkevitch said as much and asked CTA, Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority what else was being considered, noting the plan was "hastily drawn" and relied too much on shuttle buses to move an average of 250,000 passengers a day from closed Red Line stations to Green Line stations.

Hilkevitch posited this would be an ideal time to put in place an integrated fare policy to allow affected Red Line commuters to board Metra's Rock Island Line, for example, easier.
The response Hilkevitch received from Metra spokesman Michael Gillis may as well have been a no comment.

"We have plenty of time to work on this before next May."

No, you don't.

It will be important to allow riders to transfer seamlessly between the CTA and Metra without being hassled about the different fares — a solution that has eluded (or been avoided by) the Chicago area's mass transit network for decades.

The RTA faces a Jan. 1 deadline to submit a fare-integration plan to the transit agencies for input, approval and implementation. The Illinois Legislature has set a 2015 deadline for the RTA system to implement common fare media, also known as a universal fare card, to be accepted by all three transit agencies.

To their credit last week, CTA officials quickly realized it will take time to get it all right, which is why they pushed for an initial meeting with Metra operations officials for this week, said CTA spokeswoman Molly Sullivan.

If Metra isn't being proactive about this—par for the course for them—CTA recognnizes the bad PR generated from this and is actively working on alternatives besides integrated fares. They're promising to boost train capacity and to run Red Line trains a little bit past Roosevelt so that some South side riders can still ride from, say, Bronzeville to points north without catching a shuttle. CTA also told Hilkevitch that what they've announced so far is a first draft and that, once the shuttle services begin next May, they'll be monitoring the progress and tweaking what isn't working to improve travel times.

For those of you wondering if this isn't going to happen on the North side, CTA president Forrest Claypool threw a gold glass of reality on that.

"I got news for people," Claypool said Tuesday on WBEZ's Afternoon Shift. "The north Red Line has to be rebuilt as well. And we're not that many years away from that happening."

Claypool said he would not want to completely shut down the North Side Red Line.

He said the Red Line is longer on the North Side than on the South Side and construction would likely be staggered, rather than have the entire stretch closed at one time.

"There clearly will be disruptions at that time, but at the end of the day years from now, assuming we get the proper federal support for that project, you will have literally a brand new railroad from the far northern suburbs to the very southern portions of the City of Chicago," he said.

Good to see CTA is engaging Metra early. With the greenish Red Line covering areas north of 63rd and the Rock Island/ME covering points south, there will be substitute rail transit along the whole length of the Dan Ryan.

The Metra stations south of 63rd are mostly Zone C, which is a $3.50 fare. It would be great if Metra discounted these tickets to the $2.25 CTA rate and provided regular service to the Metra Electric stations instead of the stupid flag stop shenanigans.

Better, get Metra to accept CTA Fare Instruments for payment (temporary pre-paid boarding - no on-board collection) on the Electric.

So Commuter rail will service De Kalb and La Salle one day?

http://www.midwesthsr.org/sites/defa...linois_670.gif

There are vague plans for this, yeah. UP-West extension and Illinois Valley Commuter Rail.

Of course, this plan isn't set in stone. Those commuter extensions are very low priority. Right now, the biggest priority for the state is upgrading the St. Louis line, and then the regional lines to Dubuque and the Quad Cities. After that is a ton of work in and around Chicago, then the spur to Peoria. After that, maybe we'll see some momentum on the outer commuter-rail projects.

Those counties aren't part of RTA, so lots of magic would need to occur.

Regional Rail means its not Commuter Rail , so it wouldn't fall under the RTA , probably the DOT like some instate Amtrak routes...it would just have more service than Amtrak. Like 6-12 roundtrips a day...

That's far too much service. Six trains a day is good for DeKalb, but the Illinois Valley project... maybe three or four trains per day?

A 2003 study put the cost of the Illinois Valley project (to Peru) at $150M... maybe that's up to $200M today, plus an additional $50M for upgrades at Joliet.

Nexis, I hope you haven't misunderstood the dynamics here. Midwest High Speed Rail Association is just some fanboys who drew a map. There are no initiatives under way for those extensions.

^Condescending?

I don't see any other group dedicating there lives and money to advancing the concept of true high speed rail in the midwest.

CTA June 13 Board Meeting
 

At the CTA Board Meeting today Terry Peterson said that CTA had approached Metra, and they will find a way to work together during the Red Line shutdown.

Unexpected.


Mike Payne

MHSRA provides a conceptual framework for individual Illinois cities to push for expanded rail service, while incorporating existing plans. Ottawa is/was pushing heavily for the Illinois Valley project, while Peoria is pushing for a rail shuttle with a timed transfer at Amtrak.

MHSRA also first proposed the bullet train alignment through Champaign and Springfield, and Quinn subsequently found funding for a serious study of the alignment to be done by IDOT and UIUC.

Essentially, MHSRA is the go-between that builds the private-sector support for IDOT's rail plans, while also getting businessmen and politicians acquainted with the high quality of Asian and European rail systems. The fairly broad consensus around rail in Illinois is largely because of Rick Harnish's tireless efforts. They do not serve in any official planning capacity, but they are intimately connected with the people who do the official planning, and with the politicians who control what gets planned and funded.

Anyone know why the city is grinding of the bike lane on Wells in River North?

FOUND IT: Wells "re-striping"

Anybody go to the BRT meetings this week? I couldn't make it, but I'm interested to see what was presented.

Based on the description, it sounds like the meetings were just intended as a trial balloon to see how the community might accept various BRT features. I'm guessing an actual proposal will come in the next round of meetings in the fall.

CTA To Hold Hearings On Red Line Shutdown Plan
 

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/...shutdown-plan/

Updated 06/13/12 – 6:18 p.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) — CTA officials have been working hard behind the scenes to have some answers to placate South Side Red Line riders when two public hearings take place next week on the reconstruction project, and its scheduled five month shutdown.

“Folks from Altgeld Gardens could face three-hour trips to get to their jobs downtown,” said rider Michael Payne, in comments to the CTA’s board Wednesday.

He said a bus-dependent plan is fraught with problems in the event of accidents and the inevitable rush-hour traffic tie-ups.

CTA Chairman Terry Peterson said that has already been anticipated, and said Thursday that he has initiated talks at the highest level to minimize problems.

He said he has met with Acting Metra Chairman Larry Huggins and that CTA President Forrest Claypool and Metra CEO Alex Clifford also have spoken.

The focus is how Metra can adjust schedules on its Electric and Rock Island Districts to accommodate more riders.

The Electric District’s lines, in particular, were built for far more riders than it carries today. Payne suggested setting up CTA fare equipment at Electric District stations and letting riders use either fare card.

Peterson asked Payne for a detailed proposal.

The first hearing of the hearings will occur 6-8 p.m. Monday at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr. CTA will host a second hearing at the same time Thursday in the gymnasium of Kennedy-King College, at 6343 S. Halsted St.

CTA will reroute Red Line trains to the Green Line, and close the south Red Line stations from Cermak/Chinatown to 95th, for complete track reconstruction and other upgrades. The $425 million project is the second round of heavy overhaul on the line since 2004, although CTA officials say this will be the most complete renovation since the line opened in 1969.

Peterson said his goal is to operate trains, without slow zones, at a minimum of 55 miles an hour. The shutdown will allow the work to be completed in five months instead of an estimated four years if limited to off-peak and weekend hours. CTA expects train schedules to be shortened by 10 minutes once the work is completed in the fall of 2013.

The CTA will also provide shuttle buses to Green Line rail stations as an alternative during the Red Line project. The closures affect nine stations, between the 95th Street terminal and the Roosevelt ‘L’ station. (See map below)

Here is the tentative re-route plan for the CTA Red line. (Credit: CTA)

Final South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study Meeting
 

TO: Members of the South Lakefront Community
FROM: O-H Community Partners
DATE: June 12, 2012
RE: Flyer for South Lakefront Public Meeting on June 28th, 2012

Public Community Meeting for the South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study
When: Thursday, June 28, 2011 from 6pm-8pm
Where: Apostolic Church of God – Banquet Hall, 6320 S. Dorchester Ave. (at 63rd Street), Chicago, IL 60637

You are invited to the public community meeting for the South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study. This meeting will present the project evaluation results and the draft recommendations of the South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study. The study has focused on improving public transportation and enhancing Transit-Oriented Development in order to enhance mobility for residents and increase access to jobs within the South Lakefront Corridor. It is the third in a series of meetings.

We want to hear from you. Please join us for this important public meeting and feel free to invite others. A copy of the flyer is attached.

For more information please visit our website http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en...nsitstudy.html and follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-...99444600080441


RSVP: lisa.green@o-hcommunitypartners.com
*If you require ADA assistance please let us know.


Lisa Green
Senior Associate
O-H Community Partners, Ltd.
372 West Ontario Street, Suite 501
Chicago, IL 60654

Direct: 312.705.6860
Main: 312.850.0600
Fax: 312.850.0601
lisa.green@o-hcommunitypartners.com
www.ohcommunitypartners.com
www.thefundwell.com

http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/cit...cMtgSept12.pdf

CHGO TRIB - CTA gets $20 million grant to expand 95th Street terminal
 

From the Chicago Tribune website...


By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune reporter

4:43 p.m. CDT, June 19, 2012

The CTA plans to begin upgrading and expanding the Red Line’s 95th Street terminal, which is the sixth-busiest station on the rail system, by 2014, although all the funding needed for the $140 million project has not yet been secured, officials said Tuesday.

Officials announced a $20 million federal grant to help overhaul the rail and bus terminal, which is a transit gateway for about 20,000 commuters on the South Side and south suburbs.

The improvements are designed to reduce bus and pedestrian congestion while enhancing safety, help speed up arrivals and departures at the busy station and create jobs, officials said. The CTA is in the early stages of planning and design, they added.

Construction details aren’t set yet, but the agency will keep the station open during the project, said CTA spokeswoman Molly Sullivan.

The station project will follow a $425 million track-replacement project on the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line that will require the shutdown for five months starting next May of the branch between 95th Street and the Cermak-Chinatown stop.

The 95th Street station, in addition to being the southern terminus of the Red Line, has the most bus routes of any CTA rail station. The buses include CTA, Pace, Greyhound and paratransit services. More than 1,000 CTA and Pace bus trips are made to and from the terminal daily, officials said.

The 43-year-old station has “reached capacity and current conditions do not allow for optimal bus operations and pedestrian movements,’’ Sullivan said.

jhilkevitch@tribune.com

So... After a five-month closure that forces thousands of riders to make sacrifices, CTA will begin a huge construction project at 95th?

I wonder what they're gonna do? Wider platforms for each bus route would be nice, and additional stairs/escalators from platform level.

This sounds like BS, since daily ridership at 95th has dropped by nearly 60% since 1980.

Something's fishy here. It seems odd that we haven't heard a whisper about the Red Line extension in a year and yet Rahm's CDOT has been loudly trumpeting the station rehabs and infill stations to anyone who'll listen.

Makes me wonder if the Red Line extension is being sidetracked so that Chicago can use its New Starts dollars for the North Main project.

The main issues are with bus circulation, and ridership doesn’t necessarily correspond with the number of buses using the facility. From what I understand, the 95th Street terminal’s been technically over-capacity for its entire lifetime. From the Red Line EIS:

There might be some over-design there, but everything I’ve heard anecdotally about the 95th Street terminal (I’ve never used it myself) makes it sound pretty cramped.

I’m agnostic about the extension being sidetracked—on the one hand, it’s a long-delayed project that will benefit an area that has the ridership potential to support a short extension. On the other, it’s also an area with decreasing population and running eight-car trains to 130th will only increase the CTA’s operating costs, whereas the Red-Purple project doesn’t increase operating costs and serves denser areas with stronger growth potential—plus, maintenance should always take precedence over expansion.

Also, I think it’s likely Rahm’s trumpeting all these rehabs because he has the money in hand and wants to get things done, which is a smart move because it gives him something concrete to point at if he ends up having a tough election cycle (which I could see happening if murders get out of hand or a scandal breaks) and serves as a nice way of distinguishing his administration from the endless fantasy-mapping-amid-deferred-maintenance that occurred under Daley (a caricature, of course—look at Brown and Douglas—but it often felt that way). Plus, we frankly don’t know how much longer New Starts will be around, so we might have to be satisfied with small stuff for a long time.

Well, for a $140 million cost, they ought to be doing something big. That seems about right for adding another 12 bus bays.

I wonder how they'll do it? They could push State and Lafayette outward, suspend the bays over the Ryan's traffic lanes, or shift the offramps northward and extend the bays in that direction.

Regardless of how they do it, I hope the new area includes wider bus platforms. The current ones are unpleasant and shamefully narrow; in winter I've gotten splashed by buses several times.

Ina Q&A with Grid Chicago Forrest Claypool commented on the status of the Red Line extension:

Well I had an interesting experience today. I was on the brown line heading to Lincoln Square. When we stopped at Southport, I stepped out of the train so that people could exit. Just as I was stepping back into the train, the woman standing next to me moved to the space where I'd been standing, causing me to momentarily lose track of my feet placement. I ended up stepping down right on the rather large gap between the platform & train and down I went. My *entire* left leg fell completely down between the train & platform. I heard a few gasps from people on the platform who had just exited the train and they helped pull me up and I immediately got inside the train, the doors closed, and we were off. I doubt the conductor even saw what happened. I'm relatively thin, but I'm still surprised my entire leg coud fit between the gap, particularly at a newly rebuilt station where I would have thought more attention would be placed on eliminating large gaps between the train & platform.

Btw, the brown line runs wonderfully between the north main line & Western. No slow zones. Such a change from my days living in Lincoln Square! I also checked out the new Morgan station on the green/pink lines and it looks good! I wonder if they'll stick with a similar modern design for the Cermak infill station in the south loop?

^ Glad you were ok.

----------------------------

Well several weeks ago I should have known better than to put "very very soon" and a reference to a CTA construction project in the same sentence. However, the Purple Line viaduct swap-ins presumably will happen this weekend, as there are el closures over the weekend there. The new steel viaducts for Greenleaf, Dempster, and Grove were pre-constructed and these giant structures were left waiting in the middle of streets or parking lots, waiting to be shifted into place upon the demolition of the crumbling existing ones. (Today, the CTA website refers only to Dempster and Grove, so not sure of the date for Greenleaf.)

Anyway, exciting picture-taking apparently awaits this weekend for people interested.

So, wait, according to that interview you linked to in Grid, the extension is still plodding along pending funding. Part of the reason 95th is so crowded with buses is that so many buses south of there terminate there. Presumably if the line is extended, at least some of them could be transitioned to new stations - for example the 103 and 106 probably won't need to go to 95th anymore, and it seems likely 95th could be changed from a terminus for some of the other bus routes to simply another stop on a redesigned route like most other mid-line stations.

So when the Red Line is extended, 95th will be much less important. $140 million is a chunk of change. I don't see why they'd dedicate that much to a station that they're also working to reduce the importance of. It just seems like an enormous waste of money.

Greenleaf was done a couple weekends ago.

If the extension ever comes to fruition how many years away are we looking at for completion? 8 years? 10 years? More?

A decade of intensive use as the Red Terminus alone justifies the investment... additionally, if the extension is completely, what kind of passenger traffic would the Dan Ryan be experiencing?

Say it takes 10 years until the extension is complete. Say it takes 3 years before funds are finished being sourced and the 95th station is complete. That would mean that $140 million gets 7 years of extra use. $20 million per year. 4 million riders a year. So you're spending $5 per rider for a short-term benefit.

Brown Line stations cost, what $540 million for 17 stations that have at least a 20-year life and served about 37 million riders last year. That's 73 cents per rider (for 20 years of riders at present ridership). THAT's a good deal. $5 per rider - not so much.

Take $20 million, give 95th a good make-over, and put the other $120 million into the extension. That's nearly 10% of the projected cost of the extension right there.

Seems to me the CTA needs to time all of these projects a little better. If they push off the Red Line Track Reconstruction to summer 2014 they can potentially have the Cermack Green Line station in place (would need a slightly accelerated timetable) and can rebuild the 95th Street Station in conjunction with its closure.

That seems like it is a bigger than normal gap but the gaps are pretty big and they are exacerbated by the height difference between the car floor and the platform. Watching strollers get stuck in them day in and day out is rather annoying. I was also surprised when all the construction was completed that such large gaps were left. Maybe one day the entire system will have self leveling cars and we won't have to worry as much. Glad you were not hurt and the operator should have been watching or at least check that nothing is stuck before closing the doors and pulling away. Or am I giving too much credit to the train operators.

There is one slow zone southbound between Irving Park and Addison that drives me crazy solely because it is so soon after I get on the train. Other than that, most slow zones are below Diversey. The total slow zones on the Brown line are the third worst at 21 percent, behind the Dan Ryan leg and Purple Express, so that tells you how slow the trip is below Diversey.

It seems to me that this is not how Rahm works. Let us do something and do something now seems to be his moto. Bike lanes, Dan Ryan reconstruction, etc., he seems to be in a hurry. Whether that is because he is running for something else soon or wants a lot of accomplishments before 2015, I do not know, but he does not put off projects solely because they might be easier later. Full funding for 95th has not been found, so he wouldn't wait on that.

Wow, OhioGuy, that was a scary experience for you!

Glad you're still with us...

Just out of sheer curiously I am interested in the cost differentials of replacement and upkeep regarding subways lines versus exposed grade/elevated lines have to deal with weathering. Any of our transit experts here know of a good site that parses out the differences?

I doubt there are really any reliable numbers. While outdoor lines do experience weathering, subsurface lines are constantly battling water infiltration, subsidence, and ground movement. Many railroad embankments are now 160-180 years old, and the only upkeep or repair has been routine replacement of running rails.

That's a good point but we aren't really building earthen embankments anymore. Instead we're getting steel or concrete viaducts that probably won't last very long without ongoing and expensive maintenance or periodic replacement. Plus, even earthen embankments have steel or concrete overpasses that require periodic replacement... witness Metra's current UP-North project or the 40-year replacements on the expressway system.

Can someone explain why they never finished the railings and otheR detail work on 90/94 in the downtown area? It has been years and they still have concrete dividers and wood railings in many places.

How exactly is it a short term benefit? The added capacity wont cease to exist after the Red Extension is, or is not, completed. You could easily have another 40+ years of functionality before new work is needed (since the existing bus terminal has gone 43 years with only minor renovations)

So by your math, $140mm over 40 years, and a stagnant 4mm riders per year comes to 87.5 cents per rider... even if ridership falls off because of the Extension it would still be fairly low cost per rider.

Because the capacity won't be used if the extension is built. Almost all the bus lines that currently terminate at 95th will be shifted to stations further south and 95th will be stuck with a ton of super-expensive bus bays that sit with nobody using them. Or, worse yet, CTA turns them over to Greyhound - a private company that is supposed to build its own terminals.

By contrast, $140 million could fund three or four infill stations on other areas of the system - Division Brown Line, Madison Pink Line, Damen Green Line, Western Green Line, etc.

$240 million project to remake 95th Street CTA Red Line station
 

BY TINA SFONDELES Transportation Reporter tsfondeles@suntimes.com June 23, 2012 11:32PM

Terrible, cramped and decrepit.

That’s how CTA President Forrest Claypool describes the 95th Street Red Line station, one of the agency’s busiest terminals.

But under an ambitious $240 mil­lion plan to upgrade and expand the station, it will morph into a bright, airy and clean space, double in size with a sound barrier to block noise from the adjacent Dan Ryan Expy.

http://i.imgur.com/qlUV3.jpg
PHOTO CREDIT:Sun-Times

The glass-enclosed terminal will be spacious and filled with light, resembling O’Hare Airport, and its larger platforms will be able to hold more L passengers, according to conceptual designs from the CTA.

And it will have space for retail stores so riders can pick up a newspaper and a coffee for a ride into the city.

http://i.imgur.com/lPkdz.jpg
PHOTO CREDIT: Sun-Times

It’s not a pipe dream. This work is happening, the agency said, as soon as spring 2014.

More found on the Chicago Sun-Times website.

Personal Note - Funny how $140 million became $240 million all of a sudden. Leads me to believe, as others have noted, that the Red Line Extension may be a little longer in coming than originally planned.

Woah, cool! Architecturally it doesn't seem on par with Morgan... Looks like the same galvanized-and-kalwall look of Howard.

Design concerns aside, it's really awesome to get a generous facility on CTA for a change after a century of tiny, cramped platforms with terrible sight lines. I hope Wilson is built equally spacious.

The mention of 10-car trains is also very intriguing. I know it was asked before, but are the State St subway platforms long enough to berth 10 cars? Lake, Monroe and Jackson have the continuous mega-platform but the remaining subway stations are isolated and tricky to extend.

Indeed, every right-of-way is different.

The expressway median lines, particularly those below ground level (Dan Ryan and Eisenhower), must fight a constant battle against standing water during heavy downpours when older drainage/pump systems are simply inadequate or unreliable. Aside from the obvious electrical system threats, poor drainage also causes premature degradation of ties and ballast. Trying to keep up by constantly replacing ties and ballast only treats the symptoms rather than the root cause.

Short answer is: Barely. There is an eternal debate (as yet unsettled, as far as I know) as to whether a computer-assisted berthing system would be required to reliably operate 10 car trains in the subway stations, but there is technically enough length with almost zero margin for variability.

^^^
I am not entirely sure I understand this project given what we have talked about with regards to the extensions/bus routes but this is clearly more than just some bus bays. Regardless of whether or not this makes sense, that is a pretty bad ass station.

Speaking of which:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7...db46be66_z.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/7...4f0573c6_z.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7...1e8e57d0_z.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7...42b6e0fe_z.jpg
my photos

^^^ Saw those on the UP-N line last Wednesday—any word on how the new Ravenswood station’s doing?