From Greg Hinz's Blog today:

Springfield taking CTA, Metra riders on road to nowhere

The Orange Line currently operates 6-car trains, yes? Running Linden-Midway and Howard-95th trains seems like it would work. Whichever line runs express on the North Main, however, would probably need the full 8 cars. So... what if you made the Howard-95th trains run express on the North Main? Both of the new lines would skip Diversey, Wellington, and Armitage. The Linden-Midway local would have presumably less traffic, with people boarding at local stops and switching to the express at their first opportunity.

Looks like Chicago scored about $36 million from the Feds today for bus projects.

From FTA's website:
The "east-west circulator" is news to me. I'm not sure what alignment it will follow. If I had to guess, based on the description and budget, I'd say it is probably a surface transitway on Monroe Street, possibly including significant closure or reduction of the street to private vehicles, as per the Central Area Action Plan. I dunno how the Navy Pier connection will work... but once the buses cross Michigan Avenue and get out of the Loop, it's already a quick trip to Navy Pier across Grant Park and up Columbus or LSD.

Obviously, this is meant as a proof-of-concept, a test for lines to come. Ideally, it would be two bus lanes, two bike lanes in a cycle track, and one vehicular lane preserved for garage/alley access. I hope eventually they add a ramp down to the Lakefront Busway (which would be right underneath the Art Institute's new bridge). A river tunnel would be great, too, but that'll have to wait until the West Loop Transportation Center gets built.

The Jeffrey corridor is great, too. I'm guessing that, since express service already exists there, the improvements are only targeted at signal priority or lane closure, south of 67th. I don't even know if $11 million is enough for that, unless CTA somehow has a huge pot of local matching funds sitting around somewhere.

I believe the Orange runs 8 car trains, at least when I've been on it.

^Orange is 8 cars in rush periods, and 4 cars outside of peak.


I assume the Navy Pier BRT is going to run on Carroll Ave., which would be a "Surface Street", although I assume more than $24.65 million would be needed for entire corridor, as the railroad bridge would need a total rehab and perhaps an elevation as well. Perhaps the city will provide matching funds through a TIF.

that alternate universe is known as Toronto

on the more current topic of discussion, in the article about circulator and bus grants, it was pointed out that a 79th street BRT is envisioned, this is the east west link in the proposed Outer Loop LRT or BRT line correct? with the heavy rail alternative in this section running parallel to the rail ROW btwn Midway & 87th Red Line.

I had never seen a locally preferred alternative floated, so might this BRT plan splitting the line into a Cicero branch and 79th branch be a way of expediting the process?

Great news on the Govt funding for the first stages of what will hopefully be a citywide BRT network

^ According to the city's website, the transitway seems to follow an alignment along Madison in the Loop, not Carroll Avenue.

I'm not sure if I like that. Seems like such an alignment gets you from Union Station to Navy Pier. But what about River North and Mag Mile?

Hmm. Leave it to the city to pull a whole new project out of their ass to take advantage of a new grant program. The Central Area Action Plan calls for an underground busway or surface busway on Monroe Street, but now the city has switched to a split configuration on Washington/Madison and Canal/Clinton, at surface level.

I have no idea what existing bus routes will take advantage of the new bus lanes, or what new routes will be created afterward.

The CDOT press release does claim that an intermodal center will be built south of Union Station! Finally, we can do something with that god-awful parking lot.

About River North and Mag Mile - the Carroll Street Transitway will undergo an Alternatives Analysis soon, remember. That's a big-investment project, unlike the window-dressing that was announced today. Converting Lower Wacker to transitway operation will also be considered.

Dedicated or shared with autos? I can't imagine in a million years Lower Wacker lanes would be permanently conceded to a busway lane.

I don't know. That's what the study would determine.

If a Lower Wacker alignment WAS chosen, then they would probably install boarding platforms at 2-3 points, using loading dock and riverwalk space. I don't think the buses would get dedicated lanes, though.

I know this isn't transit, but IDOT is planning a diverging-diamond interchange in Naperville at I-88 and Route 59. There's currently only one existing in the USA, in Springfield, MO, although several others are under construction.

I just thought it was interesting because IDOT is usually super-conservative when it comes to roadway design, but apparently somebody decided to jump on the latest trend. I hope this means more experimentation and open-mindedness on the part of those who design our road and transit facilities.

^ I hope IDOT wisens up to the benefits of rural roundabouts at the confluence of state routes, particularly downstate. I can't tell you how many crazy three way route crossings there are where you have to turn your head like an owl to check for oncoming traffic, not to mention how surprisingly confusing who has the right of way can be if you aren't used to these intersections, with traffic cutting in front of you. It can be startling and confusing, and would be safer and much more aesthetically pleasing, not to mention, easier on gas, if large roundabouts replaced these outmoded rural confluences.

New Ravenswood Metra station
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3...21d757e1ab.jpg
vxla / flickr

Wow! Beats the heck out of what's there now!

Wow that actually looks good. I have to say I am very pleasantly surprised by this. Metra seems to be getting serious about making halfway decent city stations.

Specifically about this design: this looks very promising, but with traditional throwback designs - and specifically ones by production architect Fitzgerald - the devil will be in the details.

Honestly all the new train stops look the same to me. Red brick, attempt a retro look, just looks blah to me.

Does it include a walkway on the overpass so patrons can enter and exit from the south side of Lawrence?

Looks good.

Why are they building this again?

Sure, I would have liked to see something sleek, clean and modern. But frankly I'm shocked to see a full length canopy here. I can look the other way with the architecture if the train station actually looks like a train station and not a long stretch of asphalt with a couple squat park shelter shacks in the middle. This will be nice.