Well, that sure seems like a stupid attitude to take...

If you are as committed to bringing rail transit to the south lakefront as you claim (and I believe you are), I would think you'd be all for any supporters you can get (particularly those with political clout). Who cares if the plan is slightly different than yours or if you don't get full attribution???

As someone who rode the MED down to 83rd yesterday (and has taken it to/from Hyde Park for years), I find it baffling and somewhat shameful to see how underutilized that infrastructure is. Bronzeville, Hyde Park, South Shore, etc. are great neighborhoods, and better transit would definitely be a HUGE asset. But infighting like this among supporters is likely to doom the project to ultimate failure.

You are right Clark, it is! So if I were to call SOUL tomorrow for assistance, do I speculate they might decide to help me?? I think I'd get my feelings hurt.

Want to get involved Clark -- YOU Clark (or somebody) call SOUL this week, ask them what they think about the current situation regarding the MED, and plans for it's future (and would they now support working together to support the Gray Line?) Remember the Lucas Museum, and Obama Library have now been thrown into the mix: http://trib.in/1tfcRvf

Their "plan" is not "slightly different" -- they want to fit DC-3 rotary piston engines into a 747's turbofan jet nacelles -- and have it fly (and they simply just don't understand that).

I can explain it all QUITE CLEARLY; but it will take about an hour, let me know when to start!

Reg the Gray Line proposal. Have you figured out how much additional rolling stock would be needed in order to run the headways you propose and support the ridership you expect? Is that included in the cost? (I see $200 million and $300 million on your website).

Another comment/question. Seems it would be a cinch to add fare gates for the stations on the IC mainline embankment or along the lakefront, but more difficult for the surface stations on the Blue Island and South Chicago branches, particularly the stations in the median of a road. Los Angeles is in the process of adding turnstiles to many of their stations, but basically skipped the surface stations, for now at least.

I suppose something similar to the outer ends of the Brown and Pink lines is possible-but how much do you figure this would cost per station? There are quite a few. Would this even be possible without being "Grandfathered" like the legacy CTA lines?

The Rolling stock is already bought, paid for, and under construction by Nippon-Sharyo in the Metra Highliner II configuration (note the fast Rapid-Transit type acceleration): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqFr...eature=related The Gray Line would use approx. 60-70 cars (of the 160 total order), but modified (at a significantly reduced construction cost) for a Rapid-Transit type service: http://www.grayline.20m.com/photo3.html

If you visit any of the surface stations, you can see that there is plenty of room for (Ventra) TVM's and Turnstyles. Each station would need probably 2 TVM's, 2 or 3 Turnstyles, and 1 ADA Entry; I would guess $1-2M each for most stations X 40 Stations (of course some big/busy stations would require more)

This brings up another point, off-train fare collection is ESSENTIAL for the project to work at all -- without it each train running every 10 minutes would require at least a 3-man (or more) train crew, such astronomically high labor costs would make the operation fiscally impossible right from the outset.

SOUL made/makes no recommendations on the fare collection issue, which was left by them in the hands of the Agencies ("Alien vs Predator") -- and ended up with them getting nothing because if it (and partially dragging the Gray Line down with them by association).

So I was walking down Clark and turning left to go down Roscoe to the sushi place Rollapalooza (my favorite, seriously try it) and noticed that the big restaurant on the corner was shut down with a sign in the window stating something like "CLOSED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY DUE TO CTA IMMINENT DOMAIN". I looked the place up when I got home and it had been Big Cheese Poutine (no idea). This would be the block they wanted to tear down to correct that little jog the red/puple line does near there.

I believe the other stores on that block were all open, and I know O'Hagans or whatever it is was still open.

I was walking again yesterday and noticed that the convenience store on the corner of Newport and Sheffield was closed down for business with a sign in the window saying so. Then I saw that Nisei Lounge next door was also closed, and then that National (use to be Yard) nextdoor to that was also shut down. They all had for rent signs in th window.

I was afraid this was all due to the CTA, but then realized that the CTA work wasnt' gonig to go north of Newport. No idea why so many businesses are going out of business right there all at once. I wasn't sure if I missed anything else that was shut down....

As far as I heard there is no current imminent domain going on with CTA. Wondering if they put that there as an excuse for going out of business, or maybe the owner found a good deal and jumped at it since he knows that location might get iffy soon with potential CTA projects.

I looked all these businesses up online and there's nothing about them being closed, most had yelp reviews and activity within the past few weeks. Seems so sudden.

You only have to look at the MTA to see what would happen...

This. I don't think CTA has started eminent domain proceedings yet, they don't have the funding (remember, under eminent domain the government still has to pay "fair market value").

Probably those restaurants were leasing and the landlord decided not to renew their leases due to the uncertainty of the CTA project. He probably posted those signs out of spite.

My guess is that the rent was going up at the north of Newport places and all those business either couldn't or didn't want to afford it. There is going to be a dearth of commercial space in Wrigleyville once the CTA tears down a few blocks and then the coming development south of Wrigley that will tear out a large section of Clark. The landlord at the building north of Newport knows this and is probably looking for long term leases that will reflect that. Just a guess.

The poutine place is a chain from Canada and had only been open like four months. They reportedly already have a new space lined up.

That's what I had figured. I thought it was weird when I was walking along and thought "oh wow, that place went out of business....oh wow, that one did too, and that one next to it as well, and also the next....what the hell is going on here???".

They're all in different buildings though, not sure if they would have the same owners.

I don't want to say just "Anything", but the present situation is childish, ridiculous and intolerable -- so something MUST be done!

The past
 

Developments past -- signs of the old El branches.

http://forgottenchicago.com/features/remnants-of-the-l/

Cermak Green Line Station 7/29

http://i58.tinypic.com/2illmcn.jpg
twitter/ChicagoDrives

^The semicircle "ribs" of the station enclosure are being assembled in that lot at lower right. I assume they'll close the Green Line one weekend pretty soon and use a bigass crane to lift them into place above the tracks.

Remnants of the “L” | Forgotten Chicago
 

Cermak-McCormick Place Station 8/19
 

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...A8%3C239ot1lsi

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...%3A93239ot1lsi

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...%3A94239ot1lsi

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...66938239ot1lsi

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...66939239ot1lsi

^ The bus passing by on that last picture makes for a really cool image.

Thanks for the photo updates!

It's interesting how they are casting a whole new concrete viaduct around the steel... Must be a tricky staging.

Oh wow, is that really what they are doing? That is bizarre. So they are just incorporating the old "L" structure rather than building new?