Once that's over, I hope we can move on to a funding dessert ... mmm, sweet, sweet, fundsicles ...

Is this map from Chicago-l.org still fairly representative of the circle line's planned routing?

http://www.chicago-l.org/articles/images/circleline.jpg

Do they ever plan on overhauling the far north side leg of the red line? Is that heavily used part of the system really in better shape than the Englewood branch? Other than Howard Street which has seen continous work for the past 5 years or so, most of the stations need work. And the slow zones are at times unbearable. Will I live til the day when Howard to Lake is a 30 minute commute?

i don't think so! Daley is irish so he probably just threatened to beat the shit out of him. ;)

personally the thing i wish the would do the most is the bus tracking system, like they do with the 20 madison. If users of the CTA could know exactly where busses are, it would make even a late running bus reliable because you can figure out alternative means and accurately chose the shortest trip.

For example, i'm near 13th and michigan and every morning i go to union station. If i could tell right away, if the #1 bus is coming in the next few minutes i would know whether i should instead take the EL or the 127 circulator.

They've been doing some track work on the Howard branch already, hopefully this means there is much more to come. It is among the lines slated (according to this) for further work. IIRC, the Englewood has serious structural and track deficiencies. You aren't going to see station overhauls on the Howard branch unless they get a LOT more money.

When three tracking finishes up and if/when they clear up the worst of the slow zones (north of Sheridan to Addison) things should improve quite a bit on the Red Line. The work they've from Clark Junction down though the State street subway already makes a world of difference. I never thought I'd see a travel time of less than 15 minutes from Belmont to Lake.

There's a contract currently out to bid for major trackwork along the North Main and Ravenswood branches that will remove all track-related slow zones. I think the idea is to build the Purple Express tracks to a 65 or 70mph standard, at least along their straightaways, as well.

Of course, as you point out, many of the North Main's stations and viaducts are in sorry shape, and alot more capital money will be needed before those are taken care of. Some work will be done sprucing them up...patching concrete in the viaducts, paint jobs, etc. I think there is a project currently underway thats completely replacing the canopies and light fixtures at Argyle, Berwyn, Bryn Mawr, Thorndale, Morse, and Jarvis, but I'm not sure where progress is on that.

The hardware is currently being installed on the buses....this is a pretty major undertaking that has to proceed garage-by-garage. Basically includes putting in a cellular modem and Mobile Access Router (MAR) on the bus, which then has to be connected to the existing GPS tracking computer. I don't know the roll-out timeline, but I think alot of people underestimated the complexity involved in doing such a project systemwide on 2000+ buses operating on 150+ routes at 12000+ bus stops.

Wow, really?

^ That sounds amazing. Howard to Belmont in 5-10 minutes.

It took me just 11 minutes on the Red line to go from the Addison stop to the Chicago stop on Thursday. My cell phone said 5:06pm when I boarded and it was 5:17pm when we pulled into the Chicago station. Nice speed! :)

(I've never had a train conductor going soooooo quickly through the subway)

Viva, I just wanted to tell you that your insider transit info is highly appreciated

Durbin raises questions about pending Chicago-area railway sale
 

Great Durbin, hope your not trying to hamper a much needed area development and upgrades just to appeal to an ill conceived expensive pet transit project.

hey, does anybody know if the city is planning on removing the defunct ramps on 90/94 where it goes right by the loop? aka randolph to 290... cuz that'd be a perfect way to get some more merge for the functional onramps that are quite suicidal right now

^I've wondered that too....I mean obviously that was the long term goal with eliminating every other on-ramp, but I wonder if that will have to wait until whatever federally-funded project actually totally replaces the roadbed for that stretch of 90/94.

so if the CN deal does go through, does mean that the tracks going east-west near 18th st. in the south loop will be abandoned (I had heard that the CN purchase would free up something near downtown and wasn't sure what exactly it was), and, if so, is that route being considered as a means to hook the Circle Line up with the Metra Electric?

Yes, if CN purchases the EJ&E, they would be able to abandon the St. Charles Air Line. But first someone has to figure out how to get Amtrak trains to and from the former IC north of Homewood.

Nope, no one other than me can see any reason whatsoever to keep an already dedicated, east-west, grade-separated rail line that connects several crucial assets in a rapidly growing part of the city. The folks from the planning and transportation agencies just look at me like I'm daft and say "well, it's only a few blocks from the Circle Line." Because, of course, CTA rail is the only rail transit there ever was or ever will be and, of course, the Circle Line will be open and running within months.

What possible reason could there ever be to run any trains differently than they ran in 1894? Well, there's the small problem that the office district is moving west, close to Union and Ogilvie, but farther and farther from Van Buren and Millennium. Running some Metra Electric trains into Union would help keep that line relevant to the region.

Instead, the city is intent on converting the SCAL into a greenway, with bike and ped trails. No one's ever explained how they intend for it to cross the Metra Rock Island tracks.

^ Abandoning the St Charles Air Line seems ill-conceived. The city should really take another look at that.

Am I correct that the Metra Electric is the only Metra Line that wouldn't be connected to the proposed Circle Line?

That's interesting. How far west would the line be abandoned--up to the yard immediately west of the Dan Ryan? Would that have any effect on the tracks west of that point? Is there any possibility of any public input process before the decision is made on what to do with the line?

If it's realistic to run the Metra Electric into Union Station, it certainly seems like a better terminus than Millennium. Converting such a short line into a bike/pedestrian greenway doesn't seem to make that much sense.

Yeah I know, I was on the train Thursday and actually got from Loyola Red to Chicago Red in less than 30 minutes I believe it was 26. They were hauling ass the whole way, it was wild.

Its been running really fast all weekend as well, it only took ~15 min last night to go from Sheridan to Chicago last night.