Or... Red Line to Jackson, up a new escalator in Pritzker Park, then Pink Line to Madison.

I mean, you can already do this by transferring to Blue at Jackson then walking from the IMD station up Damen.

United Center is great example, but I admittedly take the Red/Green Line route. However, I enjoy stopping in Wicker Park for post game dinner (Damen Bus) and always take a cab home due to unreliable bus service at night. If the local economy was booming and our state was not loaded with debt, the Circle and Gray lines would be my pet projects.

Can someone explain to me why the Redline modernization proposal cancelled the subway option? Was it purely due to cost overrun risk? I wonder how much eminent domain will cost to straighten the Sheridan curve. It will be interesting to see how the CTA manages that section of the plan. I was personally hoping for the subway component to extend to the Wilson redline.

Thank You Justin -- Boosts like that are part of what keeps me going, watch the next few weeks and months leading up to the RL Shutdown.

Cost and having to close stops (huge community/alderman opposition) basically made the subway option a non-starter.

My office building has a 360 view of Chicago and I find it fascinating comparing high rise construction on the north and south sides of Chicago. I believe the southside would experience a boom of high rise construction along the lakefront if we had CTA equivalent service running south. I have a few co-workers that take the Metra south shore line and I always feel bad when they have to wait around for 30+ minutes compared to my efficient redline. I would visit places, such as Hyde Park, more frequently if the commute did not involve a Metra line or Bus transfer from the Red.

I recall reading about a Columbus Drive subway for the Lakeshore East complex. It would be amazing if Chicago took over the Metra Electric and created subway stops in Lakeshore East and Navy Pier.

I know the Lakeside development is a pipe dream, but that would be the cornerstone for the CTA Gray line.

One can dream.

Justin -- Can you spell P O L I T I C S ?

Hey guys, I was hunting for old NYC, B&O, PRR, Nickel Plate, and Erie routings into Chicago recently, and was struck by the lack of Metra commuter service into Indiana*, despite the wealth of rail lines and useful termini like Valparaiso, Notre Dame, and Dyer. Why is that?
_______
*Also, is the South Shore Line a Metra line?

Eight Car L Charter Sunday, March 24, 2013 Sponsored By IRM
 

The annual Snowflake Special 'L' Charter sponsored by the Illinois Railway Museum is set for Sunday, March 24, 2013 and this year features an eight car train composed of four married pair doubles of each of four types of CTA DC powered high performance rail cars. Combining all of the DC types is possible because retirements have been postponed to allow for a larger 'L' car fleet. The 2013 Snowflake runs from Midway Terminal departing at 0900 and returning at 1800. The DC rail cars include the Budd 2200 series, the Boeing 2400 series, the Budd/Transit America 2600 series, and the Morrison-Knudsen 3200 series. The train should be in numerical order as it travels to the system's extremes.....airport to airport, Midway to O'Hare and north to south, Skokie Shops to 98th Street yard in the Bishop Ford Freeway. This never-before itinerary will cost $47, remarkable as the CTA this year has increased its rates 100 percent. Details and ticket sales are being handled on the IRM Store website

http://www3.irm.org/store/index.php?...index&cPath=10


A limited number of tickets at $55 will include the shuttle trips from Forest Park to Midway to ferry two types of rail cars needed to assemble the eight car train. The Forest Park schedules are 0800 departure and 1915 return.

2013 IRM Snowflake Special Highlights........Eight Car "L" Train; 2200 series, built by Budd in 1969-1970. Running on Blue and Pink Lines- many have already been scrapped......2400 series, built by Boeing in 1976-1978. Found on Green, Red, and Orange, and next to be replaced by 5000s......2600 series, built by Budd/Transit America in 1981-1987. Largest fleet of any type- they run on several lines.....3200 series, built by Morrison-Knudsen in 1992-1994. First computerized cars, on Brown, Orange, and Yellow.

Entire airport to airport trip, Midway to O'Hare via Loop 'L', Paulina Connector, since Block 37 isn't completed, LOL. Trips through both subways of Chicago's Initial Subway System.

David Harrison

A Budd 2200 heads up a previous IRM Snowflake Special at a photo stop northbound at Fullerton Ave. on the north side main. IRM Specials usually feature several front-end signs from years past and this charter probably also was adorned with a "toilet seat" at some time during the day since the holder for the "Identra Coil/ Train Identification Coil" is still on the right corner post.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...f/P1060766.jpg

Never been any. Metra is an Illinois agency that taxes and operates in the six-county RTA area, and can't even extend BNSF service to Oswego because that's in Kendall County. The Kenosha terminal was kept merely because the North Western had facilities there that would be costly to replicate south of the border.

South Shore Service eventually required its own Indiana agency, NICTD, to fund it. It hasn't served downtown South Bend or Notre Dame in decades. The RTA map is careful to show it in a completely different color.

NYC had a few rush hour commuter runs to Chesterton with a couple continuing to Elkhart until 1961. The Pennsy operation to Valpo lasted until 1991 under Amtrak 403(b) arrangements.

From a socioeconomic standpoint, Northwest Indiana traditionally was a big employment center in its own right, and didn't send that many workers to downtown Chicago. As all the mills have closed, the South Shore has become an economic lifeline, allowing white- and pink-collar workers access to Loop jobs. There's occasional talk about a second NICTD line, but even the Hammond area bus service closed down last year.

Right. The plan was for two new lines: a restoration of service to Valpo, and a line to Lowell. The Lowell line was selected as the first line to get built, but these are all just the ramblings of Northwest Indiana politicians.

As Mr. D mentioned, there's no funding to expand the South Shore, between the Tea Party governor and the general, post-industrial economic malaise in Northwest Indiana. NICTD/South Shore can't even afford to relocate a problematic on-street segment in Michigan City, which is a fraction of the cost of a whole new service.

Peterson/Ridge Station

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7...rsonridge1.jpg

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5...rsonridge2.jpg

http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/at...d_facepalm-jpg

Citizens participate in South Shore Line realignment options
 

A FINE EXAMPLE of how Transit Planning SHOULD work -- As opposed to CTA's attitude of: "We DON'T give a FLYING P H U C K what you want or don't want!!!

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/...b342123491.txt

By Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer and City Planner Craig Phillips
Michigan City, IN

Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 5:06 PM CST

More than 130 citizens gathered for a workshop last Thursday on the South Shore realignment project and work they did! After remarks by Mayor Meer and City Planning Director Craig Phillips and a presentation by the City’s consultant, Stuart Sirota, of TND Planning Group, who presented several updated alignment concepts for consideration, citizens gathered in small groups at tables and discussed the pros and cons of each alignment alternative. The updated concepts were developed in order to explore ways to overcome the negative impacts associated with the earlier options presented in the formal TIGER II Realignment Study, while providing substantial benefits to both Michigan City and NICTD.

After an hour of deliberation, a spokesperson for each table presented the results to the full group. The overwhelming result by citizens was support for the revised central option, which keeps the South Shore Line on 10th and 11th Streets but provides a more incremental approach to improving South Shore Line operations without many of the negative impacts associated with the earlier proposal. While the northern option variant also was highly supported, it was felt that there are also numerous potential impacts which could impede revitalization of the North End. At the same time, the southern option variant was ruled out by a majority of the tables taking part in the discussion because most participants understood the importance of keeping the South Shore Line station in close proximity to Downtown in order to leverage redevelopment opportunities associated with Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

It is important to note that although there are differing viewpoints, the process in which we engage the community to help inform the decision is every bit as important as the final outcome. It was inspiring to see a room full of citizens engaged in this critical issue that will impact Michigan City for the next 100 years.

There is no doubt that the road ahead will have bumps and detours as we negotiate with NICTD, but the public process worked last Thursday and will have an impact on the position that the city takes regarding the realignment alternative. The Central option variant has not been ruled out by NICTD, and is actually a major subject of current negotiations with them. We are hopeful that NICTD will stay engaged with the city and show willingness to compromise in order to achieve a fair and balanced outcome.

Mr. Sirota and the team of railroad experts he has assembled from world renowned transportation consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff collectively bring over 100 years of technical expertise about rail operations, design, engineering and city planning to Michigan City and will continue to advise the city on the best course of action.

It is critical that the public stays engaged in this issue by continuing to participate in the public process and by visiting the “South Shore Realignment in Michigan City” Facebook page, which shares regular updates on the project and has links to the City’s NICTD realignment webpage.

^ I'm not understanding the reason for the facepalm. Care to elaborate?

I'm guessing it's because the design is unspeakably hideous?

Yeah, that. I also think the station needs a higher level of amenity - a full-length canopy like Ravenswood is getting, and a decent stationhouse with some retail. The cul-de-sac is also a problem; what if CTA wants to run a bus to this station in the future?

I support a station at this location but the details are all wrong. Metra set a high standard at 35th. Maybe IIT or the city forced them to hire SOM instead of the normal schlock.

I disagree. They wasted four years and how many millions of dollars to end up back where they started. The first proposal in 2009 was to take a bunch of property on 10th and 11th. Citizens rejected it. Then there was an alternate plan still running on 10th and 11th with less takings. Citizens rejected it. Then they studied a northern path, central path, and a southern path(rejected it for the umpteenth time), finally settling on a northern path along US-12. Now that is rejected by the citizens who now are overwhelmingly backing an incremental 10th/11th realignment. Give me a break, pick one and let's start trying to find a funding source to build it.

Is this being built so that it can only load six cars? Damn I hate that. And that cul-de-sac is ridiculous. The faux traditional crap I can at least handle because it is a matter of taste but Metra please build something functional.

Shit, I didn't even notice that.

The same problem cropped up at Ravenswood; Metra claimed that keeping the station south of Lawrence would require the Leland overpass to be rebuilt at some absurd cost. Eventually the alderman made them do it. The weird thing is, they're replacing all the bridges anyway. Adding a platform extension to a brand-new bridge seems like only a marginal cost.

Why must everything "new" being done at Metra be 20-30 years behind the times in both form and function? They make the CTA look like cutting edge radicals.

BECAUSE this is Chicago -- Things are N O T done here to provide adequate service to the Public.

THINGS are done here to Provide "Corporate Welfare" to Campaign Contributors, connected Construction Companies and Consultants, etc....

The Agencies all must take their time to discover and vet someone "Connected" enough to lavish all that Welfare on.

Ooo la la! split face block on that metra station.

My god, this is like a downgrade version of my class B high school's football concession stand paid for by candy sale donations.