The brown line is the crown jewel of the CTA. You dont ever hear stories about people shitting on the brown line or someone getting stabbed like the red/blue/green line. Plus it has the best view with the river and skyline

True, but it's also the slowest line......

If you are in downtown and need to jet north, obviously the Red Line is the better choice time wise.

Also doesn't extend to Jefferson Park as it should either to provide a transfer to or interline with the Blue to O'Hare, instead requiring a bus ride or an unneccesary trip downtown, just to state the obvious.

There's 5 zoning applications that just hit to renovate 5 Metra Electric stations - 79th, 87th, 95th, 103rd, and 111th.

Metra had renderings of the new stations in their recent board meeting, they all look really nice: https://metra.com/sites/default/file...E%20Update.pdf

Unbelievable that they have to file for rezoning to renovate existing stations. This train line has had passenger service for 100 years, how is it not already zoned for train stations?

Every time I look, the city keeps finding new tricks to get in its own way.

It looks like maybe they are building a couple headhouses on the street that are occupied by other uses currently. This probably explains the zoning app.

Every building permit has to have a stamp from zoning

Yes, I'm aware of how you get a building permit in Chicago. But there's such a thing as legal non-conforming use. The stations should be grandfathered in, regardless of what the current zoning is, because they've been continuously in operation. Also Metra is part of RTA which is a state agency, so you can argue they don't even need building permits in the first place, it's just a convenient way for them to coordinate with city departments.

The zoning code isn't handed down from God, it is continously edited and updated by City Council. They chose this system that makes Metra and CTA jump through one more hoop.

I'm thinking ahead to other Metra projects - what happens when they want to build the A-2 Flyover, and the neighbors complain? If the alderman takes the neighbors' side, no zoning change for Metra. It's just one more way for NIMBYism to rear its ugly head. CTA only barely got the Belmont Flyover, and only because Rahm steamrolled Ald. Tunney.

That's just at 95th I think, the other headhouses appear to be within the ROW.

^ I think you're overthinking it.

Probably zoning will just stamp the damn thing and move on, like they do for countless projects. They do their own bitching, though, and one time I had to pay an attorney to explain to zoning that the 8 unit building that I was deconverting to 5 units was NOT a single family home. I had to take a bunch of pictures to prove to them that the building was actually what it was. Lazy assholes.

Ok, I digressed....

What? No, there is a Zoning Change filed with City Council for each of the 5 station renovations. A zoning change requires a full vote of City Council, not some rubber stamp from a staffer.

It's true that City Council does lots of minor things like sidewalk cafe permits, but that's part of the problem. If the alderman doesn't like you, or you forgot to hire his law firm for your tax appeal, etc etc, they can hold up tons of routine things precisely because they aren't delegated to city staff.

IIRC, one of the things the 2004 zoning reform discovered was that Chicago didn't have zoning for parks, nor for transportation facilities, and it created both. The code reform anticipated a remap that never happened. So the Metra Electric zoning changes are just some housekeeping, not a chance for a shakedown—as certain suburban landlords would gleefully speculate.

Ardecila I get what you are saying, I was thinking in terms of a Zoning stamp. But yes, it does seem a bit excessive. But whatever, I’m used to it

Savvy aldermen know exactly how these kinds of "housekeeping" council actions can be turned into an opportunity for NIMBY obstructionism, or yes, sometimes a shakedown.

The failure of the city to do a remap after 2004 is maybe the original sin here, but the continual failure to do it is really bad.

Since the South Shore Line extension won't initially have a stop in Downtown Hammond, city hall is planning to build one themselves.

Municipalities get on board plans to grow housing, commercial developments as South Shore projects start
https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...g7y-story.html

This will have to be an elevated station so it could get quite expensive (West Lake includes an elevated rail flyover crossing the freight lines thru Hammond).

Actually looks like the station will be at grade just south of the flyover. They will probably position it near Douglas St to anchor the courthouse square. I’m already looking forward to the quick electric train ride down to get delicious beer and burgers at 18th St Brewery…. https://www.nwitdd.com/hammond-gateway

Downtown Hammond could use it, though. So much potential to be a dense downtown on par with maybe Des Plaines or Elmhurst.

Blue Line extension is back on the menu

Chicago in the running for billions in new transportation funds: Buttigieg
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg...tructure-funds

Yes, please finish the 75th St CIP.

Can we extend the ORD Blue Line branch too to fix the crappy terminal situation?

blue line extension into suburbia? Bruh no, please just make a connection to the brown and blue line, that would be something small that would create significant results.

Bruh yes. An Eisenhower Blue Line extension makes total sense, as was briefly discussed several months ago. Bellwood and Maywood are just as dense as any city proper bungalow belt 'hood and this extension would be used. Should have been done decades ago. I actually think extension even further to the 88/290/294 interchange @ Hillside would be justifiable. An enormous park and ride with direct highway access could be built there which would encourage even more ridership. Tangentually related is that that same triangle would make an interesting site for a major sports/entertainment facility.

As for O'Hare Blue Line, no thanks. The airport is a natural terminal and any effort to get to the west side of the airport and out to Schaumburg or whatever would cost a zillion dollars and be much better served by modernized regional rail.

Brown extension under Lawrence from Kimball to Jefferson Park is so obvious its painful. Another project that should have done years ago. I made this comment maybe a couple years ago, but the same project could trench the tracks from the north branch to Kimball and remove charming but problematic grade crossings. Kimball is also the natural location to keep an expanded below grade yard with a big ass TOD on top. A station at Cicero/Lawrence could also be the beginnings of a potentially significant regional rail/Cta confluence. And that triangle where the lumberyard was is begging for an impressive redevelopment with some buildings with more than three floors. One can dream.