Why not do it all the way, then? Align the inner track departures to the left side and the outer track departures to the right side. If it's an intentional design cue, it's too subtle. You might even want to throw in some arrows.

The inner and outer track arrivals should also be consolidated, rather than being integrated into one long list by their arrival time.

The sign is showing so many trains, I believe, because it's required to show the next two trains on each line that serves the platform. Since the next Purple train is 11 minutes away, the script includes all the trains arriving in the next 11 minutes.

I'm not a programmer, but I know that all these changes are easy to make... like, 5 minutes of coding easy. It's the collection and verification of the data that's the challenge. Fortunately, since changes to the sign are so easy to make, CTA will probably keep tweaking it until it's optimal.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/504/traintracker.jpg

Im willing to give the CTA the benefit of the doubt since this is just a test run. At a bare minimum, they do need to make it neater. But again, look at Berlin; they're using 3 different bolds to emphasize each column, the display appears to be far brighter and easier on the eyes, the fonts are cleaner, etc. If we're copying a system (and btw, theres absolutely nothing wrong with that. no need to reinvent the wheel) we might as well go all the way and make sure the details are up to snuff. Its stuff like that which locals and visitors alike sub-consciously take note of and plays a role in forming perceptions of a city.

Aesthetically speaking, nothing I've seen anywhere beats the Metro countdown platform signs in Paris. Kinda small picture but you can see it reflected on the ceiling of this ridiculously beautiful copper clad station—

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/...941ac6bb14.jpg
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It's also stuff like this thats proof the CTA needs a few more right-brained folks working for them.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2...o-service.html

Glad to see the electronic signage made it into the final version. The spy photos of the new cars didn't show them, but maybe they will be added in the remaining 396-car order.

Why are the new 5000s going to the Red Line, though? The Red Line is running 2600s, which won't need replacement for another decade. The Blue Line needs the 2200s replaced quickly, and after that, the Green/Purple Lines need their 2400s replaced Maybe they'll just shift some 2600s over to the Blue Line?

EDIT: just saw CTA's photos of the electronic signage. WTF? It's just a printed map of the CTA system with holes drilled at each station and an LED bulb in each hole. It will also be quite complex to modify whenever infill stations/line extensions open.

I was expecting an LED screen that would show advertising and an interactive graphic showing the train location, thereby removing the expense of printing/installing new maps whenever the rail system is altered, and making it flexible enough to show station closures, elevator outages, and so forth.

This is just... amateur hour. It looks like a middle-schooler made it from Radio Shack parts.

^Probably not far off.

NY's newest cars have a fine LED line board, that I think looks and functions great. A solution to the design could have been made in Chicago for more line-to-line mobility. Completely perplexed as to why they feel the need to display the entire system map as part of the LED board. The LED board should be line specific and focused. Not much intellectual or creative decision making behind the scenes at the ol' CTA. Can;t blame Bombardier, they're just building what the CTA asked for. Once again, I'm embarrassed for the CTA. How hard is to get your act together???

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q.../img_45349.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q.../img_45349.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ourse138th.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ourse138th.jpg

I saw one like that in London... in 1996.

I suspect the current solution was simply done for expediency, reverting to whatever was spec'd in the early 2000s when this whole epic saga of a procurement started --- since stopping the presses in 2009 and "doing it right" with a nice custom-spec'd route indicator would have resulted in yet another delay to the delivery of the prototypes, which needed to be tested in all seasons.

Stuff like seating configuration or the system map are such a small component of a railcar that they not only can be relatively easily modified in time for the final order, but by rights they should be the least of the engineers' worries for a prototype when compared to the bread and butter issues like propulsion, brakes, cab signalling, doors, suspension, and so on.

Similar story on the next train predictions being sent to those LED signs... the prototype phase is more focused on actually getting the technical aspect of the systems integration working in a reliable manner, with minimum-effort design choices until the technical details are worked out.

As long as there is eventual follow-through on the final 5% of user-experience considerations, it always pays to focus on the underlying technical/functional details of a project first rather than focusing on how it plays in a rendering in a Powerpoint; the Titan Outdoor LCD Screens should be pretty strong evidence of that.

Schedule for 5000-series revenue testing on Red Line
 

Monday, April 19, 2010 through Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010 through Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010 through Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010 through Friday, May 14, 2010

Southbound – Leaving Howard

Run Number      Scheduled Departure Time

904                   0901 

905                   1244 

819                   1550 

829                   1918+ 

Northbound – Leaving 95th

Run Number      Scheduled Departure Time

806                    0730

813                    1038+

818                    1419+

827                    1720+

826                    2048+

Photos of the new cars (inside and outside) from Ben Meyerson on flickr

Here is a very large article from Crain's

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-b...rticleId=33270


Illinois Toll Highway Authority needs $2 billion to fix I-90. Will drivers accept a toll hike by scandal-tarred agency?

By: James Ylisela Jr. April 19, 2010


...

With the expected growth of the region, the tollway is likely to expand, not shrink. In addition to the I-90 project, the tollway is considering numerous others: the Illiana Connector, to join interstates 57 and 65; the Prairie Parkway, to connect interstates 88 and 90; western access to O'Hare, and an extension of I-53/I-355.

...

Tolls for I-Pass users are the same, in nominal dollars, as they were in 1963! Forty cents! If they had kept pace with inflation, the tolls would be somewhere around $3. I don't think an increase to $1 is unreasonable at all. The toll on the new segment of 355 is already $3, but I think that's a bit absurd to apply elsewhere... drivers going the length of the Tri-State would pay $12 over the course of four toll plazas. That's ridiculous, and it would only encourage more traffic through the city on the free 90 and 94.

But imagine the ridiculous stuff we could build with a $3 toll... I guess that explains why much of the tollway system was able to take shape in less than ten years back in the 50s/60s with an equivalent high level of tolling. That, and the fact that state and federal governments weren't on the brink of insolvency.

^ The article also says Illinois tolls are a bargain compared to other states. Raising them should be a no-brainer.

I don't understand the relevance of the insolvency statement. No state or federal money was used for the tollways.

...How would those departure times be translated into normal clock time? I totally want to check these out tomorrow!

I'm assuming it's military time/international time

midnight is 2400 noon is 1200

so 1918 is 7:18 PM

good luck

I would agree, except that most voters are too stupid to know the difference between different units of government, let alone even understand tollway financial arrangements, so I think ardec's point still has some relevance pertaining to how any toll hike would be handled in the public realm.

Seriously?

Until the early 90s, CTA expected the public to understand signs that said things like

Ravenswood trains
berth at north end of platform
Mon-Fri 0745 to 0922
and 1545 to 1915

use center berths at other times

Totally serious.

My bad. :/

theres really no need to raise the cost of doing business in the Chicago area (considering its already high in comparison to some sun belt states), especially when cities such as Memphis and Kansas City are beginning to eat into Chicago's dominance as the freight train/air cargo/trucking capital of North America. If the Illinois Tollway Authority doesnt need to raise the tolls, then it shouldnt.