And what were the main arguments in the analysis for the subway alternative again? Was it cost?

It was laid out to be about the same price as redoing the elevated structure. In order to attain that comparable cost, there was a reduction in the number of station, which was widely unpopular and considered detrimental to existing business corridors.

^ Do you have a link to the alternatives analysis? I was looking for it on the CTA's website the other day and couldn't find it.

Didn't the subway version also include only 2 tracks instead of 4, meaning no express tracks?

No picture, but the new entrances to Clark/Division Red Line are in... Well, at least two of them are.

Yes, but the speeds would be higher due to fewer stations and wider curves.

This is interesting. The added express trains will only run every 30 minutes, with 3 new Loop-bound departures from Linden at 7pm, 7:30pm, and 8pm.

Not sure if they can get the magic 39 passengers per car on a 4-car train. The usefulness of this express service will increase quite a bit once the Wilson stop opens, although by then the CTA will (hopefully) be two-tracking north of Wilson rebuilding the viaduct.

I hope this is a first step towards making the Purple Line into a legitimate North Side express train, with transfers to Red every 3-4 stops and extended operating hours. Ultimately, it would be great to make the Red Line the express train from Howard to 95th, and Purple Line would be a local from Linden to the Loop.

^ I hadn't thought about that, but making the Red Line the express does probably make more sense that somehow making the Purple express from Howard to the Loop by getting rid of all the extra stops south of Belmont. Has that been mentioned in any official documents ever?

^ Nope. CTA's planners apparently don't get license to think about the big picture very often.

Cecil Adams a few years ago noted that there was a vague consensus among planners: that CTA would eventually need to run the Purple Line as a full-time express and send it into the State Street Subway permanently, terminating at the new Cermak station on the Green Line. This would presumably be done after the Clark Flyover is built; this would allow for additional Brown Line trains to pick up the slack at local stops from Belmont southward after the Purple Line service was shifted away.

Unfortunately, making the Red Line the express train like I am proposing would mean Evanston loses CTA express service. In reality, they would still have express service - it's just called Metra. But that's too "big picture" for anybody in Chicagoland to comprehend.

Amen! The lack of holistic thinking is a real head scratcher. When the renewal of the red/purple first came out, CTA insiders were quoted emphasizing that the program was a Red/Purple project only and that no discussion was appropriate re how it would interact with the rest of the system. The silo mindset truly stuns. I have little hope for the CTA -- and I say that sadly.

The new Ravenswood Metra Station (west platform) will be open for riders on Monday! This has been a long time coming, and I look forward to watching construction begin on the east side tracks.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150...ondays-commute

the demo work with wilson has surely made a visual impact in the light department

..

Maybe someone can enlighten me here... Viva, are you still kicking around here? Talk to me like I'm stupid...

How is this new system different from what CTA used before? Don't drivers already communicate with supervisors using a radio? And with Bus Tracker, there is GPS data available on bus location and speed as well.

^ From talking to someone that was there, it sounds like this new technology automates the process of finding bunched buses, provides automatic alerts, and then creates a more streamlined way for dispatchers to communicate with drivers. But yeah, the basics were already there.

The new technology is Clever System's Real-Time Monitoring and Management of Fleet Vehicles.

New Type of TIF District Would Increase Funding for Transit Projects

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2015/05/1...nsit-projects/

^ Interesting. I wonder if such a revenue stream could inadvertently drive the city to promote more TOD?

Checking in for the first time in a couple of years (I live in Europe now), and that is a very odd setup. I’m fairly certain the main reason for the high cost, though (even taking the typical Chicago “measure once, build twice” contracting into account) is the need to keep everything going as they’re rebuilding, which adds a lot of complexity to an already-expensive project (one that would probably have had costs comparable to a new line even if they could shut everything down for a few years). This was one of the big reasons I was a fan of the replacement subway—no disruption to existing service as it’s being built. Unfortunately, from what I understand the plan was basically DOA within the CTA due to (justified) fears of inconsistent funding—run out of money on a rehab project and you have a half-rehabbed ‘L’, run out of money on a subway and you have an unused tunnel and the main line continues to decay. Still, I’d have guessed something more like $400-600 million per mile. Honestly, this almost looks like a “we don’t want to do this project and want the plug pulled” number.

***
EDIT: Oh, the space underneath is for inspections—thanks to perspective it doesn’t look quite so dramatic in renderings, either (from the Environmental Assessment), though there are huge sound walls, too, because no neighborhood has ever survived the intrusion of elevated rail:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p...no/Render1.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b...no/Render2.jpg

It still looks a bit like overbuilt contractor pr0n to me.

***

There’s also the contributing factor of building more stations than other modern subways in the world, and having the line four-tracked, which is rarely done anywhere anymore since better geometry plus complementary bus service typically handles the job well enough (Evanstonians were pissed by the lack of exress service, but better geomtry and station spacing in the subway would have resulted in a Howard-Belmont travel times, but get rid of the magic word express and Evanston withdraws support regardless), as it would have with the Red Line subway; I’m still pissed that they didn’t emphasize that there would actually be more station entrances with the subway—they should have spoken in terms of consolidating platforms rather than consolidating stations (which pissed off people in Chicago). Going over the embankment is just weird, though—I suspect this has to do more with the logistics of replacing it while keeping trains in service. That has to be diagrammatic, not really to scale, right? I can’t imagine them raising the elevation of the tracks by that much.

That said I’m glad we have a second, northern Bryn Mawr entrance.

In any event I can’t imagine then going this far for the Edgewater stations—if it’s at this cost I think a Glenlake station’s inevitable—and would be surprised if they did anything more than shore up the embankment north of Loyola or Lunt because there’s no way they’re going to that amount of trouble for Jarvis.

WRT comprehensive planning the main reason you don’t see more of it is because there’s not much incentive in federal or state funding for that sort of thinking (it’s all on a project-by-project basis, and focused on concrete, not organization) about such things and talking about reshuffling service tends to be toxic in Chicago. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some reshuffling after-the-fact, though—IIRC the Dan Ryan-Howard-Lake-South Side Elevated reshuffling was looked at for years before finally being implemented in the early nineties, and then only after the big Lake-South Side ‘L’ rebuild, some years after the State-Dan Ryan connector tunnel was finished.

WRT the Purple Line there’s also the issue of it actually working quite well for what it does now—a lot of its traffic is actually Evanston-Lakeview/DePaul/Lincoln Park, not Evanston-Downtown, which makes it convenient extra capacity the Lakeview/DePaul/Lincoln Park-Downtown peak period commute, which is another reason why there’s not much consensus about making it a true express service at this point.

That Rt 53 boondoggle is ridiculous and needs to die. Driven solely by central planners with no grassroots support. No one is calling for it, no one out here is going to pay $5 to drive 12 miles at 45mph when other roads do the same for free.

I'm convinced this is being driven by land squatters along the route, just like Hastert's old Prairie Parkway or the Peotone Airport. About as corrupt as Illinois gets.

Youre wrong on that. The project has near unanimous support with every level of govnt, business and resident group in Lake County.. It's design may have been over compromised by environmentalist with 45 mph speed limitations. But this is not some plow the cornfields expansion. Lake County is the 3rd most populated county in the state and sits halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago,.

The road is more of a regional connector and auxiliary to I-94, Which cannot and should not be widened again. I-53 is being designed with bus rapid transit in mind and bikeways. It would be a true parkway with a low profile and plenty of bike and pedestrian friendly overpasses.
The East-West portion will incorporate roundabouts to encourage slow flow and reduce emissions from stop light backups.

Ultimately the road will be a facilitator to the connectivity of the entire megaregion: Rockford, Milwaukee, Madison & Chicagoland. But immediately it provides access to the job centers of Schaumburg & o'Hare.

Its not popular to build roads or anything in the suburbs on this forum, but the burbs are part of the Chicago economy and not everyone is going to live in highrises.

I've seen the Lake county survey data. It's popular with people who live nowhere near the route. It's easy to be for something when all the negatives are dumped on someone else.
Yes govt wants Ponzi scheme growth and sprawl. Yes corporations want more sprawl.

But I and everyone I know will never pay $5 to get to hwy 120 when I can go 55mph on rt 12 for free.

And still no one can explain how a state that owes $100 billion for pensions can spend what will probably amount to $5 billion on sprawl.

Edit: And I'm calling BS on the BRT lanes. Ridership will be about zero. The Rt 53 extension is going through a very rural/exurban part of Lake County. Those BRT lanes will start in a part of Cook County very car friendly and poorly served by Pace. They will end at 120 at what's now a bunch of corn fields and small towns. Taking a BRT from one end to the other does not accomplish a meaningful commute. If the bus can run on regular lanes on existing 53, it can run on regular lanes up north. Realistically, those BRT lanes just allow them to 6 lane the road when the eventual sprawl leaves it choked with cars and traffic just as bad as it is now.
And the bike lanes are nice, but it'd be a lot nicer to have the bike path without the tollway right next to it. That's not a relaxing bike ride.

The CTA Facebook account just posted an update about the Belmont bypass:
https://www.facebook.com/thecta/posts/852390191517272

Announcement of environmental report release:
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/d...ArticleId=3423

Updated page with links to more info:
http://www.transitchicago.com/news_i...on/bypass.aspx

Looks like some of the impacted properties listed are impacted because of reconstruction of the existing structure, not the bypass itself. Happily, it also looks like they are planning to relocate the Vautravers Building instead of demolishing it. :)

The YouTube animations are required viewing.

CTA hasn't posted any ridership figures since January, it's the middle of May.

What the hell is going on?

Very cool design on the support posts for the flyover. Anyone think this is just a little too flashy though? It calls a lot of attention to itself for a noisy intrusive piece of infrastructure that should just fade into the background except at certain key points.

Sadly we're not talking about a thing of beauty like this new line in Paris...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...dispositif.jpg

I thought the flyover got nixed in the last election. Or was that vote just about demoing buildings to do it?

^Merely an advisory referendum.

I got this email today.

I've been waiting for them as well (nerd alert!). They did post February, which saw a decline from last year. Makes sense with the blizzard that kept everyone out of work the Monday after the Super Bowl and just the general freezing weather that month.

This January had a nice pop from last year for the reverse reason.

Yeah, right after I posted, they put up the February numbers. They should have March out too though.

The flyover isn't so bad, that is if all the redevelopment comes into fruition.

From the youtube videos it looks like they've done work to minimize impact compared to the original list of affected buildings

The Flyover looks more appropriate at O'Hare rather than in an old line urban neighborhood. The design is cookie cutter super highway crap.

Why not elegantly elevate the red line up another level ,stations and all, for long enough to allow the brown line to split off in it's current footprint.

If we are going to spend a half billion anyway why not go all out and spend some more in order to forget this flyover crap and make the Brown line run southeast under Clark Street or Lincoln Ave (which would close the Brown Line Paulina station but that is it). Let the Purple Line take over all Brown Line stops from Belmont on South. A man can dream.

:tup: That would be the perfect solution, submerge it after the fullerton stop but will never happen of course...

Because that would require rebuilding Belmont as a two-level station, push Addison way up in the air, and probably require closing the Red Line for months.

As a Chicagoan transplanted to DC, I can attest that one thing I miss about CTA is the minimal sidewalk-to-platform travel time.

^ Also, you'd have to build three tracks at the higher elevation to get the same benefit. Otherwise outbound Brown trains still conflict with inbound Purple.

IF they just HAVE to build a flyover, I think the construction designs presented (especially the supports) are WAY overbuilt, like a 1930's Russian Comrades Heavy-Duty Mine Ore RR.: http://bullseye-prod.aggrego.org//wp...zUm3mKFaPa4%3D ; or a bridge to support a canal carrying Ships over a local River: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...swxqbz8DCiIq6A Plus they have a big concrete box beneath the Brown Line rails carrying all the weight of the stucture, to signifcantly increase the final needed height to be attained.


These images of the Pink Line along S. Paulina Ave. illustrate a MUCH lighter and less costly structural system,that would be MUCH less intrusive to the neighborhood; and clearly show at 15th and Paulina how the Pink Line crosses over the BNSF/UP lines in a through-girder bridge only inches above the freight trains' roofs (without adding those additional feet like a box girder), you can even move the camera under the "L" to see the lighter-weight structure in close detail:

16th & Paulina: https://www.google.com/maps/place/S+...0d39b0!6m1!1e1

1725 W. Hastings: https://www.google.com/maps/place/17...830379!6m1!1e1

15th & Paulina: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8612...Yg!2e0!6m1!1e1

Monroe/Wabash
 

Note the Pink Line tracks don't have any soundproofing. That's because the previous Pink Line tracks didn't have any, and the concrete supports don't generate as much sound as the former steel structure, so they could get away with saying it would improve sound without doing full sound remediation.

However in Lakeview, the structure will be taller and it will be new, and the neighbors are richer and better connected, so doing more to absorb sound is called for. Plus, part of the reason the Pink Lines looks the way it does, apart from the reasons I've listed, is that they re-used part of the structure there. For the flyover, it is all new.

that said, I don't think it will be imposing at all. Yes, I think that Paris example would be cool, but I think the Belmont flyover will be fine.

June 10th CTA Board of Directors Meeting
 

Ellen Hughes of the Stop the Flyover Coalition, and Mike Payne of the CTA Gray Line Project, along with others opposed to the Flyover concept — will be addressing the June 10th, 2015 CTA Board of Directors Meeting, and incoming CTA President Dorval Carter.
10am, 2nd flr. Boardroom, CTA Headquarters, Desplaines & Lake (one block west of the Clinton Green/Pink Line Stop). Please attend if you can!

http://stopbelmontflyover.com/ http://www.civicartworks.com/project...opular&phase=1

Chicago surveys fliers as Rahm's rhetoric on O'Hare express train heats up
 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...mn.html#page=1

May 31, 2015

The CTA and the city of Chicago are surveying thousands of passengers who use O'Hare International Airport to learn more about their trips, focusing on how people commute to and from the airport.

The $280,000 survey that runs through June asks how people access the airport — options include personal or rental car, taxicab, limousine, ride-hailing services like Uber X or public transit — and whether they use the parking garage, economy lots or People Mover transit system. It even asks even how many bags they tote onto planes.....

They could have spent that 280 grand to fix the escalator they left broken at the CTA Ohare station for a year....that would have saved some time on my commute!

They supposedly got started on it this spring....though I have yet to see any evidence of that in my frequent use of the station. Kind of embarrassing that it's going to probably take over two years to accomplish.

I find it hard to endorse any further train proposal (short of CrossRail) given the limited time benefits and probable cost. I'd be grateful if Chicago mayors would stop chasing after this particular mirage.

The entire rail infrastructure and Metra equipment already exists to start running a Metra CUS-O'Hare Express tomorrow if they wanted to!

BUT this is after all - Chicago; and something like this CAN NOT be done basically, without Millions being spent first on "studies", overplanning, and somebody has to make many more Millions constructing some spectacular spectacular new "Signature Project" transit infrastructure. ("Ohhh, Ahhhh")

Yes, I also cannot believe that people wouldn't clamor for a less convenient yet more expensive option that saves little to no time over the blue line.

The Metra solution is really not a preferred model considering how far from the terminals it would drop people. An ideal solution would probably have stations at McCormick Place, near Millennium Park, between Union Station and Ogilvey (or just one in either the Loop or West Loop - I like the idea of two, but one would be cheaper and simpler to operate), Terminal 5, and the main terminals at O'Hare, with the distance between Millennium Park and O'Hare traveling through a deep tunnel similar to the Deep Tunnel drainage system. The tunnel could travel beneath the existing subway tunnels and then from the West Loop could travel a straight line to O'Hare. A deep tunnel like that would be relatively cheap compared to a more conventional tunnel or elevated structure, and allow dedicated ROW for at least the longest portion of the trip.

Doing a deep tunnel like that under the Loop would save the existing Block 37 proto-station for cross-connections between Lake (would require completion of the western portal of the Milwaukee branch) or Milwaukee and the south Green Line, Dan Ryan or Orange Line, with the South Loop portals, which I think will eventually prove useful.

^

You'd still need to include all the required life safety stuff (ventilation, fire protection, evacuation, communication, etc) which drives the price up so it won't be nearly as cheap as Deep Tunnel. Regardless I don't think any further expenditure is really justified unless it's tied in with a larger set of improvement for a much broader rider base like CrossRail proposes to do.

Using the current NCS is an idea that's going nowhere fast based on what I've seen of the CONRAC designs. There is no reason for me to spend 10-20 minutes using the ATS to get out there, walk god knows what terrible route through the garage, then wait for an express train when I can be on the blue line in 5.

O'Hare needs a lot of other work done before an express train should be a priority.

Isn't all that stuff part of the existing NCS operation, it can't be operating without it, can it? The ATS definitely needs to be moved adjacent to the rail line, and not a block away through the garage. I would pay more, and wait for a limited or non-stop ride downtown into CUS.

For 8 months during 2006, I WAS ONE OF those Homeless living on the Blue Line (due to unemployment); I just love how people treat you like you are WORTHLESS FUCKING SHIT when you are down (I was MADE to understand that QUITE clearly -- the WORTHLESS part), but I guess that's just how it is, isn't it?