[emathias]

Originally Posted by ardecila

But where's the need for ambitious planning if the region isn't really growing?
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The Central Area is growing quickly, both in population and in jobs and is, in my opinion the area most in need of enhanced rail transit. Other areas in Chicago where expanded transit would be useful are also either growing or the enhancement would support the increased demand in the Central Area. The 1968 plan to link the West Loop, Streeterville, and the McCormick Place areas is exactly what we need today, and would not only improve things that currently exist, but support the projected additions of population and jobs projected for the areas.

Things like the Circle Line and a Kimball to Blue Line connection would support the edges of the area growing the fastest and link areas many people who work downtown live in getting to O'Hare for both leisure and business travel. Depending on how exactly it was implemented, it could greatly enhance popular areas for living and/or bolster areas for a non-downtown jobs area.

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

I do love those at-grade crossings and I’d be bummed to see them go.

I was riding a Brown Line train that struck and killed a cyclist while crossing Kenzie in 2014. While quaint, I have zero love for at-grade crossings and firmly believe there should be plans to get rid of them, regardless of cost.

My preferred solution would be to run a line from Monroe and the Art Institute north, under St. Claire, west under Delaware, North under Clark to Diversey, then under Broadway to Wilson, then under Wilson to Kimball, then jog *south* to Montrose, west to Montrose Blue, with a transfer to the Blue Line and existing MD-N and a new UP-NW station. Then either terminate as a transfer station, or turn south parallel to Cicero to Six Corners (which is only 1/2 mile away from there), or continue west deep under Montrose work limited stops, probably at maybe Milwaukee but definitely Narraganset/Wilbur Wright College, Harlem (near the HIP), then popping up above ground for two stops in Rosemont, a stop at Terminal 5 and then either joining the Blue Line to terminate with it, or burrowing under the airport to serve western terminals for the new rebuild at O'Hare. Once the portion under Wilson to Kimball was done, the Brown Line North of Wilson could be demolished with a connection North of Montrose to the new subway section, or kept with a transfer station at Wilson and terminated at Western to eliminate at-grade crossings.

Second choice would be to simply add a subway under Lawrence west of Western to e Blue Line at Jefferson Park and remove the at-grade section altogether.

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

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I’d be curious to see a cost-benefit analysis between this and a Clinton-Larrabee subway that continues northwest under Clybourn to Belmont, northward under Western to Irving Park, and westward under Irving Park to the existing blue line before heading out to O’Hare. At the south end, maybe have it cut east down Monroe and terminate at the downtown superstation.

If we did that, I think going west under Belmont past the Blue Line and then as a deep subway with limited stops, almost an express, would be more useful. Belmont has a lot of commercial stuff along it and remains fairly dense.

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

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Other than being my baby , I feel this fills a lot of holes in our transit system on the north side. It’d get a subway tunnel beneath Western (future expansion potential) and frees up some capacity on the blue line by providing a bypass for the worst stretch of it. It connects the north side to the West Loop. Ogilvie and Union Stations are now connected to the North Branch. It also creates the environment necessary to put an end to the auto centric land uses along Clybourn, Elston, and Western. You have access to O’Hare through a North/Clybourn transfer or shorter bus ride west. Winning bigly!

Western is so lost that, if it's cheaper, I'd even be fine with elevated tracks over Western.

I kinda think a narrower Circle Line, with the east part of it being the Clinton subway, plus a new Lakefront Line from Hyde Park to Streeterville to Broadway to Wilson to the Blue Line would be best, plus adding a subway under Monroe between the IMD/UIUC and the Are Institute to link to the aforementioned new Lakefront Line. The Clinton Subway South of Roosevelt could jog West to Halsted to Pershing to my newly proposed Lakefront Line.

I recognize my preferred additions would likely cost on the order of $12-20 billion, but they'd solve most of the needs both now and for the next 50 or more years. And there are a few details to work out, but it mostly sticks to areas that are growing or already need more rail.