CHICAGO: Transit Developments

[schwerve]

Originally Posted by Abner

but is it that big a deal for Pink? You'd still go all the way around the Loop, it would just mean replacing one turn (at Tower 18) with a straight line.

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

the only way to really ensure smooth operations all around would entail reducing the number of trains going through the junction, particularly those making the slow 10-15mph turning movements (straight movements can be taken at 35 mph).

.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by emathias

There are two south portals from the State Street subway to the non-subway routes. There is the one just before Chinatown/Cermak that it normally uses now to connect to the Dan Ryan, and there is one just after Roosevelt that was the original portal which connects to what is now the Green Line. That second portal is what could be used to route the Brown Line through the State Street subway to the Orange Line (or the Green Line).

Another, unrelated, routing - if you're building things - would be to complete the west-bound portal from the Dearborn Street subway and run the Green Line through the Lake Street subway, turning onto Dearborn subway and then using the new Block 37 connector to connect to the State Street subway and up the Roosevelt portal to the Green Line tracks. It would put into use the "airport connector" under Block 37. Then the City could focus on an airport express as part of a West Loop Transportation system under Clinton utilizing mostly Metra routes, which would be faster and put people closer to the Metra stops. Part of that, too, could be to through-route more Metra routes, which would enhance the efficiency of Metra routing. Coupled with a subway loop created with a Clinton Street subway and the extra routing possible with a Clinton Street subway, and a Circle Line, the central area would be set for decades of growth. Bloomingdale Trail's ROW could also be dug under the river and routed into either the State Street or new Clinton subways, adding central area train frequency while drawing in more west neighborhoods, and the Pink Line routing could be changed to go west through the South Loop connecting with the N/S routes there.

These are big ideas with big price tags, but coupled with appropriate TOD zoning they would set up the Central area and surrounding neighborhoods for decades of a type of growth making cars a luxury and not a necessity, putting Chicago into the same league as any international city for transit purposes.

I put together an MSN map with almost precisely as you described. One thing I have trouble with was figuring out where a Bloomingdale Line should turn south to head back downtown. Any ideas?

[emathias]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

I put together an MSN map with almost precisely as you described. One thing I have trouble with was figuring out where a Bloomingdale Line should turn south to head back downtown. Any ideas?

I've had basically three ideas on what to do with a Bloomingdale subway connection:

1) Drive it to Clybourn and have it merge with the State Street subway.

2) Drive it to Clybourn and run it under the State Street subway until Larrabee where it'd turn south to become the Clinton subway.

3) Two routing no one in their right mind would propose (so of course I have to mention them), which is to run it under Armitage to Lincoln, or up Racine to Fullerton, then for either of those to Clark, Delaware and Fairbanks/Columbus to McCormick Place (and maybe eventually south). With this routing, instead of it being a CTA-style rail line, it could be a re-imagining of the Metra Electric service into rapid transit a la a super "Gray Line" implementation.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by emathias

I've had basically three ideas on what to do with a Bloomingdale subway connection:

1) Drive it to Clybourn and have it merge with the State Street subway.

2) Drive it to Clybourn and run it under the State Street subway until Larrabee where it'd turn south to become the Clinton subway.

3) Two routing no one in their right mind would propose (so of course I have to mention them), which is to run it under Armitage to Lincoln, or up Racine to Fullerton, then for either of those to Clark, Delaware and Fairbanks/Columbus to McCormick Place (and maybe eventually south). With this routing, instead of it being a CTA-style rail line, it could be a re-imagining of the Metra Electric service into rapid transit a la a super "Gray Line" implementation.

I think merging at Clybourn would make the most sense, and a stop at the existing Metra station would be great. Pushing the circle line out a bit to align more with Western and the Bloomingdale line seems more useful than the existing plan. Unfortunately the Bloomingdale line is pretty well on its way to becoming a park, so I think the chances of that happening are pretty slim.

[the urban politician]

Ahhh, a Chicago transit thread.

All talk and no action.

Great ideas but no money to implement them.

You gotta love the mental masturbation that goes on around here..

[pip]

^yeah but have you rode on it lately. It is actually working. Busses and trains - okok before everyone jumps on me, from my experiences but remember I don't own a car and take the CTA somewhere about everyday. I don't mind going across town and taking the bus because the busses are now reliable. The CTA is starting to work.

[Abner]

The new hybrid buses are a major breath of fresh air. Smooth suspension, good lighting, decent acceleration. Only problem is we're still stuck with the NABI articulated buses for a long time.

I think the system might soon be in good enough shape that it would make sense to start thinking about expansion again. At least they've gotten the incredibly lengthy process to apply for federal funding going on the Red Line extension and Circle Line.

[pip]

^NABI articulated buses

those are the freakin' worst pieces of junk and I'm no bus expert but I do know that much. Never buy from them again!

[emathias]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Ahhh, a Chicago transit thread.

All talk and no action.

Great ideas but no money to implement them.

You gotta love the mental masturbation that goes on around here..

Name a single thread on this whole set of forums that has actual action by the writers ... :-)

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Ahhh, a Chicago transit thread.

All talk and no action.

Great ideas but no money to implement them.

You gotta love the mental masturbation that goes on around here..

I definitely understand what you're saying, but for the first time in years there is actually a chance of some large scale transit projects getting Federal funding. Besides, I think Burnham said something about thinking this way once - I don't see it as a bad thing to hold onto a bit of that.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Abner

I think the system might soon be in good enough shape that it would make sense to start thinking about expansion again. At least they've gotten the incredibly lengthy process to apply for federal funding going on the Red Line extension and Circle Line.

It's not incredibly lengthy. You just need to get your guys in Congress behind it and you can get funding within 2-3 years, whenever the next highway bill comes up.

[schwerve]

Originally Posted by Abner

I think the system might soon be in good enough shape that it would make sense to start thinking about expansion again.

the system still needs ~6 Billion to get to a "state of good repair" so while some expansion might be on the docket let's not get ahead of ourselves because northside riders don't have a slow zone problem anymore.

[lawfin]

Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G

I'm surprised nobody has posted this yet:

http://www.transitchicago.com/news/d...ArticleId=2274



I wonder what numbers were like for November and December when oil prices tanked? They would be the best indicator of what we can expect going into '09, I think.

I wonder what the average weekday boarding looked like for the rail component?

[nomarandlee]

Don't remember seeing this posted....

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1381166,smart-rta-cards-chicago-transit-011509.article

'Smart' bank card could be ticket to ride Metra, CTA, Pace

New concept would allow commuters 'smart card' option

January 15, 2009

BY MARY WISNIEWSKIStaff Reporter

Metra, CTA and Pace riders could skip buying tickets and instead use a “smart” bank or credit card to pay for fares on all three transit systems, under a concept being examined by the Regional Transit Authority.

“This would be the way we integrate the three service boards,” said RTA Chair Jim Reilly. Reilly said this technology would cut costs for transit agencies, by eliminating the need for employees to handle cash and sell tickets.

The card would contain a computer chip that allows the user to pay for rides. The card could also be used for other purchases, like groceries.

The CTA is already exploring the idea of using cards like this to pay for bus and L fares.

“It’s all still in the early stages. We’re in the process of soliciting proposals for this type of technology,” said Wanda Taylor, CTA spokeswoman.

The London public transit system has moved to this type of payment system, according to Leanne Redden, RTA senior deputy executive director of planning and regional programs.

New York City Transit is testing a pilot program at 30 subway stations on the Lexington Avenue line, according to Paul Korczak, project operations manager, who addressed the RTA board Thursday. The program allows users to tap their cards against a turnstile reader to gain access to trains.

The cards could encode rider information, such as whether or not they qualify for a reduced fare.

Banks are interested in supplying the all-in-one cards, since a card used for transit is then often used for other types of purchases.

It could be easier for the CTA, which already has converted many riders to using Chicago Cards instead of cash, to make the transition to smart bank cards. The transition would be more difficult for Metra, which doesn’t take ordinary credit cards to buy tickets and passes, which must be checked individually by conductors on the trains.

A spokesperson for Metra was not immediately available for comment.

Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot said that the suburban bus service is “very supportive” of the concept.

Redden said it would not be necessary for a person to have a bank account or qualify for a credit card to use smart transit cards — they could be bought like gift cards in $10 or $20 increments and loaded with cash as needed. It would also be possible to combine the transit function with other types of cards, like those used for food stamps.

Another possibility would be to include the technology in cell phones.

A major obstacle to starting a universal smart card payment system is that money is needed to change ticket collection systems, and the state is still waiting for a capital bill to pay for new projects.

..

[ardecila]

I like the idea if they can actually set up a decent transfer system between Metra, CTA, and Pace.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by schwerve

the system still needs ~6 Billion to get to a "state of good repair" so while some expansion might be on the docket let's not get ahead of ourselves because northside riders don't have a slow zone problem anymore.

Actually, North Side riders are STILL the only side of the city with significant slow zones, so please avoid implying that "the CTA hates the South Side."

North Main is over 20% slow, all of the Purple Line and the Purple Express tracks are over 20% slow. And the majority of those slow zones are the middle or the slowest rating out of three slow zone speeds listed in their report.

On the South Side, the only portion of a line that's over 20% is the Englewood branch of the Green line, affecting all of two lightly-used stops (combined ridership for those two are lower than all but two single Red Line north main stops).

The Dan Ryan portion of the Red Line is just over 10% slow, however 90% of those slow zones are the 35mph variety - the fastest of the "slow zones" defined by the CTA - so the impact is even less than half as compared to the north main portion.

Slowest branch overall is the Englewood one on the Green Line (two stops long).

After that, though, the next three slowest are the Purple Express, North Main, and the Purple Line in Evanston.

Conversely, NONE of the six fastest lines are North Side lines - Pink Line, Green - Jackson Park branch, Lake Street branch, State Street subway, Dearborn subway and the Orange Line.

If anything, the CTA has focused on downtown, first, and then a fairly well-distributed set of projects in the neighborhoods, but giving the least amount of focus on the extremities fo the system. That may not be perfect, but it is pragmatic and roughly fair to their ridership.

[schwerve]

Originally Posted by emathias

Actually, North Side riders are STILL the only side of the city with significant slow zones, so please avoid implying that "the CTA hates the South Side."

I was implying the converse, the north side hates the CTA. that the impression of the state of the system in the collective consciousness is directly proportional to the north side commute, nothing more nothing less.

[arenn]

The CTA has clearly invested in its system in inverse order of ridership. First the Green Line, then the Douglas, then the Ravenwood. Meanwhile the North Main, the crown jewel of the system, has received limited upgrades. Strange investment policy if you ask me.

[Abner]

Originally Posted by arenn

The CTA has clearly invested in its system in inverse order of ridership. First the Green Line, then the Douglas, then the Ravenwood. Meanwhile the North Main, the crown jewel of the system, has received limited upgrades. Strange investment policy if you ask me.

I sympathize, but they also went in order of age and dilapidation. The Green Line came first because it was super old, super slow, and super dangerous. The Douglas branch was the same story. Those lines would have had to get shut down if they weren't fixed. The North Main is now the most antiquated line, but that probably wasn't the case before the other lines got rehabbed. (The basketcase, I guess, is the Blue Line, which was in way worse shape than its age would suggest.)

[ardecila]

From RedEye

Originally Posted by RedEye

Flight of the Clybourn
There are CTA bus routes running all over this fair city. Why then is there no dedicated bus route for Clybourn Avenue, some riders have asked. Fact: There was a Clybourn bus route, but it was discontinued in 1997 due to low ridership, Taylor said.

But the route could be back in business. The CTA recently received approval for a pilot program to provide service along Clybourn, Taylor said, adding that a start date is not yet available.

A Clybourn bus would be nice, especially with all the growth that has occurred on that corridor since the route was deleted. It will have to navigate the clusterf*ck that is North/Clybourn, though....