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Wow I didn't think K's 1000s count had dropped down so low already or that its overall roster count is so low given the number of routes it has assigned. The spare ratio there has to have dropped considerably for it function with only 233 buses presently but see no assigned routes really taken away.

According to the NICTD 20-Year Strategic Business Plan, the Carroll Ave Station was proposed to be closed once the 11th Street Station was rebuilt. But ultimately, it remains open as is. Maybe later on it will be rebuilt or closed but since the rail yard is there for shop moves, the former is more likely.

Sounds like FG needs to get more Novas again. I never understood them giving up some of the 8350s they got in the first rounds of deliveries and never really getting them back or being made a majority NF garage again (even though I admit liking New Flyer buses in general better than Novas) after having become a majority Nova one. Maybe the next move after C is hitting FG again with 8350s in the interim while NP is still getting operators trained for the collision alert system that's equipped on 8350s. There's already history of bus operations bosses doing this with other garages that got 8350s during the period that K was still getting trained.

I don't know or remember the "original plan," but the station page says "Free (lot fills quickly); Follow yellow signs to overflow lot (Allow extra 5 minutes to walk)."So, tey must be trying to move P&R riders away from there. NWI Times said there is supposed to be a parking garage built at 11th St.

You're right, he talked around it, but he also appeared to dismiss the PART (especially Carole Brown) wing that it's up to the state to bail CTA out from the fiscal cliff.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/19/pritzker-cta-leadership/#:~:text=“I think that there needs,the transit board's seven members https://capitolfax.com/2024/04/19/pritzker-says-new-leadership-needed-at-cta/ The Governor has made some comments about leadership at CTA, in the wake of conversations about agency consolidation and the impending fiscal cliff (I do want to note that WRT to Dorval specifically, he avoided using the term “fired”).

I thought the original plan was for the Carroll Ave station to close once the project had finished and 11th St reopened?

#1834 been in service…….are u sure it’s that one?

#1834 returned to service yesterday with some visible work done on it, #1846 was pushed out of the boneyard by a slug unit to the shops area so I guess work will be done on it. #1408, #1505, #1526, #2010 and #4137 were all declared tows yesterday. The amount of tows called for yesterday was quite interesting to say the very least.

Topic moved to the official 4000s topic due to topic duplication.

At the referenced meeting, Metzger said capacity at NW had to be expanded 300%, but when asked about moving some buses, she said NS had to be expanded, too. However, NW and NS have not been in the last few capital budgets. The 2024 Capital Budget only has North, and the 5 year plan only has N, R, and SW. The presentation at the meeting was the first mention of Wheeling that T saw in a long time. At the Board Meeting where architectural work for River was authorized, they moved money based on SW having federal funds and the I-294 project would not be ready to go. I assume that the $200 million Rebuild Illinois earmark is still around, but Pace isn't acknowledging NW and NS in the budget. I also doubted Metzger's answer because NS isn't running 619, 620, 623, 627, 631-635 and 640, and has no intention of bringing them back. Re network revitalization, it still looks like Northbrook and The Glen are going to be cut. So, I can't see how NS can be over capacity. On the other hand, the most NW lost was the Randhurst segment of 696 and 694, and needed to pick up about 10 buses for Dempster Pulse.

#7089-94 are currently in service.

If you mean from the low platform maybe; if from crowds, maybe not. Maybe the trains with the 1200s are going to bypass. No way of really knowing. Now that you mentioned that, it jogged my memory.

I was wondering if dwell times at Gary Metro was one of the possible reasons behind some trains skipping the stop

I remember that was the plan but I guess the powers that be came to the conclusion that there was ample space to rebuild and expand at Miller...and the residents rose holy hell to the proposed closure. I'm surprised that they didn't rebuild Metro to high platform standard.

I sort have the feeling that they do have (at least the existing) Gary Metro Center ridership information, with about only the BMX bus being a generator, and figure that the free Miller park and ride will be a better draw. An early plan was to consolidate the two stations in Aetna (north of the end of I-65), but decided not to do that.

I'm sure there will be some tinkering of the schedule where some trains will return to stop at those bypassed stations after they review the ridership. I'm am curious about the reasoning of the South Bend trains bypassing Carroll Ave (Shops) during the weekday schedule but stopping there on the weekends. Carroll Ave (Shops) to South Bend trips have increased from two to three and South Bend to Millennium Station trips have increased from five to six in both directions.

North Shore was on the list of capital projects that was supposed to receive funding from Rebuild Illinois, with an aim towards renovation and expansion, citing future (now reality) Pulse project(s) and I-94 express service, but I can't seem to find any progress beyond there now being no funding.

What's somewhat surprising is that a lot of trains start at 11th St. instead of Carroll Ave., and a bunch bypass Gary Metro Center, 57th St., and Museum Campus. Schedule is effective Tues. May 14.

To add on, capacity and location make converting an existing garage a very tall task, but there's also not a real advantage for a new one either. WMATA had a shared garage with Fairfax Connector for a while, and ended up pulling out after some route restructres that ceded routes to FFX + pandemic. I believe some of the Seattle agencies also do something similar, and I think that's due to Sound Transit being a joint venture between King County Metro, Community Transit & Pierce Transit. I also believe that the three agencies (happy to be wrong) that they own the Sound Transit buses and hire the drivers as well, so the "sharing" aspect is formality. Evanston is about the only area with serious overlap, but going in on a new garage to store the 20-30 buses needed to run CTA service in north shore for a not that great reduction in deadhead probably doesn't pass a CBA

Good evening, everyone. Here it is...the new South Shore schedule effective Tuesday May 14th, 2024. Weekday schedule changes includes...eight WB trains will originate from Gary Miller to the Loop and six EB trains will terminate at Gary Miller and trains to and from South Bend will not stop at Carroll Ave but instead 11th Street. Two WB trips will originate at Carroll Ave while six new WB trips will originate @11th Street during AM rush hours. Running times have been adjusted for double track service. Weekend/Holiday service has the same number of trains (nine) but the schedule have been adjusted to reflect improved running times. https://mysouthshoreline.com/south-shore-line-announces-implementation-of-new-double-track-train-schedule/

Such a shame the driver after her driver didn’t check on her bus. If the bus before that drivers bus didn’t leave they should check on the driver why they didn’t leave. Thank god the second driver noticed but it was too late because the driver was on her bus too long without help.

@Tcmetro summarized it well. I can also add that there was a time when CTA wanted to compete with Pace, such as whhen it proposed a study from 79th to 159th, or Route 96 to the Skokie Industrial Area, or 205 over Pace 212. One thing Claypool admitted in 2011 (although not explicitly) was that CTA could not afford to compete with Pace, and it abolished routes 17,49A, 56A, and 90N, and rearranged the Pullman area. The only places where there are a real choice (because of huge ridership) are West 95th (at one time 95 didn't run west of Lafayette) and S. Halsted, and in those cases, CTA and Pace are participating in joint Pulse studies. There;s also overlap on Harlem,but Pace really cut back service north of the Green Line. Similar situation in Berwyn on Cermak. As @Tcmetro indicated, people take the first bus, unless they are going to a destination not served by the other carrier (such as Harlem-North to Harlem-Irving Park. I don't know what Pace route you avoid, but you seem to disregard that transit is not a free good, and usually frequency is a result of demand, unless there is market information that something like Dempster Pulse will grow ridership.

There aren't many cases of choice between Pace and CTA anyways. Even in those cases (like the 95 and the 381 on W 95th) you'll find that most riders get on whatever bus comes first. Keep in mind that CTA (and Metra) also have reduced the cost of fares, passes and transfers to try to salvage some level of ridership after the covid collapse.

I understand pace might want discretionary riders, but pace's current service model is more low frequency coverage, than high freqeuncy routes that serve less places, so it's usually not practical for people who have a choice to use pace, unless they're on a frequent line. If I ever have the choice between pace and cta, i usually choose cta, because it's more frequent and on a more dieted street, even if it's slightly pricier.