Tcmetro

The DEIS for the Red Line South from 2015 lists the following changes: 9 Ashland extended to 103rd St Red Line 103 and 106 combined into a new route that operates along 103rd from Pulaski to Stony Island 108 Halsted/95th eliminated 111 and 112 combined into a new route that operates along 111th St from Pulaski to Corliss 115 would operate as a bi-directional loop line on 115th, Cottage Grove, 95th, and Vincennes 119 Michigan/119th would add a stop at the Michigan/116th Red Line station 348 would be extended to 130th St Red Line 353 would terminate at 130th St Red Line 30 would be extended to 130th St Red Line 352 would terminate at 111th St Red Line 359 would terminate at 111th St Red Line The bus plan developed for the DEIS was for modeling purposes, but probably gives some direction as to what may be considered in the future. One not mentioned on the list is the 34 being extended to 130th St Red Line, which seems like a no-brainer to me. I also think it would be useful for Pace to extend the 355, 358, and 364 from Hegewisch to 130th Red Line. Maybe even an extension of the new 103 further east to 112th and Ave B. The relevant document is at: https://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/6/CTA_RLE_DraftEIS_AppH.pdf , page 75

The IDOT plan is for a total reconstruction from Mannheim to Cicero, which would involve replacing all bridges. The left side exits will move to the right, but the ramps will fly over the expressway for the intersections to still be in the middle. The plan won't take any of the freight ROW, but might involve some takings of CTA ROW. The plan only includes space for a Blue Line extension to Mannheim. The plan doesn't assume any changes for the Blue Line, but I believe that the plans that showed the extension had the Forest Park terminal in the same place. There's a ton of documents on the Eisenhower reconstruction plan at eisenhowerexpressway.com

IDOT is doing some additional studies on the 290 reconstruction. Mostly because the construction costs were estimated at $3.2 billion for the Mannheim to Cicero segment. I could see these additional studies adding a couple years, then engineering, then finally construction. IDOT estimated the construction at 8 years, so this is a project that realistically will be completed in the 2030s. Hopefully the new studies better determine the relationship of the expressway project and the Blue Line. That could help make it easier for CTA to pursue improvements before IDOT does their work. For what it's worth, the Congress Blue Line is also included in the Fast Tracks program, so perhaps something is in the works already, at least for track improvements.

Pink line is very busy at rush to about Western Ave. The schedule is limited because of the loop, but six car trains would really ease the crowding. In the afternoon, the loop causes bunching so some trains are overcrowded and others are undervrowded at times.

Some other big fleets running Gilligs are Pittsburgh, Seattle, Portland, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Miami. Milwaukee's most recent order was also for Gilligs.

The public hearings are for the entire budget, in addition to the service cuts.

As shown above, CTA plans a new bus order to replace the 6400s and start replacing the 1000s. The 2020 budget should be out within the next month or so (Metra has already released theirs, and Pace's will be released next week), and might give some more insight as to any new bus orders. Here is some info about how the leasebacks work and why they are done: https://www.transitchicago.com/bus-leaseback-enhances-revenues/ https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/19960316/ISSUE01/10007706/leasebacks-good-option-for-cta https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-01-20-9801200071-story.html https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20081114/NEWS02/200031833/cta-says-leaseback-dispute-jeopardizes-green-line-service-fragile-budget

The 2019 CTA ride-hailing fee report (Fast Tracks funding source) was presented to City Council on July 24th: https://chicago.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4057979&GUID=34700423-998D-459F-A44B-3B08EB06B521&Options=Advanced&Search= Number of updates inside, including review of work conducted on a number of lines Upcoming Brown Line project between Western and Kimball Upcoming Blue Line power project Blue Line O'Hare slow zones (already underway) Upcoming Red and Blue Subway renewals Camera, WiFi, and lighting improvements One thing that stands out as being missing is anything more about the Congress branch. They note some improvements at the tunnel near Central and some other improvements between Kedzie and Pulaski, but not much more. I rode the Congress branch last week and it was in notably rough shape. I understand that the vision plan needs to be coordinated with the expressway project, but certainly the tracks should be upgraded in the meantime. The last I've heard of the expressway project was about two years ago, and even then the project focus was for reconstruction between Hillside and Oak Park with less intensive work in Chicago (mostly restriping a lane to become a toll lane).

It's along the roadway between the Hilton and the parking garage. The elevators from the CTA station at O'Hare go up to it.

Again, it goes back to the stops. Pulse means local service on Milwaukee is dropping to 60 mins. CTA originally cut the 56A because the 270 had decent service levels. Now in-city riders will have to contend with low service levels or 1-mile stop spacing. While I don't expect CTA to bring the 56A back, a coordinated schedule with the 270 (similar to the 63A/386 coordination) would at least allow for adequate local service. North of Touhy the impact is not as bad because Pulse stops are approximately every 1/2 mile.

Some of the stops are quite far from each other. I tend to believe that a 1/3-1/4 stop distance is reasonable. The problem here is that CTA needs to reintroduce the 56A for city riders.

The Rosemont stop on the 330 will help build connections between the west and northwest suburban lines. Airport workers are able to get regular fares on the Blue Line, so the fare increase amounts to a quarter for the L-bus transfer. I think Pace should look into running the 250 or the Dempster Pulse line to Rosemont Blue Line for a better connection to Desk Plaines.

Pulse is every 10 min peak, 15 min midday/weekend, and 20 min evening. Seems the big cut is those who ride the 270 north of Golf Mill, the peak service is going from 30 min to 60 min.

I used to see him post a lot on CTA Tattler back in the day. How time goes by... He made many contributions to the forum and was quite knowledgeable about the history of CTA operations.

My experience has been that foreign systems have much better service levels (although they generally lack the 24h service that we have here). In Paris, off-peak service seemed to be every 2-3 mins, with late night service every 4-5 mins. The trains are a lot smaller; however, and are much busier. Toronto also has good service, trains come every 3-4 mins most of the day, with later service operating every 5-6 mins. I'm also a fan of their open-gangway trains. Asian cities generally have giant, new networks. These have been built to the latest standards and have "learned from the mistakes of the past". Typically they have elaborate transfer schemes for convenience and incorporate the built environment into the system. Many neighborhoods are truly integrated into the transit system, so it is a natural first choice for use. Some North American systems do this (notably Toronto and Montreal), but these are the exceptions. The main difference between the European and Asian systems and the US systems is cultural. In the US, many people only ride at peak to go to work, while in Europe/Asia the systems are used heavily all day. There is more dependence on the system requiring higher investment and attentiveness to the riding public's needs.