Brown/Purple Line

[jcmellencamp78]

So I was wondering....what is going to happen when that mess on the North Side Main Line is finished? Currently, Purple Line Express and Brown Line trains all share the same track once the enter the Loop after Merchandise Mart. I read that that was temporary because of all the construction on the North Side Main Line. But if you ask me, it actually makes sense to keep them running on the same track in the Loop. This offers North Side riders more options when during Rush Hours. You don't have to commit to one line, you can just take whatever comes first. Also, by keeping the Purple Line Express trains on the same track as Brown Line trains, we ease the congestion on the Orange and Pink Line tracks. And on the Wabash and Lake Sections of the Loop, everything will be even (Brown, Purple, Green to Harlem on one set of tracks and Orange, Pink, Green to East 63rd OR Ashland/63).

does anyone know if they plan to keep to current arrangement or just move the Purple Line Express back to its old tracks?

And also...I know people refer to Inner Loop/Outer Loop tracks. Which ones are which?

[trainman8119]

And also...I know people refer to Inner Loop/Outer Loop tracks. Which ones are which?

The outer loop is the portion of track that operates counter-clockwise, the inner loop operates clockwise. If that is not real clear to visualize, picture Orange Line trains operate on the inner, and Brown on the outer.

[Busjack]

So I was wondering....what is going to happen when that mess on the North Side Main Line is finished? Currently, Purple Line Express and Brown Line trains all share the same track once the enter the Loop after Merchandise Mart. I read that that was temporary because of all the construction on the North Side Main Line. But if you ask me, it actually makes sense to keep them running on the same track in the Loop. This offers North Side riders more options when during Rush Hours.

It may help move trains through, but actually it doesn't help the passengers. Under the old system, those riding no further than Belmont who wanted to get on on Wells usually took the Purple Line train. While this was a pain to those of us going on to the express portion (to Howard or Linden), at least there was a way to board on Wells. Now, I suppose that the cars are packed by then.

IMO, the only way to fix this would be in accordance with some of the "highly conceptual plans" that would upgrade Brown Line service on the Loop L (maybe interlining with Orange and Pink, although it now looks like the Pink doesn't have enough ridership to keep up its end of that, with the plans to end 8 car service, because it can only fill one car), and putting the Purple in the subway.

I also wonder if this becomes unbalanced in the future, with 8 car Brown Line trains, but the Purple Line being limited to 6, unless someone wants to start extending platforms in Evanston (uneconomic, in my view).

[geneking7320]

Continuing a thought that Busjack introduced, has there been any consideration given to interlining/combining the Orange and Brown lines? If this were to occur would both directions operate on the same legs of the Loop?

Gene King

[Busjack]

Continuing a thought that Busjack introduced, has there been any consideration given to interlining/combining the Orange and Brown lines? If this were to occur would both directions operate on the same legs of the Loop?

Gene King

If one can figure out this CTA conceptual map, to which the Chicago-L.org article refers.

[jajuan]

IMO, the only way to fix this would be in accordance with some of the "highly conceptual plans" that would upgrade Brown Line service on the Loop L (maybe interlining with Orange and Pink, although it now looks like the Pink doesn't have enough ridership to keep up its end of that, with the plans to end 8 car service, because it can only fill one car), and putting the Purple in the subway.

The ending of 8-car operations on the 54/Cermak corridor refers to the elimination of Blue line operations on that corridor because of low ridership and has nothing to do with Pink Line operations outside of the fact that the ridership has shifted from those 8-car Blue line trains in the rush hour to the Pink line trains. According to the ridership numbers, riders prefer the Pink line during rush hour to the Blue line, which was operating only once every half hour anyway. As RL6000 could tell you, and I've experienced myself, the Pink line could use longer trains during rush hour today now that riders have shifted to the Pink line and ridership is also increasing across the CTA system because of the higher gas prices forcing drivers to look for alternative ways to get to work other than their cars.

[Busjack]

Except that the statistic in the March President's Report (page 24) of 25 or 26 riders maximum per Pink Line car doesn't justify an 8 car train either, even though it is not as bad as the 10 or 6 on the 8 car Blue Line Douglas train.

[jcmellencamp78]

I am a frequent user of the Pink Line and I think people are getting confused with the 8 Car Operation. This refers to the Blue Line 54/Cermak trains which run twice an hour during Rush Hours. I do think that once that service is cut next week, Pink Line Rush trains could run 6 Cars because it is packed on these trains during rush

[Busjack]

I am a frequent user of the Pink Line and I think people are getting confused with the 8 Car Operation. This refers to the Blue Line 54/Cermak trains which run twice an hour during Rush Hours. I do think that once that service is cut next week, Pink Line Rush trains could run 6 Cars because it is packed on these trains during rush

Apparently, your observations don't agree with Huberman's statistics mentioned in the prior post. Wonder which will control with respect to the 6 car train issue?

My only point was that interlining the Pink Line with 8 car Brown Line trains doesn't seem feasible, at least given current Pink Line ridership.

[jcmellencamp78]

Apparently, your observations don't agree with Huberman's statistics mentioned in the prior post. Wonder which will control with respect to the 6 car train issue?

My only point was that interlining the Pink Line with 8 car Brown Line trains doesn't seem feasible, at least given current Pink Line ridership.

I totally agree with the last idea. I like the idea of the actual circle line, but I don't like the idea of more through-routing through the loop. I think it makes it harder to get around the Loop. For example, for the concept map, the Orange Line would only run over the Wells and VanBuren legs of the Loop. This would cut all SW Side and North Side riders off from the Wells and Lake sections of the Loop. I might be the only one, but I like the idea of the Loop. It makes it so much easier to transfer between lines.

[jajuan]

Apparently, your observations don't agree with Huberman's statistics mentioned in the prior post. Wonder which will control with respect to the 6 car train issue?

My only point was that interlining the Pink Line with 8 car Brown Line trains doesn't seem feasible, at least given current Pink Line ridership.

I'll agree with your last assessment. I don't the idea of interlining for the sake of interlining even if it sounds good or seems to make sense. Now I see no problem with the interlining that occurs between the 145 and 148 (some morning rush NB 145 buses become SB 148s and vice versa in the PM rush) because with the exception of the difference in express zones and the peak direction operation of the 148, both routes are essentially the same route. I see no need for the Pink Line/Brown Line interline and the difference in riders doesn't justify it.

As for putting the Purple Line back on the inner loop tracks, it makes no sense to do so given the addition of the Pink Line to the inner loop. There'd be too many trains operating on those tracks. Along with the difference in ridership levels between the branches of the old Lake-Dan Ryan and Howard-Englewood/Jackson Park trains, that was the other argument given to justify the routing swaps between those lines in February 1993 before they were redesignated Red and Green Lines. The argument was with the opening of the Orange Line (then called the Midway line) coming later that year in October and its addition to the inner loop tracks, there would be too many passengers waiting on the Loop Elevated to leave the Lake Elevated connected to the Dan Ryan branch. Swapping the southern branches of these two lines was thought of as a good solution of the passenger load difference that had developed and the station passenger capacity problem that would come with the later opening of the Midway line since the new Lake-Englewood/Jackson Park configuration would have an overall smaller passenger load than the old Lake-Dan Ryan configuration. This reasoning was summarized in the Howard-Dan Ryan/Lake-Englewood/Jackson Park brochure that was being distributed during late 1992 to give information about the route swap.