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New Express Routes Coming Soon.


jesi2282

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pace officially announced (such as it is) the routes in this Moving Forward, so to the extent that I said I was waiting for official notice, that is good enough for me. With regard to the question how they can add this and threaten to cut elsewhere, they say:

Despite the grim financial outlook for 2010, which includes proposed fare increases for ADA paratransit and service eliminations or reductions on fixed route service, special funding will allow Pace to implement new service beginning November 30 on I-55, I-294 and I-355. The federal Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) and RTA's Innovation, Coordination and Enhancement (ICE) funds are project based, meaning they cannot be reallocated to the Pace budget to forgo service reductions.
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Pace officially announced (such as it is) the routes in this Moving Forward, so to the extent that I said I was waiting for official notice, that is good enough for me. With regard to the question how they can add this and threaten to cut elsewhere, they say:

Perhaps we should give credit where credit is due with Pace committing to the service as promised.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Search harder, the brochure for 655 is up. The guys who designed the map have done a great job with it.

I saw that, but the new 855 was not, and also the 755 and 889 links led to oblivion. However, I suppose they will be up soon.

Based on the 655 one, is there a theory that the Chancellory stop does away with the need for 616?

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They still need the 616 for people coming into the Chacellory in the morning. There are alot of companies there with folks coming from Rosemont who need to get to work. If they take the 606 they have about a 2 mile walk.

I guess what I missed is that southbound a.m. buses run express. However, they are still threatening to cut 616, but apparently not with the substitution rationale I thought.

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I guess what I missed is that southbound a.m. buses run express. However, they are still threatening to cut 616, but apparently not with the substitution rationale I thought.

I wouldn't discount the fact that with the board postponing the fate of that route, that 616 (and as a stretch, the 711 in Addison) could be saved or cut to some degree so that any connections to the 655 can be met.

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I wouldn't discount the fact that with the board postponing the fate of that route, that 616 (and as a stretch, the 711 in Addison) could be saved or cut to some degree so that any connections to the 655 can be met.

That would make sense. However, while the route description mentions connecting bus lines, if one assumes the rush direction with intermediate stops, the only intermediate stop with much of any bus connection is Downers Grove. The rest are listed as Park and Rides, although the map insets indicate transfer to 711, 715 and 616.

I guess the question would be how much Pace planners thought about feeder service before instituting the expresses. Obviously, they are trying to take advantage of what could be characterized as "reverse feeders" at the NWTC, although a couple of them are also threatened, and there is a very small chance that 905 will be running when 655 does (just Friday afternoon).

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I guess the question would be how much Pace planners thought about feeder service before instituting the expresses. Obviously, they are trying to take advantage of what could be characterized as "reverse feeders" at the NWTC, although a couple of them are also threatened, and there is a very small chance that 905 will be running when 655 does (just Friday afternoon).

What can be dependent on also is when Addison and Lombard implement the circulators (they did receive ICE grants as well) would have some kind of impact on connections (regardless of 711/715 gets adjusted, cut, or saved).

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I saw that, but the new 855 was not, and also the 755 and 889 links led to oblivion. However, I suppose they will be up soon.

Based on the 655 one, is there a theory that the Chancellory stop does away with the need for 616?

I noticed that as well. 755 doesn't even have a route name shown yet as 889 does, just the route number and a route description that it will serve the Illinois Medical District and Ashland/Orange Line once in the city.

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Pace now has an announcement on its home page, and the map and schedule links for 755 and 889 now work. 755 now even has a name (although the one on the schedule doesn't match). They still need to update the map and schedule for 855.

[bTW, the Express Services Page says that they accept Pace 10 ride tickets. But since it is premium fare, do they take two "punches" out of it?]

Update: I see it is the Premium 10 ride pass. Never mind, especially the one who thinks I edit my posts.

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Pace has posted a preview of the new #855 Schedule and Map

Thanks for the direct link. If one starts on the Express Services page, and then clicks on "Click here to preview the schedule and map for this route, one gets the page with the old map, and then has to click the Passenger Notices button to get the passenger notice with the link to the preview. I suppose there are more direct ways of getting there, but this one is convoluted.

Apparently, they also fixed the name on the 755 schedule.

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Just took the 655 from Schaumburg to Bolingbrook this morning. I think it's awesome that I can take Pace up to Schaumburg in about an hour, but will it last? I don't know if there's that much demand to go from Schaumburg to Bolingbrook in the morning. But I don't really know - hopefully it does..

Since that's the reverse route, the real question probably will be whether there is the market from Bolingbrook to Schaumburg that Pace thinks. A certain number of buses will have to deadhead in any event to make the schedule, so they may as well pick up your fare on the way.
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Since that's the reverse route, the real question probably will be whether there is the market from Bolingbrook to Schaumburg that Pace thinks. A certain number of buses will have to deadhead in any event to make the schedule, so they may as well pick up your fare on the way.

Makes sense.. and pretty smart on pace's part selling the deadhead portion. I was wondering why it didn't stop between Schaumburg and Bolingbrook. Hopefully there is a market there.. combining the 655 with increased 834 service (Sunday and a later departure from DG) and a metra station in romeoville would make things so much better out here..

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I was trying to spell out the truths from what has already been discussed. Why the 855 bid was not carried out who knows, but could it be the work on the expansion proceeded faster than expected and it was better to go with the bigger bid?

I guess we will all know more in the next few months if service is planned for later this year.

Something must be going on...there are route 855 bus stops all along Michigan Avenue...

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Makes sense.. and pretty smart on pace's part selling the deadhead portion. I was wondering why it didn't stop between Schaumburg and Bolingbrook. ...

I had sort of implied that question by asking if it was a substitute for the threatened 616, to which someone replied or it dawned on me that it was running nonstop on the reverse route, and I assume for the reason I suggested.

Something must be going on...there are route 855 bus stops all along Michigan Avenue...

The map says Posted Stops Only, so I suppose that they had to post the stops. As mentioned in connection with Phase II of the South Cook restructuring, when many of those routes went to Posted Stops, sometimes CTA modifies its signs to accommodate Pace and sometimes it doesn't. I guess Pace didn't want to take the chance here.
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Well whadya know.... schedules on video...

Since these seem to be official postings on YouTube, is there any indication on pacebus.com that they exist? They seem instructional, but unless someone were to know to look at YouTube....
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I dunno, why on youtube and not on pacebus?.. looks like some busfan is taking this to a new level. If this were official, i'd get some vid of coach usa doing route, it'd show what type of bus to look for, since caoch usa is providing express services and not regular pace.

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I dunno, why on youtube and not on pacebus?.. looks like some busfan is taking this to a new level. If this were official, i'd get some vid of coach usa doing route, it'd show what type of bus to look for, since caoch usa is providing express services and not regular pace.

My impression is that it is official, in that the screen name is PaceSuburbanBus, and the narration and continuity seem too professional for a bus fan (no offense). In fact, the narrator sounds sort of like Mr. CTA, except Pace usually uses Miss Pace. If it is a trademark infringement, it is a good one.

Furthermore, the channel has only five videos. Of interest to those of you who work for Academy/Colonial, one is of Route 606, with plenty of NABIs in the background. The narrator sounds more human, though.

P.S. I'll say that I relied on your links to get to the beginning of the channel. You can say how you found it, if you want.

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Makes sense.. and pretty smart on pace's part selling the deadhead portion. I was wondering why it didn't stop between Schaumburg and Bolingbrook. Hopefully there is a market there.. combining the 655 with increased 834 service (Sunday and a later departure from DG) and a metra station in romeoville would make things so much better out here..

I didn't konw route 834 is expanding, I don't see anything on Pace's website.

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