February System Pick

[New Flyer]

I talked to some friends of mine at Kedzie garage. When the system pick goes in effect in Feb they will get back 60 Blue Island, 50 Damen, 21 Cermak, and will also have the 62 Archer route.

[Busjack]

I talked to some friends of mine at Kedzie garage. When the system pick goes in effect in Feb they will get back 60 Blue Island, 50 Damen, 21 Cermak, and will also have the 62 Archer route.

Any word whether K gives something else to C, because C is losing X20 and X54, but K didn't have any X routes to lose?

____________________________________________

Asides: Apparently I had some correct guesses, but hadn't guessed 62.

The more interesting question is whether anyone has inside dope on 35, 39, and 43, with someone's surmise that 77th might get them for street relief via the Red Line. 94 would also be in play, since you didn't say it was going to K.

[qwantae]

I talked to some friends of mine at Kedzie garage. When the system pick goes in effect in Feb they will get back 60 Blue Island, 50 Damen, 21 Cermak, and will also have the 62 Archer route.

Will Kedzie receive some of Archer Nova 6400s as well? And are they keeping the route 8-Halsted? That route should move to 77th.

[sht6131]

I talked to some friends of mine at Kedzie garage. When the system pick goes in effect in Feb they will get back 60 Blue Island, 50 Damen, 21 Cermak, and will also have the 62 Archer route.

Any mention of 82 going to NP?

[rideonrulez]

Any mention of 82 going to NP?

82 is going to be split between North Park and Kedzie

[sht6131]

82 is going to be split between North Park and Kedzie

Just like it was when I worked it. Only it was Lawndale at that time.

[artthouwill]

We'd all like to know what happens with the 8, the 49, 94 and all of those midway area routes.

Are there any 74th, 77th, C, and P drivers out there that can shed some more light?

[rideonrulez]

We'd all like to know what happens with the 8, the 49, 94 and all of those midway area routes.

Are there any 74th, 77th, C, and P drivers out there that can shed some more light?

8-split between Kedzie and 74th

49-split between 74th and North Park

94-split between Chicago and 74th

Midway routes-74th

[artthouwill]

oh yeah, I forgot about 35, 39, 43, 170, 171, and 172. I would think they would all go to 77th.

[artthouwill]

8-split between Kedzie and 74th

49-split between 74th and North Park

94-split between Chicago and 74th

Midway routes-74th

Speculation or confirmed?

[Chicago49xxx]

8-split between Kedzie and 74th

49-split between 74th and North Park

94-split between Chicago and 74th

Midway routes-74th

Chicago is also picking up the 54B

[BusHunter]

8-split between Kedzie and 74th

49-split between 74th and North Park

94-split between Chicago and 74th

Midway routes-74th

Looks like alot of sharing between garages. that could have a benefit if there looking to cut manpower. with a north and south garage for each they can quickly get those rush hour service buses off the street after the rush as opposed to a long pull in from an opposing terminal. so far the #54b and #62 seem the longest unless you pull the #62 in from downtown or kedzie.

[New Flyer]

Archer could pull in from downtown via Wacker to the Eisenhower. The only problem with sharing garages are the games that are played when North Park and 69th use to share Western and when Kedzie and North Park use to share Kimball-Homan

[Busjack]

Looks like alot of sharing between garages. that could have a benefit if there looking to cut manpower. with a north and south garage for each they can quickly get those rush hour service buses off the street after the rush as opposed to a long pull in from an opposing terminal. so far the #54b and #62 seem the longest unless you pull the #62 in from downtown or kedzie.

With regard to 54B, Cermak and Kenton isn't that far from Chicago Garage (Pulaski and Erie), and probably no further than from Archer. We tend to think of 54B as being an Archer route because it is on the southwest side.

At least 54B seems to be the tradeoff for C losing X54.

With regard to your comment about splitting routes among garages again, and the effect on pullins, I wonder if any thought was given regarding 9, in that in the morning, northbound regular service starts at 2:50 a.m., for the first bus to leave Clark at around 4:10 a.m.; conversely, in late evening, the last full northbound run is at 12:20 a.m., but the last southbound bus from Clark does not get back until 2:42, resulting in a very lopsided owl schedule.

[BusHunter]

With regard to 54B, Cermak and Kenton isn't that far from Chicago Garage (Pulaski and Erie), and probably no further than from Archer. We tend to think of 54B as being an Archer route because it is on the southwest side.

At least 54B seems to be the tradeoff for C losing X54.

With regard to your comment about splitting routes among garages again, and the effect on pullins, I wonder if any thought was given regarding 9, in that in the morning, northbound regular service starts at 2:50 a.m., for the first bus to leave Clark at around 4:10 a.m.; conversely, in late evening, the last full northbound run is at 12:20 a.m., but the last southbound bus from Clark does not get back until 2:42, resulting in a very lopsided owl schedule.

This way too you can cut service/begin service at one time at both ends of the route. Like the #X54, last through route bus is at 7 pm right. right now they are still pulling in on their trip from jeff at 8pm maybe getting to a garage by 8:20 or 8:30 if they pulled in to say FG they'd be saving 20 minutes or so. Now multiply that by all these routes and you get more time saved. Kind of reminds me what they did to #54A when it was cut to rush hour only minus the second garage.

[Busjack]

This way too you can cut service/begin service at one time at both ends of the route. Like the #X54, last through route bus is at 7 pm right. right now they are still pulling in on their trip from jeff at 8pm maybe getting to a garage by 8:20 or 8:30 if they pulled in to say FG they'd be saving 20 minutes or so. Now multiply that by all these routes and you get more time saved. Kind of reminds me what they did to #54A when it was cut to rush hour only minus the second garage.

At least that's why I thought the following splits made sense in their time.

• 8: Limits and 77th
• 9: Limits and 69th
• 49: North Park and 69th
• 82: North Park and Kedzie or Lawndale

... The only problem with sharing garages are the games that are played when North Park and 69th use to share Western and when Kedzie and North Park use to share Kimball-Homan

So, exactly, what were the games, and why was splitting routes among garages abolished at that time?

Collateral thoughts:

Technically, Western is closer to Archer, but as the soon to be comatose X49 illustrates, the end of the run can't be the end of the line, as the signs said trips from each end after 7 p.m. are only to Archer. One wonders if the scheduled pullins served any passenger need, or just because the buses had to get back to that garage.

In that this line of communication indicates that NP is picking up some routes, while NP doesn't have any X routes on the block, that may indicate what is going to happen to schedule frequency, overall.

[jajuan]

8-split between Kedzie and 74th

49-split between 74th and North Park

94-split between Chicago and 74th

Midway routes-74th

I would've guessed 94 between K and 74th but no surprise on the rest especially 49 which was split that way before going to Archer except of course it was 74th's predecessor 69th. Also I did hear a Kedzie operator working the 12 yesterday morning ask one of Archer operators on the 50 if he were coming to Kedzie, and she said it was either there or 74th for Archer operators who don't get laid off. So sound like she was in the know on some of it based on what's reported here. Now the question is whether there will still be a split of the N Lake Shore expresses between K and NP. Even with the splits between the two mentioned for the 82 and NP and other garages for south serving routes it would be hard for NP to shoulder the whole load like it did before 3/23/08 regardless of how some feel about Kedzie getting 143, 145 and 148.

[sw4400]

8-split between Kedzie and 74th

49-split between 74th and North Park

94-split between Chicago and 74th

Midway routes-74th

I don't think these routes, especially 8-Halsted and 49-Western would be split between two different garages... suppose you were a passenger who catches the 49 at Berwyn and need to go all the way to 79th? You have to leave one bus at, looking at the Bustracker, Division or Chicago, and have to pay to board another??? That would be a ridiculous idea. Ideally, 77th should get Western, as the Garage is at 79th Street, which isn't too far from Western's beginning, and a relief point for the route could be at Lake, Pershing, or Cermak. Or if, the driver is due for his/her meal break, they drive to 79th, and proceed from there to 77th Garage and another bus from 77th leaves the Garage and goes back north on Western.

[qwantae]

Chicago is also picking up the 54B

If that so then they might as well combine 54/ 54B into one route, so drivers wouldn't have to go way down to Cermak for switch. Eliminate 54B. Rt#54 from Montrose to Ford City.

[Busjack]

I don't think these routes, especially 8-Halsted and 49-Western would be split between two different garages... suppose you were a passenger who catches the 49 at Berwyn and need to go all the way to 79th? You have to leave one bus at, looking at the Bustracker, Division or Chicago, and have to pay to board another??? That would be a ridiculous idea. Ideally, 77th should get Western, as the Garage is at 79th Street, which isn't too far from Western's beginning, and a relief point for the route could be at Lake, Pershing, or Cermak. Or if, the driver is due for his/her meal break, they drive to 79th, and proceed from there to 77th Garage and another bus from 77th leaves the Garage and goes back north on Western.

You raised a non-issue. A bus going to Western-79th, can go from there to 74th Garage, via 79th and Damen. It isn't going to end its run at 74th and Western (or 71st, given that the railroad cuts off 74th Street), unless CTA management has really become strange.

Are you also arguing that a Western-Berwyn bus is going to stop a block short?

74th and Wood is a lot closer to 79th and Western than 79th and Wentworth is. Someone else explained how 52A and 53A gets street relief from 74th, so I suppose that 49 would be no different.

[Busjack]

If that so then they might as well combine 54/ 54B into one route, so drivers wouldn't have to go way down to Cermak for switch. Eliminate 54B. Rt#54 from Montrose to Ford City.

That might make sense. I suppose it depends on the relative frequency of the two routes, and also whether they want to maintain a route that is almost as long as 49.

[sht6131]

Archer could pull in from downtown via Wacker to the Eisenhower. The only problem with sharing garages are the games that are played when North Park and 69th use to share Western and when Kedzie and North Park use to share Kimball-Homan

From my experience on 82 I would say NP operators during my time were handicapped if they followed a Lawndale New Look 100 or 3500 series bus. We had Twin 5000`s. They left us in the dust between timepoints. I know its relative but at that time between the two garages there were 56 of us on the street with a 2 to 3 minute street during the AM. They still got away from us.

[BusExpert32]

Now all we need is to add Flxibles to the mix to make this more interesting. The CTA without high floor buses would definitely lose my interest, and then sometime after that Pace too. I'm going to have to get a new hobby, and stamp collecting wouldn't be it.

[pudgym29]

If that's so, then they might as well combine 54/54B into one route, so drivers wouldn't have to go way down to Cermak for switch. Eliminate #54B. Rt #54 from Montrose to Ford City.

That might make sense. I suppose it depends on the relative frequency of the two routes, and also whether they want to maintain a route that is almost as long as Rt #49.

Does Cicero south of 24th St. need that much frequency? Would 24th be a regular terminus for southbound buses outside of weekday rush hours: i.e.; every second bus would run to Ford City?

Also: With Kedzie getting route #62 Archer, and lengthier headways, might we glimpse 60-footers getting runs on it?

[Busjack]

Also: With Kedzie getting route #62 Archer, and lengthier headways, might we glimpse 60-footers getting runs on it?

With respect to that, probably not. They were removed from the southwest side when the Orange Line opened, and with the Orange Line, there is no need for them. Even CTA figured that out in 1997, despite Lipinski using influence to keep the southwest express buses until then.