CTA Rail Service Alerts

[sw4400]

5/29/13 2:13p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Purple

Service Interruption Severity: Major Delays due to track switching problems near Howard.

[sw4400]

No alert for this one(must've happened before I logged on), but here's the link to the story.

[jajuan]

The CTA website has an alert up as of 7:04 PM this evening about service being restored on the Blue Line with residual significant delays due to a disruption caused by fire department activity. The alert doesn't say where the disruption was or any further detail about the fire department action that occurred.

[Busjack]

The CTA website has an alert up as of 7:04 PM this evening about service being restored on the Blue Line with residual significant delays due to a disruption caused by fire department activity. The alert doesn't say where the disruption was or any further detail about the fire department action that occurred.

It was mentioned on the radio traffic report that there was a track fire but it was cleared up.

Update: The Tribune confirms that it was the second one today, but this one closer to Chicago than Grand.

[jajuan]

Crazy day on the Blue Line today I see.

[sw4400]

6/1/13 7:14a

Rail Line(s) Affected: Brown

Service Interruption Severity: Minor Delays due to an earlier raised bridge near Merchandise Mart. Trains are moving and service is being restored.

[sw4400]

6/1/13 8:45a

Upcoming Alert for 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 6/5 and 6/6/13 from 7a-7p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Purple

Service Interruption Severity: Trains will operate in both directions on the same track between Dempster and Howard with Minor Delays expected. Board/Exit all trains on the Linden-bound platform at the Main and South Boulevard stations.

This is due to track maintenance to ensure trains continue to operate safely on the Purple Line.

Service Interruption Update: Track work has been rescheduled during the hours of 9p-4a for 6/3,6/4,6/5 and 6/6

[Busjack]

Crazy day on the Blue Line today I see.

It seems like it is always deja vu all over again on the CTA. Never a singular incident.

Maybe there will be a proposal to rebuild the Met north of Lake/Paulina so Blue Line trains can go "over the top," and not just as part of the dead Circle Line project. I'm sure some transit historian will say that that is now impossible, but apparently so is the Blue Line subway.

[artthouwill]

It seems like it is always deja vu all over again on the CTA. Never a singular incident.

Maybe there will be a proposal to rebuild the Met north of Lake/Paulina so Blue Line trains can go "over the top," and not just as part of the dead Circle Line project. I'm sure some transit historian will say that that is now impossible, but apparently so is the Blue Line subway.

That's a great idea Busjack, except there is no place for the trains to descend to on the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line, unless you reverse the trains at Racine to the Paulina Connector and build a connection so that the trains can turn northbound onto the connector. Otherwise the Forest Park branch trains would have to be turned at LaSalle or Jackson.

[Busjack]

That's a great idea Busjack, except there is no place for the trains to descend to on the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line, unless you reverse the trains at Racine to the Paulina Connector and build a connection so that the trains can turn northbound onto the connector. Otherwise the Forest Park branch trains would have to be turned at LaSalle or Jackson.

If the subway is going to be out of service, it isn't going to matter. As it was, since the reports indicate that the trains were stopped at Racine, they had to reverse them twice yesterday,

Of course, before others jump on me, I was only being semiserious.

[artthouwill]

If the subway is going to be out of service, it isn't going to matter. As it was, since the reports indicate that the trains were stopped at Racine, they had to reverse them twice yesterday,

Of course, before others jump on me, I was only being semiserious.

At least the O"hare branch riders can still get to the Loop in your scenario. Also the Red Line over the top routing allows commuters from the North and South sides to reach the Loop without going through the subway. Rebuilding the Met portal to the Lake St L solves that problem for the O'Hare branch riders, but depending on the location of the problem in the Milwaukee or Dearborn subway, it is less than optimal for Forest Park riders. I guess the location of the rail power grids also factor in.

[mkohut]

At least the O"hare branch riders can still get to the Loop in your scenario. Also the Red Line over the top routing allows commuters from the North and South sides to reach the Loop without going through the subway. Rebuilding the Met portal to the Lake St L solves that problem for the O'Hare branch riders, but depending on the location of the problem in the Milwaukee or Dearborn subway, it is less than optimal for Forest Park riders. I guess the location of the rail power grids also factor in.

Not that the CTA has the money for it.But,Forest Park might be able to connect to the Clinton Subway.

[Busjack]

Not that the CTA has the money for it.But,Forest Park might be able to connect to the Clinton Subway.

There was the original plan (you can look up the 1958 transit plans on chicago-l.org, and it was also in Lind's CSL book) to build a Jackson subway between the Congress line and into Grant Park. No details whether there was supposed to be a loop or a crossover at the end. I was going to say that obviously nothing or darn little of the 1958 plan was built, but chicago-l.org says that the expressway median lines were part of that. There supposedly is an extra portal around Halsted, though.

[busfan2847]

There was the original plan (you can look up the 1958 transit plans on chicago-l.org, and it was also in Lind's CSL book) to build a Jackson subway between the Congress line and into Grant Park. No details whether there was supposed to be a loop or a crossover at the end. I was going to say that obviously nothing or darn little of the 1958 plan was built, but chicago-l.org says that the expressway median lines were part of that. There supposedly is an extra portal around Halsted, though.

There is an extra portal to the north of the two Blue line portals at Halsted. I always thought it was for CA&ER trains.

[jajuan]

There is an extra portal to the north of the two Blue line portals at Halsted. I always thought it was for CA&ER trains.

Yes I've been wondering for two decades what exactly that extra portal was for whenever I was on the Blue Line and saw that portal as the trains left Halsted and descended into the subway.

[Busjack]

There is an extra portal to the north of the two Blue line portals at Halsted. I always thought it was for CA&ER trains.

Of course, 55 years later, we don't know for sure what it is for.

However, since the CA&E station was on the elevated (stub terminal straight from the Garfield Park line) and CA&E discontinued service before the Congress route opened, I guess we will never know, but can only lay odds.

[sw4400]

6/3/13 1:57p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Blue

Service Interruption Severity: Major Delays due to earlier equipment problems near UIC Halsted. Service is being restored currently.

[jajuan]

6/3/13 1:57p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Blue

Service Interruption Severity: Major Delays due to earlier equipment problems near UIC Halsted. Service is being restored currently.

Good grief. The Blue Line just doesn't get a break it seems.

[sw4400]

6/4/13 12:19p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Blue

Service Interruption Severity: Significant Delays(O-Hare-bound trains) due to an earlier signal problem at Forest Park. Service is being restored.

[sw4400]

6/5/13 1:01p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Brown

Service Interruption Severity: Service Disruption due to a raised bridge at the Chicago River Downtown. Some trains may be held or turned back before reaching the bridge to maintain service across the remainder of the route. Pay attention to announcements and train destination signs.

Alternate Service: Shuttle Buses are available to provide connecting service between the Loop at Clark/Lake and Merchandise Mart.

Normal service will resume when City Crews correct the problem with the bridge and allow safe resumption of service.

[Busjack]

6/5/13 1:01p

Rail Line(s) Affected: Brown

Service Interruption Severity: Service Disruption due to a raised bridge at the Chicago River Downtown. Some trains may be held or turned back before reaching the bridge to maintain service across the remainder of the route. Pay attention to announcements and train destination signs.

Alternate Service: Shuttle Buses are available to provide connecting service between the Loop at Clark/Lake and Merchandise Mart.

Normal service will resume when City Crews correct the problem with the bridge and allow safe resumption of service.

Department of Redundancy Department.

Either the bridge was designed to be raised, or the complete replacement didn't work.

[chicagopcclcar]

I would ask the question...Does the CTA routinely post the service interuption whenever the bridge opening on Wednesdays and Sundays takes place, anticipating maybe ten minutes of interuption or do they only post the notice when the bridge tenders have trouble getting the bridge back down and in a locked position. I imagine you all know that the bridge tenders travel leap-frog fashion from bridge to bridge, using automobiles. When they get to the two bridges carrying 'L' tracks, they ring up Tower 18. The Tower when all trains are in the clear and all signals set to red and derails thrown then keys in a switch which gives power to the individual bridge tender to do the lift. At the Tower, the first "new" curved route was from the outer Loop to the outer Loop, allowing Ravenswood trains to go around the Loop again while the bridge was up. We called this the "loop the Loop track" back in the day. I remember one night rounding the corner NB as a motorman and getting a surprise, all the tracks straight up in the air. Scared the XXXX out of me...never had seen that before. Motormen get no notice on the Lake Street side that the bridge is up. In streetcar language, a right angle crossing of two two-track lines with curved routes in all directions is called a "grand union." Today's Lake/Wells Sts. junction is 6/8's of a grand union.

P.S. The Wells St. was not a complete renewal....the 'L' tracks and the center spans yes; but the two end pieces were only rehabbed in place with only needed repairs made and then the two ends were primed in gray and of course the street and sidewalk level is still being worked on.

[sw4400]

I would ask the question...Does the CTA routinely post the service interuption whenever the bridge opening on Wednesdays and Sundays takes place, anticipating maybe ten minutes of interuption or do they only post the notice when the bridge tenders have trouble getting the bridge back down and in a locked position.

I have never seen these alerts in years past. Back then, all Loop rail lines had Normal Service* listed on the CTA website and when you click on the blue underlined service status, it would say during Spring and Summer, bridge lifts occur which delay trains briefly. It seems like the CTA wants to be a little more johnny on the spot with the bridge lift rail alerts to appease customers, I guess. They probably had a lot of complaints from Loop "L" rail riders who found their trains delayed and turned back around in the past due to raised bridges and at that time, probably no Bus Shuttles to work around the delayed area.

[sw4400]

6/7/13 1:54p

Upcoming Alert for 6/8/13 @ 7a until 6/10/13 @ 4a

Rail Line(s) Affected: Purple

Service Interruption Severity: Trains will operate on the same track in both directions between Dempster and Howard, resulting in Minor Delays. Board/Exit all trains on the Linden-bound platform at the Main station and at the South Boulevard station.

This is due to track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Purple Line

[jajuan]

I would ask the question...Does the CTA routinely post the service interuption whenever the bridge opening on Wednesdays and Sundays takes place, anticipating maybe ten minutes of interuption or do they only post the notice when the bridge tenders have trouble getting the bridge back down and in a locked position. I imagine you all know that the bridge tenders travel leap-frog fashion from bridge to bridge, using automobiles. When they get to the two bridges carrying 'L' tracks, they ring up Tower 18. The Tower when all trains are in the clear and all signals set to red and derails thrown then keys in a switch which gives power to the individual bridge tender to do the lift. At the Tower, the first "new" curved route was from the outer Loop to the outer Loop, allowing Ravenswood trains to go around the Loop again while the bridge was up. We called this the "loop the Loop track" back in the day. I remember one night rounding the corner NB as a motorman and getting a surprise, all the tracks straight up in the air. Scared the XXXX out of me...never had seen that before. Motormen get no notice on the Lake Street side that the bridge is up. In streetcar language, a right angle crossing of two two-track lines with curved routes in all directions is called a "grand union." Today's Lake/Wells Sts. junction is 6/8's of a grand union.

P.S. The Wells St. was not a complete renewal....the 'L' tracks and the center spans yes; but the two end pieces were only rehabbed in place with only needed repairs made and then the two ends were primed in gray and of course the street and sidewalk level is still being worked on.

Yeah i can tell the difference when going over the bridge on days I choose to take the Purple Line Express from downtown. There's no longer that loud clanging of the train wheels against the rails where the bridge section points are located. It's more like the usual taps against rail section connections on other parts of the rail system by comparison.