Red & Purple Modernization Project (RPM)

[Kevin]

Per Alderman Osterman, Bryn Mawr will be receiving work this October that will be somewhere between a Renew Crew visit and an Interim Rehab. Improvements will include a deep cleaning, new doors, new lights, new wall finishes, and new signage. This will involve a weekend street closure, but the station itself will not close.

[BusHunter]

Took a look at Morse Red line over the weekend. I was surprised to see exposed glass (unprotected from vandals) until I touched it. It's plastic. Looks like glass. I wonder though can it still be scratched. Some of these vandals are pretty persistent. I fear soon it may look like a hazy mess

Two weeks ago when I was at Morse I couldn't help noticing, the plastic windows were starting to get scratched up and hazy around the Lunt entrance. Since then they have put up the protection metal grid over all the plastic windows. Argyle and Thorndale with reopen with this. I also noticed all new ties on the SB red line track from Granville to Lawrence. The train seems to fly through the closed stations now at full speed. (I wonder if the bridge repairs are done now.) The biggest pain up there is the NB purple line track that still crawls (at 15mph) up to Bryn Mawr. They got to fix that track. Weird enough the bridge repairs on that track use the older wooden ties, some with cracks already in them. I wonder why they waste there time with those, they seem inferior to the new ties.

[jajuan]

Two weeks ago when I was at Morse I couldn't help noticing, the plastic windows were starting to get scratched up and hazy around the Lunt entrance. Since then they have put up the protection metal grid over all the plastic windows. Argyle and Thorndale with reopen with this. I also noticed all new ties on the SB red line track from Granville to Lawrence. The train seems to fly through the closed stations now at full speed. (I wonder if the bridge repairs are done now.) The biggest pain up there is the NB purple line track that still crawls (at 15mph) up to Bryn Mawr. They got to fix that track. Weird enough the bridge repairs on that track use the older wooden ties, some with cracks already in them. I wonder why they waste there time with those, they seem inferior to the new ties.

Speaking of Argyle and Thorndale, Thorndale reopens Friday and Argyle the following Friday.

[Guest ctafan630]

With the Wilson Station renovation, Wilson will be come a transfer point for the Purple Line express. How many more stops can be added before it is no longer considered an express train?

[MetroShadow]

Chicagoans and Evanstonians probably got spoiled by that long non-stop run south of Howard St; even with the express runs that were only express south of Granville interlocking. At least they still had the express tracks south of Armitage. But time marched on and even with the dropping of the surcharge, adding all the Brown line stops was probably the last insult.

I would suggest comparing ours to the NYC expresses on the four tracked mains to come up with a good ratio of express vs local stops. Here's a good map.

http://www.mta.info/...maps/submap.htm

David Harrison

Notwithstanding with the Nassau Line/6 Avenue Local (J, M, Z), where they still have skip-stop, It's still an express if you're skipping any number of [stops > x > 1]. Many of those NYC lines have expresses that cover blocks, if not miles of stops skipped).

Red/Purple is not a skip-stop, but you're bypassing half of the NSM. [Howard > Loyola (?) > Wilson > Belmont]

[Guest ctafan630]

Here's a good map.

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

David Harrison

That map is enough to make my head spin. Man I am glad I don't have to take the NYC subway.

[MetroShadow]

That map is enough to make my head spin. Man I am glad I don't have to take the NYC subway.

After you've ridden the system once, you'd get it (or vow never to return again).

[BusHunter]

Did you guys see that the Lawrence red line station is being built with a wooden platform, not precast concrete. I wonder if the project is overbudget or the structure can't handle the weight there?

[Busjack]

Did you guys see that the Lawrence red line station is being built with a wooden platform, not precast concrete. I wonder if the project is overbudget or the structure can't handle the weight there?

Strange.

However, you have the situation that it is half steel and half concrete there, which also may mean that it is impacted by the Wilson project (to the extent that the track pattern is going to be reworked).

[rl12383]

Did you guys see that the Lawrence red line station is being built with a wooden platform, not precast concrete. I wonder if the project is overbudget or the structure can't handle the weight there?

the reason why they are using wood instead of concrete is explained here:

http://www.ctastationwatch.com/main-line/587

[Busjack]

the reason why they are using wood instead of concrete is explained here:

http://www.ctastatio...m/main-line/587

So I guessed right (at least with regard to part of it being on a steel structure).

Thanks.

[Busjack]

Moved per the scope police:

...

A few construction updates: They are finally putting the steel up to what I'm assuming is the expanded Loyola station unless it's something else on the property,...

The CTA Tattler says that the Loyola plaza project is done.

[BusHunter]

Yes, I'm surprised. It looks bigger than what my pictures show. It looks like they took advantage of the area along the tracks. It shouldbe interesting when the Loyola campus apartments are done. The plaza is going to be surrounded by concrete walls on three sides. Still though the plaza is smaller than most city park playlots, and it doesn't help that all shots are from Sheridan Sb.

[Juniorz]

A Summer Update Newsletter is posted on the RPM (Red Purple Moderization) & RLE (Red Line Extension) webpage

[BusHunter]

I don't know why but track speeds seem to be getting slower on the north branch on the red line main around loyola to howard. They just replaced the ties there and many of the rail bridges in that area so what gives? The purple line is painfully slow nb also, but they haven't touched the ties. It's kind of strange to work on the ravenswood connector when this needs more attention in my opinion.

[mkohut]

I don't know why but track speeds seem to be getting slower on the north branch on the red line main around loyola to howard. They just replaced the ties there and many of the rail bridges in that area so what gives? The purple line is painfully slow nb also, but they haven't touched the ties. It's kind of strange to work on the ravenswood connector when this needs more attention in my opinion.

While,i agree the work needs to be done.It seen the CTA can't get stuff fix right the first time. Another Blue Line train got derail by O'Hare again.Claypool and Emanuel want people to pay 5 dollars for the service .

[i8itall4u]

TECHNOLOGY? WTF (Why That's Farfetched).

I rode the red line round trip between Lake and Ashland/63 saturday. Brand new 14th st. interlocking, incline foundation and track. New signals, ties, tie plates and clips. 15 MPH NB from 16th to the 8 car berthing mark at Roosevelt??? That was a 35mph zone back in the day.

During the time I rode the Englewood/Howard almost daily from 1968 to 1975, slow zones were rare and brief. You may say this is the result of the speed/braking of heavier cars. Track technology doesn't address this?

High speed cars (since 1963) on this system is like running the Indy 500 on old Route 30.

[BusHunter]

I don't know, the only thing that I can say about the north main is if you fix the ties and you still have slow zones it must be the structure, but then why would you fix the track in the first place, I would fix the structure. A good experiment would be to time the #147 against the Red line, I bet if you board around Water Tower Place you could actually get a faster commute. Hopefully when they complete the Dan Ryan the south side will have faster trains!! We can always hope.

[Busjack]

I don't know, the only thing that I can say about the north main is if you fix the ties and you still have slow zones it must be the structure, but then why would you fix the track in the first place, I would fix the structure. A good experiment would be to time the #147 against the Red line, I bet if you board around Water Tower Place you could actually get a faster commute. Hopefully when they complete the Dan Ryan the south side will have faster trains!! We can always hope.

10 years ago the bus beat the train.

Somebody on the CTA Tattler complains that they didn't fix the crossovers near Granville, and Brian Steele said there that that would become part of the vision thing. Someone here claimed that there was nothing wrong with it.

As far as structure, it is on an embankment, so the only question there is whether the earth is going to collapse. They supposedly fixed the viaducts, but, maybe like the LSD one at LaSalle Drive, maybe only cosmetically.

In any event, the July 2013 Slow Zone Report shows northbound completely track slow zones, so any track they replaced is still no good, according to CTA. Southbound shows all types of slow zones around Loyola, but that apparently is mostly power and construction, and power is supposed to be corrected by renovating the Farwell substation.

[MetroShadow]

10 years ago the bus beat the train.

I timed it last month from Morse and from Bryn Mawr. Regardless of when you take the 147, it seems to be faster than the Red Line (85% of the time).

[Busjack]

I timed it last month from Morse and from Bryn Mawr. Regardless of when you take the 147, it seems to be faster than the Red Line (85% of the time).

I used simpler techniques, i.e. note the fleet number on the roof of the bus pulling into Howard when the train was leaving, then getting off the train at Chicago and seeing that bus on Michigan Ave. Not quite precise, but good enough.

[Sam92]

I used simpler techniques, i.e. note the fleet number on the roof of the bus pulling into Howard when the train was leaving, then getting off the train at Chicago and seeing that bus on Michigan Ave. Not quite precise, but good enough.

did that from Van Buren to Howard. Despite the PM, rush the 147 was already leaving Howard (interlined to a 22) by the time my train pulled in.

[Sam92]

I don't know, the only thing that I can say about the north main is if you fix the ties and you still have slow zones it must be the structure, but then why would you fix the track in the first place, I would fix the structure.

Im still asking the same about the Dan Ryan...supposedly bad drainage (the cause for the shutdown) was the reason for the switch from concrete ties on that section (decades ago), yet the problem is just now getting addressed. And Chicago-L.org has mentioned the drainage issue LONG before Emmanuel and Claypool addressed it. I personally feel that if it were gonna come to a shutdown like this, they could've done it while they did the power/signal upgrades back in 2004. Then again that wouldve been a bit more of a challenge to run the shuttles without as many artics as we had now. I doubt the 7300's would've survived that much even if the NABI'S did the shuttles

[mkohut]

Im still asking the same about the Dan Ryan...supposedly bad drainage (the cause for the shutdown) was the reason for the switch from concrete ties on that section (decades ago), yet the problem is just now getting addressed. And Chicago-L.org has mentioned the drainage issue LONG before Emmanuel and Claypool addressed it. I personally feel that if it were gonna come to a shutdown like this, they could've done it while they did the power/signal upgrades back in 2004. Then again that wouldve been a bit more of a challenge to run the shuttles without as many artics as we had now. I doubt the 7300's would've survived that much even if the NABI'S did the shuttles

While it would have made sense to do everything at once.The fact is there wasn't enough money to do it.At the time bypass was use.rather if it would have been feasible to use bypass when all the work is being done is something nobody will ever know.

[Busjack]

While it would have made sense to do everything at once.The fact is there wasn't enough money to do it.At the time bypass was use.rather if it would have been feasible to use bypass when all the work is being done is something nobody will ever know.

My only point (at least a year ago) was that they said they fixed the slow zones in 2007, but apparently didn't fix anything. Maybe Kruesi and Daley figured that they couldn't take the political heat for shutting the line down and doing it right the first time.

The relevant comparison is that they had all sorts of track outages on the north side last year, and again appear not to have fixed anything. The work done then was supposed to last until the "vision thing" arrived in 10 years. Maybe the station platforms and entry houses will hold up that long.