Dan Ryan Track Renewal Project

[Vinny]

But speaking of crowds, here's the Worlds Series crowd boarding the 'L' at 35th St. (CTA Photo) Hope Garfield doesn't look like this in the coming week, LOL.

Well, one thing for sure - the way the Sox are playing this season, 35th/Bronzeville/IIT isn't going to have those kinds of crowds (not even for the series against the Cubs starting Memorial Day).

[MetroShadow]

Well, one thing for sure - the way the Sox are playing this season, 35th/Bronzeville/IIT isn't going to have those kinds of crowds (not even for the series against the Cubs starting Memorial Day).

So...you're saying there's a chance I can still get tickets?! ;)

[Vinny]

So...you're saying there's a chance I can still get tickets?!

I'm putting my lower corner tix for the 27th up on stubhub, so, yes.

[New Flyer]

I rode the Red Line from 63rd/Ashland, they have police on standby no crowd of people till we got to 55th. They had personnel on the platform, and to tell the truth it was a very fast ride and I had to go to Lawrence. Same for the ride back , the stretch of track from 18th -35th they let it roll.

[BusHunter]

I rode the Red Line from 63rd/Ashland, they have police on standby no crowd of people till we got to 55th. They had personnel on the platform, and to tell the truth it was a very fast ride and I had to go to Lawrence. Same for the ride back , the stretch of track from 18th -35th they let it roll.

Ridership was pretty light yesterday, there were no more than 10 riders in each car and some cars had no one. (at Garfield) You can see today ridership is much heavier. But service is much faster, and now all the stations are handicapped accessible including the ones south of Garfield (via bus)

[jajuan]

Ridership was pretty light yesterday, there were no more than 10 riders in each car and some cars had no one. (at Garfield) You can see today ridership is much heavier. But service is much faster, and now all the stations are handicapped accessible including the ones south of Garfield (via bus)

It sounds like the cooperation of Dan Ryan traffic patterns is giving riders their first dose of what the Dan Ryan segment of the Red Line will be like without the slow zones after the project is over.perception wise. Trips into the loop after the project will theoretically faster than the combination of shuttles and rerouted Red Line trains.

[eyetube21]

Last Sunday, I rode the Red Line from 47th to Ashland/63rd terminal. I made videos there and went to Howard Street terminal. It took about an hour to get there and I also went to the Garfield station and took pictures and videos there. Here are some pictures I took. Here are the video links http://youtu.be/GMe2BORFCDU and http://youtu.be/kChQEtqfb3U.

[chicagomotorman]

very nice

[eyetube21]

very nice

Thanks.

[artthouwill]

The ride on the Red Line this morning frm Lake to 35th was extremely slow, my guess is track congestion. There was another Red Line train immediately in front of us. It was about 10 minutes Roosevelt to 35th

[chicagopcclcar]

Far, far away from the action.....Garfield/Green, bus shuttles on the Ryan, the actual contractors hard at work....is the south incline from the State St. subway. Railfans are celebrating the revision of revenue service to this piece of CTA 'L'/subway. Previously, the incline was in service for almost 50 years as a part of the North-South route and the predecessor Howard-Jackson Park and Ravenswood-Englewood-Normal Park via subway service. In 1993, when the Ryan line was linked to the Howard line via a new subway connector, this incline reverted to standby status. Only work trains and railfan charters used this routing, except for a few Red line reroutes down through the years. Finally in 2013, the Wells Street Bridge project sent trains this way to be turned at 37th St.

Between the portal at 13th St. and 11th St., the subway was open-cut construction, including a chamber at 11th St. where the two mine boring machines were lowered to bore out the tunnel tubes north to the river crossing. The only other open cut construction was at the extreme north end connecting to the incline there and two vaults where crossover tracks were built; near Division and Clybourn and near Grand. Although the twin subway tubes were beneath streets, the subway ordinances stipulated that the inclines must be on private land, thus the tracks swerve slightly at both locations.

Our set of photos show north bound Red line Ashland/63 to Howard trains slowly treading their way downgrade. With manned towers at both ends of the incline, this is not high-speed territory.

Another feature brough back from the 1943-1993 period is using the "stub middle track" as a turnback. Originally from 1943, the signal at the southbound end of the platform had a special aspect: "yellow over yellow over yellow" which meant the SB trains was being routed into the middle stub track and descended and ended at concrete wall. You used plenty of track brake and nothing over 6 MPH descending this grade. Nowadays, that track is the regular NB track from the Ryan connector but available for turning again with the Ryan closure. Finally here's a SB set of 2600s with red "Ashland-63" in mylar displayed throughout. The 2600 series cannot be used for the short turn Roosevelts because "Roosevelt" sign position on the roller curtains was used for the "Ashland/63" sign.

[jajuan]

One thing catching my ear in eyetube21's video is Mr CTA saying that the train was a Green Line train to 63rd and Ashland going south but identifying northbound trains as Red Lines to Howard.

[BusHunter]

Far, far away from the action.....Garfield/Green, bus shuttles on the Ryan, the actual contractors hard at work....is the south incline from the State St. subway. Railfans are celebrating the revision of revenue service to this piece of CTA 'L'/subway. Previously, the incline was in service for almost 50 years as a part of the North-South route and the predecessor Howard-Jackson Park and Ravenswood-Englewood-Normal Park via subway service. In 1993, when the Ryan line was linked to the Howard line via a new subway connector, this incline reverted to standby status. Only work trains and railfan charters used this routing, except for a few Red line reroutes down through the years. Finally in 2013, the Wells Street Bridge project sent trains this way to be turned at 37th St.

Between the portal at 13th St. and 11th St., the subway was open-cut construction, including a chamber at 11th St. where the two mine boring machines were lowered to bore out the tunnel tubes north to the river crossing. The only other open cut construction was at the extreme north end connecting to the incline there and two vaults where crossover tracks were built; near Division and Clybourn and near Grand. Although the twin subway tubes were beneath streets, the subway ordinances stipulated that the inclines must be on private land, thus the tracks swerve slightly at both locations.

Our set of photos show north bound Red line Ashland/63 to Howard trains slowly treading their way downgrade. With manned towers at both ends of the incline, this is not high-speed territory.

Another feature brough back from the 1943-1993 period is using the "stub middle track" as a turnback. Originally from 1943, the signal at the southbound end of the platform had a special aspect: "yellow over yellow over yellow" which meant the SB trains was being routed into the middle stub track and descended and ended at concrete wall. You used plenty of track brake and nothing over 6 MPH descending this grade. Nowadays, that track is the regular NB track from the Ryan connector but available for turning again with the Ryan closure. Finally here's a SB set of 2600s with red "Ashland-63" in mylar displayed throughout. The 2600 series cannot be used for the short turn Roosevelts because "Roosevelt" sign position on the roller curtains was used for the "Ashland/63" sign.

You missed the best picture of all. A picture going down the incline from the operator's cab. In the rush you usually will see a train ahead at Roosevelt/Green line with the Trump building behind it. That's got to be one of the better CTA rail pictures one could take other than the trains passing over the Chicago river. (But i'm biased because this is new)

As far as subway construction, I heard a story about the boring machines myself, one that was used to make the Dearborn subway (blue line) is supposed to be somewhere between Lasalle and Clinton. I've been told once the machines start boring they can't be removed. As far as the Red line or Blue line for that matter I believe the cut and cover method was only used at the ends of the State and Dearborn subway tunnels, but the station areas were excavated from the street. The only question I have is how they made Lasalle Junction. They would have to use a cut and cover method there as there was alot of excavation there from the street. That would have been kind of cool to see Lasalle as a terminus pre 1958. I believe there's some rooms above where that junction is, if my memory is not failing me.

[chicagopcclcar]

You missed the best picture of all. A picture going down the incline from the operator's cab. In the rush you usually will see a train ahead at Roosevelt/Green line with the Trump building behind it. That's got to be one of the better CTA rail pictures one could take other than the trains passing over the Chicago river. (But i'm biased because this is new)

As far as subway construction, I heard a story about the boring machines myself, one that was used to make the Dearborn subway (blue line) is supposed to be somewhere between Lasalle and Clinton. I've been told once the machines start boring they can't be removed. As far as the Red line or Blue line for that matter I believe the cut and cover method was only used at the ends of the State and Dearborn subway tunnels, but the station areas were excavated from the street. The only question I have is how they made Lasalle Junction. They would have to use a cut and cover method there as there was alot of excavation there from the street. That would have been kind of cool to see Lasalle as a terminus pre 1958. I believe there's some rooms above where that junction is, if my memory is not failing me.

I'll take your advice on that picture, but I would need a SB coming up the incline to make a good "railroad" pic. Photos showing only tracks don't make it past editorial boards.

Without definite proof, chalk that tale about stranded machines to urban legend. The boring machines worked south to north. I imagine the State St. machines could easily be removed via cut and cover work in connection to the pre-built tube connections at the river crossing. North of the crossing the two State Street tubes were all hand dug to the exit underneath Clybourn. I did not mention the MLD #2 subway. Yes, mezzanines at stations were cut an cover construction. The MLD boring machines could have been inserted at La Salle and removed after Clark/Lake. The rest of the MLD was hand mined all the way to Division, including the under river crossing.

So you ask why wasn't the CDS subway hand dug beneath the river? To get to the needed depth beneath the river, in other words to have enough earth above the tubes for hand mining would have required a steep grade after the Lake station platforms, so the engineers chose pre formed tubes placed in a trench in the river's bottom.

Edit: (MLD ) Milwaukee-Lake-Dearborn subway, name used during construction.

(CDS) Clybourn-Division-State subway, name used during construction.

[MRCTA]

Hope they get through with this project! This may take a long, long time! What's your take on this Red Line travesty?

[MetroShadow]

Hope they get through with this project! This may take a long, long time! What's your take on this Red Line travesty?

A necessary evil.

[jajuan]

A necessary evil.

Agreed. At a time when it would take at least an hour to get from 95th to Roosevelt or one of the two southernmost inner downtown stations before the Dan Ryan leg was closed, this project was well past overdue like it or not. The stopgap fixes weren't working anymore.

[chicagopcclcar]

This is actually from the CTA Twitter page, but it is a comparison between the Ryan Red Line Project and work on Washington, DC rail lines with many posters kinda jealous of Chicago being able to carry off the complete line shutdown.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/18924/long-term-closures-a-solution-to-single-tracking/

[MetroShadow]

This is actually from the CTA Twitter page, but it is a comparison between the Ryan Red Line Project and work on Washington, DC rail lines with many posters kinda jealous of Chicago being able to carry off the complete line shutdown.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/18924/long-term-closures-a-solution-to-single-tracking/

Between weekend shutdowns and a train every 20 minutes, for x number of years, would definitely be a problem than just doing a total shutdown.

I was in the district last year (from Baltimore), and I needed to take the Green Line from Greenbelt to Navy Yard. Needless to say, they were single tracking with 20 minute headways, and it was a pain to not only find a seat, but it was just an overall headache.

(I took Amtrak back to Baltimore after the Nationals won their game)

[sw4400]

Here's a few photos from CTA's Facebook page of the construction on the Dan Ryan Branch.

[artthouwill]

I hadn't noticed before, but the Green Line maps now include the Red Line from south of.Roosevelt to 63rd Ashland. It also includes the. rush outer outer loop Green Line touring for select trains.

[ctrabs74]

Well, one thing for sure - the way the Sox are playing this season, 35th/Bronzeville/IIT isn't going to have those kinds of crowds (not even for the series against the Cubs starting Memorial Day).

As long as there are tickets available for Elvis Night against the Texas Rangers in August, I'll be content...

So, perhaps it won't be as crowded for a typical late season White Sox home game which means less congestion at 35-Bronzeville-IIT station?

[artthouwill]

Well, one thing for sure - the way the Sox are playing this season, 35th/Bronzeville/IIT isn't going to have those kinds of crowds (not even for the series against the Cubs starting Memorial Day).

Last I checked, the Sox are doing better than the Cubs. The 35th/Bronzeville/IIT station did very brisk business for the Boston series. Cub fans will be out in force for the last place team, and other than changing 35th stations, their commute stays exactly the same.

[ctrabs74]

Last I checked, the Sox are doing better than the Cubs. The 35th/Bronzeville/IIT station did very brisk business for the Boston series. Cub fans will be out in force for the last place team, and other than changing 35th stations, their commute stays exactly the same.

Now that I've checked further, the Sox are actually at .500. So, maybe they'll still be in contention come August.

Hopefully, my return trip from Comisky won't involve a Red Line L train delayed at Cermak or Roosevelt because of a flash mob assault as was the case two years ago. Barely made my connecting Megabus back east...

Getting back on topic as much as possible, though, I take it people are starting to settle in to routines with the Dan Ryan Red closed...

[artthouwill]

Observing ridership at 35th the past few Weeks, it appears the Red Line reroute is not very popular with south siders as the trains are less crowded than I've seen them since the Engkewood Howard days. The 29 State has more buses than I've ever seen. I can't vouch for increased ridership on the ,3,4,6,J14,2, 26, or 28, but the south side ridership on the Green Line trains has shot up tremendously. Rush hour trains going south are jammed, and even midday trains are more crowded if not packed. Perhaps some Red Liners have shifted to the Green temporarily.