Dan Ryan Track Renewal Project

[chicagopcclcar]

On Friday pm, 1715 hours, Green line trains dropped off more passengers than Red line trains at Garfield. Green line also carried good loads to Cottage Grove that transferred to the number 4. I would tend to agree that not as many are riding the free shuttle as was expected.

[Juniorz]

Opp......Can we say CTA Should have promoted those Shuttles a little bit better???

[Busjack]

Opp......Can we say CTA Should have promoted those Shuttles a little bit better???

Da Mare and other "transit ambassadors" was out there giving out pamphlets.

I think it is more the natural scared reaction of Chicagoans, especially after being told through various sources that the shuttle plan wouldn't work.

[mkohut]

It should be interesting to look at the ridership report for May.

[Busjack]

It should be interesting to look at the ridership report for May.

One wonders how it will be doctored up. At least they say they are counting free boardings.

[chicagopcclcar]

Da Mare and other "transit ambassadors" was out there giving out pamphlets.

I think it is more the natural scared reaction of Chicagoans, especially after being told through various sources that the shuttle plan wouldn't work.

The loudest purveyor of theories that the bus shuttles wouldn't work was the same person who bragged about his new copier and threats to plaster the southside with flyers calling for support to his Gray Line proposal. Few, if any southsiders listened to him. There was virtually no formalized opposition to the shuttle plan either. Most southsiders were resigned to the five months of disruption that should be followed by a "new railroad and up to twenty minutes of time savings." They are resolved that the pain will be worth the wait. Oh, yes, there was one video producer who complained he lost his 47th St Owl service and said the CTA was peeing on him and saying it was rain. He didn't realize that pee is warm and rain is cool. If he couldn't tell the difference, he had other problems. I'm surprised that the CTA didn't release ridership figures in and after the first week. The CTA did announce that more of the public ridership should take advantage of the free shuttles in the first week which indicated that ridership on the shuttles was not meeting expectations. I've noticed heavier ridership on the #4 and the CTA acknowledges an increase on the State Street route so it looks like many southsiders found other routes better for their use and possibly faster. And it seems that some auto traffic is heavier too. Kudos, however, since the shuttles have done well and we're now weeks into the program.

[jajuan]

One wonders how it will be doctored up. At least they say they are counting free boardings.

I'm not sure about so called doctoring up, but the fact that gas prices have spiked again should still work in their favor nonetheless.

[chicagopcclcar]

One wonders how it will be doctored up. At least they say they are counting free boardings.

What is there to be "doctored up." The shuttles are free. Entry at Garfield is free. We expect increased riding on many routes, north and south , and east and west. This has never happened before so there's nothing to compare to. Just numbers that tell who rode where.

doctored past participle, past tense of doc·tor (Verb)

To falsify or change in such a way as to make favorable to oneself: doctored the evidence.

To alter or modify for a specific end:

Change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; falsify: "the reports could have been doctored".

[Busjack]

I'm not sure about so called doctoring up, but the fact that gas prices have spiked again should still work in their favor nonetheless.

People might cut back on driving, but the numbers will be affected by such things as Pace 924/925, fleeing to other routes,etc.

Besides, since it is based on boardings, there is now an additional transfer. so ridership should theoretically be double that of the closed stations (but certainly not fare collections). On the other hand, I wonder if passengers will be trying to avoid crowds at the preexisting Green Line stations, or the far south CTA routes.

[chicagopcclcar]

Still doesn't explain why Busjack accuses the CTA of "doctoring."

[MetroShadow]

What is there to be "doctored up." The shuttles are free. Entry at Garfield is free. We expect increased riding on many routes, north and south , and east and west. This has never happened before so there's nothing to compare to. Just numbers that tell who rode where.

doctored past participle, past tense of doc·tor (Verb)

To falsify or change in such a way as to make favorable to oneself: doctored the evidence.

To alter or modify for a specific end:

Change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; falsify: "the reports could have been doctored".

From The Wire, I call it "juking the stats"

Still doesn't explain why Busjack accuses the CTA of "doctoring."

In his defense, I would argue that CTA has done this practice before (forgot when); and that we don't fully know their methodology when they do some of the numbers the produce (often times when you don't use an abacus to do the work).

But, if the numbers check out...

[Busjack]

From The Wire, I call it "juking the stats"

In his defense, I would argue that CTA has done this practice before (forgot when); and that we don't fully know their methodology when they do some of the numbers the produce (often times when you don't use an abacus to do the work).

Like when it was revealed that they went from "originating fares" to "unlinked trips."

More pertinently, when Kruesi claimed that CTA was subsidized only 91 cents a ride, but when the unlinked trips point came out, that it was collecting only 93 cents a ride in fares.

Also, someone doesn't realize that he is still blocked.

[chicagopcclcar]

From The Wire, I call it "juking the stats"

In his defense, I would argue that CTA has done this practice before (forgot when); and that we don't fully know their methodology when they do some of the numbers the produce (often times when you don't use an abacus to do the work).

But, if the numbers check out...

LOL. Are you his lawyer??? Or as "da mob" would say, his mouthpiece??

[jajuan]

People might cut back on driving, but the numbers will be affected by such things as Pace 924/925, fleeing to other routes,etc.

Besides, since it is based on boardings, there is now an additional transfer. so ridership should theoretically be double that of the closed stations (but certainly not fare collections). On the other hand, I wonder if passengers will be trying to avoid crowds at the preexisting Green Line stations, or the far south CTA routes.

The 924 and 925 would only account for people who live in, near or south of Blue Island or Harvey. That still wouldn't account for anybody living at points WITHIN city limits who use 63rd, 69th, 79th, 87th and even 95th during normal operation of the Dan Ryan end. Plus don't forget the rest of the system is still in operation around the rest of the city meaning gas prices affect them too. So may point still stands sir.

[chicagopcclcar]

Like when it was revealed that they went from "originating fares" to "unlinked trips."

More pertinently, when Kruesi claimed that CTA was subsidized only 91 cents a ride, but when the unlinked trips point came out, that it was collecting only 93 cents a ride in fares.

Also, someone doesn't realize that he is still blocked.

What does "blocked" mean? I post to inform other forum members here. Your "blocking" does nothing to interfere so it is of no concern. And why then, are you reading my posts? Maybe I need to prepare a post that explains what happened over on "Tattler."

[Busjack]

The 924 and 925 would only account for people who live in, near or south of Blue Island or Harvey. That still wouldn't account for anybody living at points WITHIN city limits who use 63rd, 69th, 79th, 87th and even 95th during normal operation of the Dan Ryan end. Plus don't forget the rest of the system is still in operation around the rest of the city meaning gas prices affect them too. So may point still stands sir.

My point is that if they are riding 924/925, that's that much fewer boardings on R95. Also, Chicagoans seem to be avoiding the R buses to some extent.

If the only thing that counts is boardings, that's what counts.

But I wonder how the monthly budget report is going to account for that the average paid fare may go down from $1.11 to maybe $.75, given the free and discounted boardings. Maybe they are going to say that $100 million of state capital money covers that deficit in meeting the statutory recovery ratio, but we'll have to see how that is manipulated.

Update: Even the May 2013 Financial Report says that labor is over budget, for, among other things, "increased training for bus operators in the first half of the year." Like that wasn't known as necessary in connection with hiring 400 more bus drivers for this project when the budget was passed?

[mkohut]

The one thing about this project is Claypool and Emanuel want to take credit for every job created.Its stupidity that didn't budget right for training.

[sw4400]

Here's a new photo from the Red Line Dan Ryan Project off the CTA Facebook page. 95th/Dan Ryan with no tracks or ballast.

[chicagopcclcar]

I guess we can determine that the water mark was the old ballast top. In some pictures of the '69 construction it looked like they just laid the track on this sub roadbed and dropped the ballast on and worked it in between the ties. One fault of the original work was that the ballast was too thin. Now here is a comparison picture showing the reballasted Blue line out near O'Hare. Notice how far up the concrete barriers the ballast is. So have they learned their lessons.

Now at the stations they do not have this luxury of raising the ballast level because the top of the rail has to be a certain distance below the platform. For a thicker ballast they would have to dig deeper. Oh, by the way, I've found piles of the old concrete two-piece ties. They're in the lower 63rd St. yard. Some prop up stacks of rails. Some are just strewn around. Can't tell if they're from the Ryan or from the northside mainline experiment.

[jajuan]

Here's a new photo from the Red Line Dan Ryan Project off the CTA Facebook page. 95th/Dan Ryan with no tracks or ballast.

Is that at 69th or another location?

[chicagopcclcar]

Is that at 69th or another location?

It's even in your quote...95th St. The farthest bridge is 95th. The middle bridge is the pedestrian walkway. The closest bridge is used by buses doing a "U" turn from one side of the terminal to the other. It is also used by State St. buses for loading/unloading. Jaywalking pedestrians also use this bridge for station entrance.

[buslist]

In some pictures of the '69 construction it looked like they just laid the track on this sub roadbed and dropped the ballast on and worked it in between the ties.

That's pretty much the industry standard way to build new track.

[jajuan]

It's even in your quote...95th St. The farthest bridge is 95th. The middle bridge is the pedestrian walkway. The closest bridge is used by buses doing a "U" turn from one side of the terminal to the other. It is also used by State St. buses for loading/unloading. Jaywalking pedestrians also use this bridge for station entrance.

Oops. that's what happens when reading posts after work with no sleep.

[chicagopcclcar]

Oops. that's what happens when reading posts after work with no sleep.

Not to worry...I've done the same thing late at night, LOL.

[jajuan]

Not to worry...I've done the same thing late at night, LOL.

So I suppose my question now is how far up has the initial track and ballast removal progressed so far.