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Dan Ryan Track Renewal Project


newport

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Current schedules show that trips between Roosevelt and 95th should now take about 22 minutes. I don't know what caused delays this morning but Train Tracker currently seems to be backing up the schedules with real time trips fluctuating between 19 and the 22 minutes reflected on the routewide schedules. If we go back to preconstruction posts, several of us were reporting trips on that stretch taking between 45 mins and an hour in extreme cases because of the slow zones and sometimes workmen on the tracks.

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Made it to Jackson from 95th in 22 minutes! Also noticed that around curves around 47th and between 63rd and 69th, they used the same track design used on the Blue Line Kennedy Section except with wood ties. Also see what appear to be solar panels along the line. Over all the improvement is definately worth it. The 5000's are nearly quiet on that stretch.

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Just when they open up the line, we already having problems.

Channel 7 just stated about 15 minutes ago during their newscasts, as what the station point out, a "semi-truck crashed through wall at a set of CTA Red Line tracks on the South Side at 69th and the Dan Ryan Expressway". So they're single-tracking between 69th and 79th.

It's pitiful that this had to happen on the first night after opening the tracks up for revenue service.

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Just when they open up the line, we already having problems.

Channel 7 just stated about 15 minutes ago during their newscasts, as what the station point out, a "semi-truck crashed through wall at a set of CTA Red Line tracks on the South Side at 69th and the Dan Ryan Expressway". So they're single-tracking between 69th and 79th.

It's pitiful that this had to happen on the first night after opening the tracks up for revenue service.

Any reports from the field on if this is impacting travel times today?

I wonder if the damage was significant enough that a more extensive repair will be needed in the near future.

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Any reports from the field on if this is impacting travel times today?

I wonder if the damage was significant enough that a more extensive repair will be needed in the near future.

Tribune says they have to replace a piece of third rail Monday night, but then things will get back to normal.

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Any reports from the field on if this is impacting travel times today?

I wonder if the damage was significant enough that a more extensive repair will be needed in the near future.

NBC this morning said it would be a slow zone today and as Busjack says above, the permanent fix would be made Monday overnight.

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As said, this is bad timing to have this truck do damage when the line wasn't even reopened a day and hadn't even gotten its first test of how it handles rush hour train traffic. Despite that damage though, Train Tracker seems to indicate it's causing no big impediments to trains moving between Roosevelt and 95th in about 20 minutes.

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CLEANER. SMOOTHER. FASTER If this is the type of service CTA wants it's customers to experience, then the 5 Month wait was well worth the wait. Even though service began on Sunday October 20th @ 4AM, everyone that had a watchful eye on this project knew that Monday October 21st was the date to see if the project was worth it & IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Stations Look EXCELLENT & with the 5000-series delivering a smooth ride that mimicks an Ol'School Cadillac, The CTA should hold its head high in accomplishment. Service on the Dan Ryan was EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE, on time & without delay (except for a truck crash that put a minor damper on the festivities). You can get a sense that everyone was glad that their Red Line is Now The Fastest Line in the City. 22 Mins verus 45 mins + (Slow Zones) on a one way trip from Roosevelt to 95th, you can't beat that. After Roosevelt, Trains start off slow through the beginning of the tunnel, but by the time its arriving towards Cermak-Chinatown, that train begins to move. No more jolts, no more BEEPS from the front cab, It was fast and efficient, stopping at every stop quickly & keeping in pace with Dan Ryan Vehicle Traffic on either side. When exiting at 95th, Their were CTA staff informing customers about VENTRA and passing out commemorative Red Line South Brochures & the Customer Service Agents didn't seem to mind people taking photos of the stations and platforms. Overall, I am Impressed in the work & investment the CTA made to improve a vital link in the L System & Definitely Brought the RAPID back into Rapid Transit. Improvements like these around other parts of the L (Hint The Red Line North & The Blue Line Forest Park Branch To Begin with) could begin a 21st Century Revolution for the 'L'. Congratulations CTA & Welcome Back in Business The NEW Red Line South Dan Ryan Branch

post-1441-0-55493500-1382409973_thumb.jp

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I boarded the Red Line at Cermak Sunday night around 6:00pm and noticed the escalator wasn't working.
:angry: After all the hype who would have thought that! Tonight I got on at Cermak and it was working. :D

Removing the agent both at the platform level is a great improvement. BTW, I just missed a northbound train and the next train was due in 16 minutes. Of course it rain express and I had to wait longer. Meanwhile southbound trains were running frequently [plenty of 5Ks].

Gene King

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I boarded the Red Line at Cermak Sunday night around 6:00pm and noticed the escalator wasn't working.

:angry: After all the hype who would have thought that! Tonight I got on at Cermak and it was working. :D

....

Issue there is that the Cermak station was rebuilt (with TIGER money) about 18 months ago, not that you would have known it based on the stuff about "we're remodeling all the stations" 6 months ago.

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Good. I'm probably not going to be on the ryan until next week. I saw the solar panels myself. Maybe they are a backup in case of power failure. The question is what are they backing up?

that and the camera installed on the relay house overlooking 87th interlocking and around 63rd has me curious

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Good. I'm probably not going to be on the ryan until next week. I saw the solar panels myself. Maybe they are a backup in case of power failure. The question is what are they backing up?

Usually the theory is that either they provide power to the consumer (in this case the station) or that is sold back to the grid.

I'm surprised that CTA didn't have a press release on that, but the Green Page says:

In 2010, we completed a 12.8 kilowatt solar panel installation at 95th/Dan Ryan (Red Line), one of CTA's busiest rail stations. These panels will be used as a supplemental power source for station lighting and fare equipment.

Has that gone unseen until now, or are more now in place at other stations?

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Usually the theory is that either they provide power to the consumer (in this case the station) or that is sold back to the grid.

I'm surprised that CTA didn't have a press release on that, but the Green Page says:

In 2010, we completed a 12.8 kilowatt solar panel installation at 95th/Dan Ryan (Red Line), one of CTA's busiest rail stations. These panels will be used as a supplemental power source for station lighting and fare equipment.

Has that gone unseen until now, or are more now in place at other stations?

I've been aware of the panels on the roof at 95th.... However, the panels I'm referring to were built along side the tracks along the line at various points with a larger amount of them on the reverse curve between 63rd and 69th. Is it possible that they might possibly be using solar power to partially power the branch?
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Commemorative Red Line South Brochure detailing the improvements. Brochure is avaiable at Red Line Station affected by the project (Cermak-Chinatown to 95th/Dan Ryan)

Any one else noticed the train on the brocher is a 2400 series with the end cap a 5000?? Lol just thought that was funny

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I've been aware of the panels on the roof at 95th.... However, the panels I'm referring to were built along side the tracks along the line at various points with a larger amount of them on the reverse curve between 63rd and 69th. Is it possible that they might possibly be using solar power to partially power the branch?

The Green page may have another answer:

Eight lubrication machines used on the rail system are powered by solar energy. Conventional lubrication machines require an electrical feed, which in many locations means running miles of cable; cable is not required for solar-powered machines.

Since you say it is on the curve, that might be it. Here is one vendor of that.

Pretty unlikely that it is fed directly into the third rail, since no way to meter it.

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