Recent Daily Herald Article

[twyztdmynd]

Ross comments on expansion of I-90 projects including bus lanes and expansions...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130304/news/703049911/

[Busjack]

Ross comments on expansion of I-90 projects including bus lanes and expansions...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130304/news/703049911/

If "everything changes," apparently not the illustration of the NWTC.

And it at least has a timeline for I-90 service and declares the STAR Line dead.

[jajuan]

One other thing of note is Pace's executive director says they intend to use what they learn from express service on I-55 and I-90 to expand onto the Elgin-O'Hare expressway extension and the I-88 corridor, the latter of which sounds like it would at least partially reverse the years ago killing of the 737 and the folding of the 747 into the obviously local route 301 Roosevelt.

[MetroShadow]

One other thing of note is Pace's executive director says they intend to use what they learn from express service on I-55 and I-90 to expand onto the Elgin-O'Hare expressway extension and the I-88 corridor, the latter of which sounds like it would at least partially reverse the years ago killing of the 737 and the folding of the 747 into the obviously local route 301 Roosevelt.

Or This...

[Busjack]

One other thing of note is Pace's executive director says they intend to use what they learn from express service on I-55 and I-90 to expand onto the Elgin-O'Hare expressway extension and the I-88 corridor, the latter of which sounds like it would at least partially reverse the years ago killing of the 737 and the folding of the 747 into the obviously local route 301 Roosevelt.

There was an article about a week ago about consultants studying options for the Eisenhower Expressway, including extending the Blue Line to Mannheim and then express bus service from there.

But I did get the same impression that if that were done (and the article sort of indicates that CTA wasn't on board, as of yet), that 301 could be cut back to Hillside as it was. However, an express bus on I-88 wouldn't be the same as 301/747 basically on Roosevelt Road.

Update: I got the message that another reply was being posted just as I hit Post. so MetroShadow and I were on the same path.

[jajuan]

There was an article about a week ago about consultants studying options for the Eisenhower Expressway, including extending the Blue Line to Mannheim and then express bus service from there.

But I did get the same impression that if that were done (and the article sort of indicates that CTA wasn't on board, as of yet), that 301 could be cut back to Hillside as it was. However, an express bus on I-88 wouldn't be the same as 301/747 basically on Roosevelt Road.

Update: I got the message that another reply was being posted just as I hit Post. so MetroShadow and I were on the same path.

Actually I didn't mean reversing what was done to 747 as far as routing and adding its local portions to the 301. I was thinking more along the lines of its effects going from a limited stop option to a more local bus operation for that particular west suburban corridor. I deliberately didn't say faster because of the congestion issue on the Eisenhower that sometimes called for the 747 using Roosevelt Road anyway instead of the expressways. I was also thinking more in terms of the 737 as I remember the 737 had a longer express zone than the 747.

[Busjack]

Actually I didn't mean reversing what was done to 747 as far as routing and adding its local portions to the 301. I was thinking more along the lines of its effects going from a limited stop option to a more local bus operation for that particular west suburban corridor. I deliberately didn't say faster because of the congestion issue on the Eisenhower that sometimes called for the 747 using Roosevelt Road anyway instead of the expressways. I was also thinking more in terms of the 737 as I remember the 737 had a longer express zone than the 747.

Besides cutting 301 back to Hillside, I was thinking more of the pie in the sky express bus being a substitute for the even more pie in the sky of extending the Blue Line at least to Oakbrook. Now, whether that becomes reinstatement of 737 to the Warrenville area is another question (probably deferred to 2020).

I can see IDOT's and Pace's* point of trying to get buses off the expressway east of Mannheim.

_________

*Executed by merging 301 and 747.

[jajuan]

Besides cutting 301 back to Hillside, I was thinking more of the pie in the sky express bus being a substitute for the even more pie in the sky of extending the Blue Line at least to Oakbrook. Now, whether that becomes reinstatement of 737 to the Warrenville area is another question (probably deferred to 2020).

I can see IDOT's and Pace's* point of trying to get buses off the expressway east of Mannheim.

_________

*Executed by merging 301 and 747.

At the very least, however that future proposal of returning express service to the I-88 corridor plays out, it does have the merit of making use of already established infrastructure with some doable modifications where needed rather than building from the ground up as Metra's STAR Line proposal that never got off the ground called for.