Blue Line Reconstruction

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

Some of the ideas in the Vision Plan seem really unlikely to actually happen, but the IMD middle didn't seem to be the most farfetched.

In that the scope of the project is to rebuild the Morgan middle track, it looks like the are leaving it at that.

[Busjack]

Announcement that  the Belmont, Logan Square, and California stations will be bypassed on weekends to replace the Belmont crossover. Also, there are various upcoming alerts (starting with this one) that the Blue Line will run on a single track in the subway between LaSalle and Grand overnights.

[Tcmetro]

Came across this tweet today and wondering if there's anymore context:

https://twitter.com/JusticeTransit/status/1669339627902099456

 

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Tcmetro said:

Came across this tweet today and wondering if there's anymore context:

https://twitter.com/JusticeTransit/status/1669339627902099456

 

Maybe @garmon757can fill us in with details.  I know the Forest Park branch is in horrible shape but there's been a lot of work on the O'Hare branch.  

Reading through the entire tweet thread  it seems like the Union is upset about negotiations towards a new contract

  They blame management and politicians for cost cutting that has led to deferred maintenance and a lack of personnel.   However there's nothing specifically stating what yhe emergency construction is.   My guess4 is whatever it is, more than likely it is on the O'Hare branch,  and it could be related to what @Mr.NewFlyer1279saw at Rosemont with overnight trains terminating there.

As for the Forest Park branch,  CTA seems content to wait on IDOT before doing anything about rebuilding that branch.

 

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Reading through the entire tweet thread  it seems like the Union is upset about negotiations towards a new contract

From the main page, it seems  like its someone who is disgruntled with both union and management. Wonder how many they got at their protest at Forest Park.

[Jackson Blue Line]

I wonder if they will run more 5000s on the Blue Line after they complete the new Damen substation. Seems like they are taking an awfully long time to deliver the 7000s and it would be nice to see something other than 3200s on the blue line all the time.

[artthouwill]

42 minutes ago, Jackson Blue Line said:

I wonder if they will run more 5000s on the Blue Line after they complete the new Damen substation. Seems like they are taking an awfully long time to deliver the 7000s and it would be nice to see something other than 3200s on the blue line all the time.

No.  The Forest Park branch still can't handle the 5000s.  The 7000s supposedly will start being delivered again within the next month or so.   Don't look for any more 5000s on the Blue Line besides the two rush hour runs that come from 54th Yard.

[Busjack]

On 5/14/2023 at 8:12 PM, Mr.NewFlyer1279 said:

blue line is getting all of the 3200’s and brown getting blue’s 2600’s

 

On 5/14/2023 at 10:23 PM, artthouwill said:

Seems needless since the 3200s will eventually go back to the Brown and Orange Lines when the 2600s are off the Blue Line. 

 

On 6/15/2023 at 9:17 PM, Jackson Blue Line said:

I wonder if they will run more 5000s on the Blue Line after they complete the new Damen substation. Seems like they are taking an awfully long time to deliver the 7000s and it would be nice to see something other than 3200s on the blue line all the time.

Under the Blue Line Strategies menu item, Blue Line O’Hare Branch challenges—and what we're doing explains what CTA is doing, including substation work on the northwest side, and the belief that 3200s will not break down as frequently as 2600s and will not cause as many disruptions. So, as I surmised, the main choke point is on the northwest, and whether you agree with it or not, there is an explanation.

[Tcmetro]

Blue Line closing from LaSalle to IMD on July 23. In August this will be shortened to UIC to IMD only. Blue Line service will restart on the full route on October 7. The Racine station will be open to passengers during reconstruction, which will finish in 2024.

Shuttle buses will run from Jackson in the first part of construction for elevator access. There will also be an express shuttle from Jackson to IMD during rush hours.

https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-announces-plans-for-forest-park-blue-line-branch-rebuild/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/transportation/ct-biz-blue-line-closing-lasalle-imd-20230628-pbq44tooirfunnkp3rmfvv2eb4-story.html

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Tcmetro said:

Blue Line closing from LaSalle to IMD on July 23. In August this will be shortened to UIC to IMD only. Blue Line service will restart on the full route on October 7. The Racine station will be open to passengers during reconstruction, which will finish in 2024.

Shuttle buses will run from Jackson in the first part of construction for elevator access. There will also be an express shuttle from Jackson to IMD during rush hours.

https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-announces-plans-for-forest-park-blue-line-branch-rebuild/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/transportation/ct-biz-blue-line-closing-lasalle-imd-20230628-pbq44tooirfunnkp3rmfvv2eb4-story.html

A few random thoughts.

1.  Once this starts,  the 7000s won't be seen on the west side for a while.  With the line cut and deliveries starting up again, it should be more pleasant for the O'Hare branch riders.

2.  Of i were in charge of the Forest Park Yard, i would park as many 2600s as possible during the line cut. 

3. CTA is done all of this talking but 99 percent of the slow zones are WEST  of IMD.  What I want to know is how and when VTA plans to attack that problem.  Will they do a complete closure and reroute trains to 54th and Cermak?  Will the rest of the branch be done in phases?  What are IDOTa plans for rebuilding the Eisenhower west of Laramie and how do CTA'S plans fit into that?  IS there any coordination?  Does this affect CTA's plans east of Laramie?  Are there future plans to extend the Blue Line west of Forest Park?  How much influence will Brandon Johnson have on this process?

[Tcmetro]

1 hour ago, artthouwill said:

A few random thoughts.

1.  Once this starts,  the 7000s won't be seen on the west side for a while.  With the line cut and deliveries starting up again, it should be more pleasant for the O'Hare branch riders.

2.  Of i were in charge of the Forest Park Yard, i would park as many 2600s as possible during the line cut. 

3. CTA is done all of this talking but 99 percent of the slow zones are WEST  of IMD.  What I want to know is how and when VTA plans to attack that problem.  Will they do a complete closure and reroute trains to 54th and Cermak?  Will the rest of the branch be done in phases?  What are IDOTa plans for rebuilding the Eisenhower west of Laramie and how do CTA'S plans fit into that?  IS there any coordination?  Does this affect CTA's plans east of Laramie?  Are there future plans to extend the Blue Line west of Forest Park?  How much influence will Brandon Johnson have on this process?

From what we know about the schedule it looks like the track construction is going to take about 10 weeks. I would hope that they prioritize track reconstruction over the station reconstruction and get speeds up quickly. Getting the reconstruction done to IMD let's the Blue Line run over the Pink which eases the pain of closures significantly.

I think the worst part is that there's been so much piecemeal repair of the tracks over the years. If they focused the work on small sections (instead of things like replace every third tie) there wouldn't need to be an entire reconstruction project.

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, artthouwill said:

. CTA is done all of this talking but 99 percent of the slow zones are WEST  of IMD.  What I want to know is how and when VTA plans to attack that problem.  Will they do a complete closure and reroute trains to 54th and Cermak?  Will the rest of the branch be done in phases?  What are IDOTa plans for rebuilding the Eisenhower west of Laramie and how do CTA'S plans fit into that?  IS there any coordination?  Does this affect CTA's plans east of Laramie?  Are there future plans to extend the Blue Line west of Forest Park?  How much influence will Brandon Johnson have on this process?

West of Damen, nothing. Only announced priorities are between LaSalle and Damen and O'Hare branch. Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) isn't doing anything, either.

Update: ABC7 just had a story, but, again, it was LaSalle to IMD.

What @Tcmetro cited seems to be it.

[artthouwill]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

West of Damen, nothing. Only announced priorities are between LaSalle and Damen and O'Hare branch. Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) isn't doing anything, either.

Update: ABC7 just had a story, but, again, it was LaSalle to IMD.

What @Tcmetro cited seems to be it.

I know what CTA announced.   Included was their own admission that 80 percent of the Forest Park branch is a slow zone.    As a frequent Blue Line rider, I can tell you that the vast majority of this construction zone is not a slow zone.  The slow zones are west of Racine which means that the majority of the Forest Park branch will still be slow zones when this project is completed.  Basically the big deal is making Racine accessible,  but west of IMD only Kedzie and Forest Park are accessible.   

[Tcmetro]

CTA has funding for Pulaski as part of the federal ASAP program and previously planned Cicero and Austin for reconstruction as part of the failed MEGA Grant.

The other remaining non-accessible stations are Western, Oak Park, and Harlem. I have a feeling that Western would be completed before the other two - mostly because Oak Park is where IDOT wants to make the most changes to the expressway.

[rl12383]

Drove past the area around UIC and Racine Yesterday. They have already ripped up the areas next to the tracks. Large piles of ballast also present. Construction fencing is in as well. 

[rvwnsd]

On 6/28/2023 at 11:14 AM, Tcmetro said:

...Getting the reconstruction done to IMD let's the Blue Line run over the Pink which eases the pain of closures significantly...

This makes total sense. They could run shuttles from Forest Park and Harlem to the Harlem Green Line station and shuttles from the rest of the stations to the corresponding Green and Pink Line stations. Obviously, Oak Park and Austin would not have shuttles t a corresponding Pink Line station, as there aren't any, but they could also have shuttles to 54th Street. 

[busfan2847]

16 hours ago, rvwnsd said:

This makes total sense. They could run shuttles from Forest Park and Harlem to the Harlem Green Line station and shuttles from the rest of the stations to the corresponding Green and Pink Line stations. Obviously, Oak Park and Austin would not have shuttles t a corresponding Pink Line station, as there aren't any, but they could also have shuttles to 54th Street. 

But they could run shuttles from Oak Park and Austin to the Green Line, perhaps as a loop

[Busjack]

13 hours ago, dailycommuter62 said:

Spied that the bus stop signs for the BL and BX routes supporting the blue line work have been put up are of a modified design compared to regular ones.

CTA announcement that to encourage ridership, it will, besides these 2 bus routes, will offer free  fares on all N-S bus lines between Ashland and Austin between the the Green and Pink Lines, and reduced fares on the Green, Pink, and Blue Lines west of Ashland. 

[renardo870]

On 7/20/2023 at 1:34 PM, Busjack said:

CTA announcement that to encourage ridership, it will, besides these 2 bus routes, will offer free  fares on all N-S bus lines between Ashland and Austin between the the Green and Pink Lines, and reduced fares on the Green, Pink, and Blue Lines west of Ashland. 

Looks like Pace Routes 307, 311, 315, 316 and 318 will also provide free service between Green Line serving Austin/Lake, Ridgeland, Oak Park and Harlem/Lake Station and the Pink Line serving 54/Cermak Station to help with the Blue Line stations affected by the Forest Park Rebuild project.

Edited July 24, 2023 by renardo870
Updated information

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, renardo870 said:

Looks like Pace Routes 307, 311, 315, 316 and 318 will also provide free service between Green Line serving Austin/Lake, Ridgeland, Oak Park and Harlem/Lake Station and the Pink Line serving 54/Cermak Station to help with the Blue Line stations affected by the Forest Park Rebuild project.

Pace announcement to the same effect.

[artthouwill]

17 hours ago, Busjack said:

Pace announcement to the same effect.

Blue Line trains use the Western Ave crossover to access IMD.  When there, normally train pull all the way to the Paulina ramp.  Now they are favoring the Damen rp

  Passrmgers wanting to access Ogden or Paulina have to walk some.

Surprisingly there were Blue Line Shuttles at the Ogden entrance

  8419 was from C and 8395 was from F

  It appeared that a 7900 from 77th joined them

  But there were also 3 buses lined up EB on Congress east of Ogden.  Two were Novas and one was an artic

  My guess is that they eee servicing the Paulina entrance.   I couldn't tell what buses were  "local" shuttles and which were " express" shuttle

 

  

[jajuan]

1 hour ago, artthouwill said:

Blue Line trains use the Western Ave crossover to access IMD.  When there, normally train pull all the way to the Paulina ramp.  Now they are favoring the Damen rp

  Passrmgers wanting to access Ogden or Paulina have to walk some.

Surprisingly there were Blue Line Shuttles at the Ogden entrance

  8419 was from C and 8395 was from F

  It appeared that a 7900 from 77th joined them

  But there were also 3 buses lined up EB on Congress east of Ogden.  Two were Novas and one was an artic

  My guess is that they eee servicing the Paulina entrance.   I couldn't tell what buses were  "local" shuttles and wivh weeks " express" shuttle

 

  

If you spotted the shuttles at the same time that you wrote this, then they all were on BL local shuttle route. BX, the express shuttle is peak direction, rush only service. 

[jajuan]

On 7/22/2023 at 1:07 PM, Mr.NewFlyer1279 said:

apparently 567 is asking every garage if they wanna participate in the blue line shuttle service…..i don’t think K can handle it on its own lol

 

On 7/22/2023 at 3:17 PM, YoungBusLover said:

77th will be taking part in it.

North Park is participating in the shuttles on both the local and express. I spotted two NP artics yesterday afternoon deadheading to start on the BL, and this morning I spotted one heading down to start on the BX.

[artthouwill]

14 minutes ago, jajuan said:

 

North Park is participating in the shuttles on both the local and express. I spotted two NP artics yesterday afternoon deadheading to start on the BL, and this morning I spotted one heading down to start on the BX.

I was too far away from the artic to see which garage it came from.  But as I stated before. C, F. and 77th were represented.  If I can get by there. I will see if any other garages sent any buses.

As far as I could tell, and suspected, there weren't any 7000 series cars on the Forest Park branch 

 

[artthouwill]

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I was too far away from the artic to see which garage it came from.  But as I stated before. C, F. and 77th were represented.  If I can get by there. I will see if any other garages sent any buses.

As far as I could tell, and suspected, there weren't any 7000 series cars on the Forest Park branch 

 

Rode North Park 4350 on BL shuttle with 7944 and 4040 following.  Saw another artic and 8420 on Harrison on BL Dhuttle.