Rehab of the Kimball Brown Line

[jajuan]

Looks like the Kimball Brown Line station and terminal will be getting a mini-version of the work that's happening on the Dan Ryan end of the Red LIne. From July 13 to July 22, CTA plans to close Kimball station and totally rip out and replace the three tracks leading into the station. Like on the Dan Ryan, they're going to strip everything down to ballast and rebuild from the ground up. They're also going to replace and rewire the signals. During that time, Brown Line trains will begin and end at Kedzie and the 82 will be rerouted to Kedzie between Montrose and Lawrence to serve the Kedzie station. The press release didn't mention a reroute of the 93 to more directly serve the Kedzie stop, but then again that makes sense. About the only change warranted to that route is possibly have #93 buses layover at Kedzie and Lawrence instead of Lawrence and Christiana during the nine day rehab.

[chicagopcclcar]

If you go over to CTA Tattler, you can hear Jack (AKA Busjack and and his runnin' buddy, Scooter Libbby...with three B's?????) carrying on like crazy. Both want to accuse CTA president of lying as if that's their life-time job and what for???? True, CTA president got his facts mixed up and said the extension to Kimball was put in in 1963 when he obviously meant the trackwork was done then. I remember flagging during that job. The switch machines had to be hand cranked and used muscles you never knew you even had. I could post on the Tattler but what would be the use...there's only about three or four posting there, plus the moderator who know anything about the L/subway, so why bother. It took me a while to realize that. The most important thing I get from this Kimball project is that the CTA is giving up entirely doing any of this kind of work on their own and they're contracting everything out. For instance, the CTA tamper was supposed to do the Blue line Forest Park but never started and then the announcement came about the IDOT planning and the CTA vision study so that'll be another contract instead. Research question is when did this pattern begin.

[trainman8119]

Only question I have is...Why was this not done as part of the Brown Line rehab project ??

[jajuan]

Only question I have is...Why was this not done as part of the Brown Line rehab project ??

That was my same question, especially after reading that that kind of work on that part of the rails for that line hasn't been done since the 1963 extension and also given the $4.6 million price tag to do this now in the coming weeks later this month.

[Juniorz]

& Then What about the Ravenswood Track Renewal Project, is that Contracted too. Also, didn't the Brown Line Capacity Project address just the stations, not the tracks???

[chicagopcclcar]

You are correct..."Capacity Project" only addressed stations and not tracks, except for the new tracks and structures at Belmont and at Fullerton. I don't know why people keep getting this confused.

[Busjack]

& Then What about the Ravenswood Track Renewal Project, is that Contracted too. Also, didn't the Brown Line Capacity Project address just the stations, not the tracks???

That's the stink going on. Apparently $500 million was spent for something, but as in the case of most CTA projects, never to fix anything. Homer Simpson was just appointed head of engineering, because of his motto "just do the job half assed, it's the American way" (later reprised by Sherry Bobbins).

[jajuan]

You are correct..."Capacity Project" only addressed stations and not tracks, except for the new tracks and structures at Belmont and at Fullerton. I don't know why people keep getting this confused.

That's the stink going on. Apparently $500 million was spent for something, but as in the case of most CTA projects, never to fix anything. Homer Simpson was just appointed head of engineering, because of his motto "just do the job half assed, it's the American way" (later reprised by Sherry Bobbins).

No there's no confusion. In this case it's just what Busjack points out. With all the concerns about the CTA having no money to fund operations and infrastructure upkeep, CTA management keeps selecting to do these big projects that focus only on one area instead of trying to tackle other known issues along with the one they decided to address for the amount of money that's spent, half a billion dollars in the Brown Line project just to focus primarily on station work, part of which they later had to redo because of the wrong choice of wood in the original project, but no attempts at track work except at the before mentioned Belmont and Fullerton stations. At least part of the money in the current Red Line project and the previous rehabilitation of the Douglas Blue Line (now the Pink Line) and of the Green Line was stipulated for rebuilds of the tracks to justify the inconvenience to riders in those projects. And let's not forget that CTA did present the Brown Line project as a rehab. This is why they run into hard times with getting money from the state among some of the state politicians, and that was before the state was broke as it is now.

[mkohut]

Only question I have is...Why was this not done as part of the Brown Line rehab project ??

As much as people might want to blame Claypool.I'm not saying it cause as I'm I a fan of his previous people like Huberman and Rodriguez should get the blame for this.

[sw4400]

You are correct..."Capacity Project" only addressed stations and not tracks, except for the new tracks and structures at Belmont and at Fullerton. I don't know why people keep getting this confused.

They did replace ties. I know this because I saw them throwing pieces of lumber to the dumpster below over Lincoln Ave. I even have a part of a tie that I asked if I could have and the workers said yes.

[Sam92]

They did replace ties. I know this because I saw them throwing pieces of lumber to the dumpster below over Lincoln Ave. I even have a part of a tie that I asked if I could have and the workers said yes.

Now that you mention it.... Contruction reports DO indicate some form of spot replacement in the North Main corridor along with the corridor in which all 3 lines share the ROW. Maybe not a full flat out replacement but still some type of work.

[Busjack]

As much as people might want to blame Claypool.I'm not saying it cause as I'm I a fan of his previous people like Huberman and Rodriguez should get the blame for this.

No, this basically goes back to the goatherd, Kruesi. I've said before that the only thing he did competently was rip up Meigs Field, which technically wasn't his job, but da Mare wanted it.

The only thing I would say about Claypool at this point is that he doesn't have any compunction about doing a quick reveal of another 9 day line cut. Then you have to wonder when he is going to announce another cut near the Kedzie station, Sacramento station, and Rockwell station, of course blocking off traffic from west of there, as well as the emergency replacement of the North Branch bridge.

The other things this raises are a point I made earlier whether it pays to hang new stuff off a 100 year old structure, and in the old days (such as when the platforms were extended on Wabash and Lake for 8 car Dan Ryan trains), someone would just get a welding torch and attach the extensions, instead of announcing a half billion project to do essentially that, although I realize that this also encompassed rebuilding the Fullerton and Belmont stations and installing elevators.

[mkohut]

When you think about it.The platforms had to go 50 feet more north and 25 feet more south.It looks like they just want it to hold 8 car train cars without fixing anything else.

[sw4400]

Interesting thought looking at Google Maps... how will Kimball Yard be used during this time? Will the Brown Line stock be relocated while this work is going on?

The trains come in from Kedzie from the lower right of the screen and make a right toward Kimball(the curve at the lower left of the screen). I don't see any switch tracks that would allow them access to the Kimball Yard except after the Kimball stop. The only way I see is if they single-track it on the Kimball-bound side in both directions.

[Juniorz]

Also interesting, they added a parking lot in the middle of the yard, next to the Kimball Terminal

[Busjack]

Also interesting, they added a parking lot in the middle of the yard, next to the Kimball Terminal

Not really; that's been listed as a park and ride for a long time.

Park and Ride list.

[mkohut]

Maybe somebody can refresh my memory.But,what was the point of on weekends of only haveing trains go only to Western.

[Juniorz]

What the CTA is delivering during the Shutdown

[brownliner]

 

Maybe somebody can refresh my memory.But,what was the point of on weekends of only haveing trains go only to Western.

There's very few riders past western on the brown line, outside of peak periods. I got on Rockwell a couple Saturdays ago, and I was the only person on the train, besides the driver. That was a Loop bound train; a bunch got on at Western.

[mkohut]

 

There's very few riders past western on the brown line, outside of peak periods. I got on Rockwell a couple Saturdays ago, and I was the only person on the train, besides the driver. That was a Loop bound train; a bunch got on at Western.

The point I'm trying to make is on the weekends when the train only went to Western .The track work should have been done then.

[chicagopcclcar]

The point I'm trying to make is on the weekends when the train only went to Western .The track work should have been done then.

If you would give an approximate month and year when this occurred, it might be possible to look up the press release under News and Initiatives on the CTA website.

[mkohut]

If you would give an approximate month and year when this occurred, it might be possible to look up the press release under News and Initiatives on the CTA website.

This is what i found.http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=1&Year=2007&Category=2&ArticleId=542 When you look at it .It does say it was close from Sept15 2006.I'm not going thru all the press release to see when service started at Western.

[jtrosario]

mkohut, on 07 Jul 2013 - 12:46, said:

The point I'm trying to make is on the weekends when the train only went to Western .The track work should have been done then.

The track word should not have been done then. The federal money and matching was for capacity improvements. When that section of track was closed the Rockwell, Francisco, and Kedzie stations were lengthened and rebuilt to service 8 car trains - abeit with wood that matched fire code, but not durability standards. Not sure how much - if any was added at Kimball - seem to remember minor platform lengthening there - with service to Kedzie when the Kimball station work was done. It's a pleasant one block walk from the bus stop on Lawrence to the Spaulding entrance of the Kedzie stop.

IF there was enough money for both at the time, they probably would have done them at the same time.

For instance, IF the city needed to work on a train bridge that goes over a river, and track work is needed in the area, and switch work is needed in the area, AND funding was available for all three projects - then they could be coordinated to minimize interruption of service.

My thoughts are more towards storage during this project. Are the cars stored in the Kimball yard going to get stored elsewhere during the days the switch work is being done? Except for Brown line service cars that already come from Howard, my guess is there's no room there right now. So where to? 54th Yard? Midway? Split them among both? And what about service? More Midway to Kimball/Kedzie service? New temporary 54th to Kimball/Kedzie service with 54th service entering the loop on the outer to Kimball/Kedzie and Kedzie service entering the loop on the inner to 54th?

[mkohut]

The track word should not have been done then. The federal money and matching was for capacity improvements. When that section of track was closed the Rockwell, Francisco, and Kedzie stations were lengthened and rebuilt to service 8 car trains - abeit with wood that matched fire code, but not durability standards. Not sure how much - if any was added at Kimball - seem to remember minor platform lengthening there - and the same service to Kedzie only for that station,

As i'm sure you are aware most of the wood platforms had to get it replace.Which increase the cost.

[sw4400]

I don't remember Brown Line service ever terminating at Western on weekends. What I do remember about the Brown Line rehab project is no two adjacent platforms were closed at once, and those closed platforms the trains bypassed. You got several stations that serve the communities west of Western:

• Rockwell
• Francisco
• Kedzie
• Kimball

I don't think all four of these stations were closed on weekends during this project. I don't recall Shuttle Buses in place for all stations west of Western, maybe just the ones that were closed for rehab.