Rehab of the Kimball Brown Line

[mkohut]

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.

They would have the shuffle buses start around 10 pm on friday til Monday morning.They had the area before Rockwell fence.off.When the festival were doing on at Western the shuffles went up to Damen.

[MetroShadow]

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.

I recalled it happening sometime between 2004-07 for track work (whether or not it was because of the expansion project, I am not sure). Most (if not all) trains saddled up at Western, and some trains were stored before the incline.

However, having to get from Northside to the loop on Rail wasn't really easy to accomplish (at least the preferred method).

[chgofan78]

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?

There are at least 32 Brown Line cars being stored at Howard yard this weekend. I just wonder how room was made for this considering the Red Line has to store cars at Linden daily because of overcrowding at Howard since May 19th.