Why are L transfers sometimes free?

[Rippler]

When I go downtown on the Blue Line and end up finishing quick enough to get back on the L within the 2-hour transfer window, most of the time the transfer fee is $0.00 on my account. I'll get back on anywhere downtown between Jackson to Lake-Clark going back north. There was one time though when it charged the $0.25 and I can't figure out why it sometimes charges and why it doesn't.

I had called CTA to ask about it, they thought there was a reason but no one there knew so they just said they'd refund the $0.25 since they had no answer (which I really didn't care about getting it back, I was just curious why). I'm not switching between different lines, it's always on the Blue Line, and it's often at stops that don't have other trains connecting.

Any idea why it's usually no charge for the transfer going back except that one time? Here's a list of those times when I was within the 2-hour window showing no charge and the one time it did charge.

[Busjack]

When I go downtown on the Blue Line and end up finishing quick enough to get back on the L within the 2-hour transfer window, most of the time the transfer fee is $0.00 on my account. I'll get back on anywhere downtown between Jackson to Lake-Clark going back north. There was one time though when it charged the $0.25 and I can't figure out why it sometimes charges and why it doesn't.

I had called CTA to ask about it, they thought there was a reason but no one there knew so they just said they'd refund the $0.25 since they had no answer (which I really didn't care about getting it back, I was just curious why). I'm not switching between different lines, it's always on the Blue Line, and it's often at stops that don't have other trains connecting.

Any idea why it's usually no charge for the transfer going back except that one time? Here's a list of those times when I was within the 2-hour window showing no charge and the one time it did charge.

The only ones that are supposed to be free are between the L and subway at State and Lake, and when transferring from Washington and Dearborn to State and Lake. The first is because there is a direct connection between the L and subway at Clark and Lake, but not at State and Lake, and the second is because the Block 37 project took out the transfer tunnel between the two subways.

If you are getting more free rides, including reverse rides, CTA is messing up.

Update: Despite an error in the 2014 preliminary budget, the usual transfer policies should apply, i.e. within 2 hours of the first ride, the second is 25 cents and the third is free. Maybe that is entering into this, but I also think some turnstiles have been allowing free transfers instead of charging for them.

[MarioM]

There are free transfer points downtown at State/Lake (elevated and subway), State/Jackson (subway), Harold Washington Library/Van Buren (elevated), Dearborn/Jackson (subway), Dearborn/Washington (subway). As long as the previous use of your fare card was at an 'L' station (elevated or subway), you can board for no charge at any of these stations (within the two hour window). (You can also transfer between elevated and subway at Clark/Lake, but not if you go through the turnstiles.)

Each of these stations has a specific purpose in mind. For example, the Jackson/State free transfer is intended to accommodate people coming off the elevated station at Harold Washington Library. But in reality, they will let anyone whose last transaction was at an 'L' station board free.

Here's an example of the problem the CTA faces. You board at Belmont. The CTA doesn't know whether you took a Brown Line or a Red Line train. You want to transfer to a Blue Line train at Jackson. The CTA doesn't know if you came out of a Brown Line train at HW Library or out of a Red Line train at Jackson (or even whether you exited at a completely different stop). So in order to make the intended free transfer work, they open it up to everybody who rode an 'L' train last. There are too many places in the 'L' system where you can change lines without swiping a card so they don't really know which train you rode last.

The Wabash/Madison stop is not a free transfer point. If people want to transfer to/from the Loop elevated, the CTA supports that at Clark/Lake, State/Lake, and Harold Washington Library.

[Rippler]

That makes sense, and it's probably the first time I happened to get back on at that particular stop from downtown, at Washington-Madison. My preference is to walk to Jackson and get on there... no matter what time of day it is, I'm guaranteed to get a seat so I can read.

Thanks for the explanation.

[Busjack]

That makes sense, and it's probably the first time I happened to get back on at that particular stop from downtown, at Washington-Madison. My preference is to walk to Jackson and get on there... no matter what time of day it is, I'm guaranteed to get a seat so I can read.

Thanks for the explanation.

MarioM's explanation of Jackson is undoubtedly correct, but certainly has not been officially stated.

He is also correct that the system can't tell what line you left. It used to be that to transfer at State and Lake, you had to get a special free transfer in the station, but when it went to "any valid transit card will be accepted without a charge," there is no way to police that.

Also, where there aren't separate entrances (such as on some right side L platforms), they can't tell if it is a reverse trip, or as MarioM implies, you are going from Sedgwick to 95th, for instance.

[Rippler]

I certainly agree with the "not been officially stated" comment after having hunted down all information from CTA web pages I could and finally resorting to calling them where they even said they didn't know why. They thought there was a reason for it, but no one there knew what it was and they had me on hold about 10 minutes checking on it.