If I ran Transit for one day...

[WCR]

32 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

The EJE doesn't get that far. When I said that's where the trackage ends, I meant that's the northern/eastern end. The connection between the EJE and any CN trackage is much further out south.

There is a connection from tracks passing under the ME at 95th, but not one that can accessed from the EJE tracks after you leave that yard near Trumbull Park

The EJE is the East-West track by Matteson, there's a connection to the former IC trackage (the freight line that parallels the ME) there.

Fyi: EJE and all its assets and trackage have been under CN ownership since the 2009 merger.

[NewFlyerMCI]

1 minute ago, WCR said:

The EJE is the East-West track by Matteson, there's a connection to the former IC trackage (the freight line that parallels the ME) there.

Fyi: EJE and all its assets and trackage have been under CN ownership since the 2009 merger.

I'm aware, I was just saying that from 103rd where the EJE ends and where the SCAL crosses 95th, there's no direction connection, for either CN or any train coming in that direction

[strictures]

9 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I think they will.  I think I read a plan that would build apartment buildings over the Metra Electric tracks South of Roosevelt.   Part of this plan was to have a connection between that area and Union station,  presumably using the St. Charles Air Line.  Assuming that it would be a Metra service   I think turning trains to get from the Air Line to Union station would be difficult.   Dont Amtrak trains that use this route have to reverse course?  I'm not sure if this plan calls for diesel trains or if the SCAL and other tracking would have to be electrified. 

If the original plan called for use of the SCAL, was it to connect to the SSM to the Loop L, State St subway or elsewhere?

The next question is what CN does with their freight trackage along the ME?  There's a connecting flyover between the freight tracks along the Skyway and the CN tracks at Grand Crossing.   It might be easy for CN to abandon this, but how will Amtrak be affected?

That's part of the plan of that rich loon from Wisconsin, who has never ridden mass transit in his life & who has this insane idea of adding an additional Amtrak Station there, along with rerouting the Green & Orange Lines to service these buildings.   Amtrak isn't on board with it & they don't want all of their trains from Union Station's South Berth having to take an unnecessary detour.

I'm sure everyone who rides those lines would be thrilled to have an extra 10 minutes added to their commute for a dozen people on each run.

[NewFlyerMCI]

Few changes I would make west of Midway, especially since BTC is completed

• Reroute 307 & 63W/165 to serve BTC
• Reroute 386 to serve BTC
  • These changes are to facilitate transfers in a sheltered area, while also giving riders who want to park & ride (either for free and/or as a closer option) an option to catch the bus to Midway, the west side or south suburbs all in one location.
• Extend 330 to Midway, making limited stops along Garfield at Harlem, Oak Park, Narragansett, Austin, Central, Laramie, Cicero, Midway Terminal. Can use the 379/384/386 berth or the 55A/N berth
  • Provides a one-seat ride for riders on the southern end of the line to a CTA train, running limited stops so as to not duplicate existing CTA that much. Also replaces Airport SuperSaver (joke)

[artthouwill]

11 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Few changes I would make west of Midway, especially since BTC is completed

• Reroute 307 & 63W/165 to serve BTC
• Reroute 386 to serve BTC
  • These changes are to facilitate transfers in a sheltered area, while also giving riders who want to park & ride (either for free and/or as a closer option) an option to catch the bus to Midway, the west side or south suburbs all in one location.
• Extend 330 to Midway, making limited stops along Garfield at Harlem, Oak Park, Narragansett, Austin, Central, Laramie, Cicero, Midway Terminal. Can use the 379/384/386 berth or the 55A/N berth
  • Provides a one-seat ride for riders on the southern end of the line to a CTA train, running limited stops so as to not duplicate existing CTA that much. Also replaces Airport SuperSaver (joke)

Doesn't the 307 already serve BTC?  If the 386 serves BTC, there's no need for 62W/165 to serve it.  The 386 would be an ample connection. 

I would be curious to see how much ridership,  if any, would be generated by this 330 extension?  Would the increase come from CTA riders in the city or can Pace attract suburban riders to ride the 330 to Midway?  I think its worth at least a pilot. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

46 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

Doesn't the 307 already serve BTC?  If the 386 serves BTC, there's no need for 62W/165 to serve it.  The 386 would be an ample connection. 

I would be curious to see how much ridership,  if any, would be generated by this 330 extension?  Would the increase come from CTA riders in the city or can Pace attract suburban riders to ride the 330 to Midway?  I think its worth at least a pilot. 

The 307 still ends at 63rd/Archer with the 62H & 63W. Right now the 855 is the only route that serves the BTC. I wanted the 63W/165 to serve since the 386 makes limited stops.

[artthouwill]

2 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

The 307 still ends at 63rd/Archer with the 62H & 63W. Right now the 855 is the only route that serves the BTC. I wanted the 63W/165 to serve since the 386 makes limited stops.

I'm surprised because the 307 was supposed to be rerouted to BTC.  I wonder what's causing the delay?  Now that the 855 trips have been cut back. BTC is seeing no service.  For whatever reason,  the 386 isn't pulling into BTC.  Maybe once this pan(ic)demic is over, changes will be made. 

Even with the limited stops, 63W and 165 can connect with the 307 and 386 now at 63rd and Harlem  and can continue to do so.  There's still no need to reroute 63W and 165.

[busfan2847]

307 was extended to BTC on 6/9/2019. It no longer operates on 63rd from Harlem and Archer and instead is extended south on Harlem, then west on 71st, to Bridgeview Transit Center.

[artthouwill]

3 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

The 307 still ends at 63rd/Archer with the 62H & 63W. Right now the 855 is the only route that serves the BTC. I wanted the 63W/165 to serve since the 386 makes limited stops.

 

10 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

307 was extended to BTC on 6/9/2019. It no longer operates on 63rd from Harlem and Archer and instead is extended south on Harlem, then west on 71st, to Bridgeview Transit Center.

Ok so I wasn't imagining things.  Thanks @busfan2847.  The question is why the 386 doesn't at least serve the BTC, or better yet, why the BTC was even built in the first place?  If Toyota Park had anything to do with it,, it's a moot point now that the Chicago Fire had returned to Soldier Field. 

[Anthony Devera]

2 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

Ok so I wasn't imagining things.  Thanks @busfan2847.  The question is why the 386 doesn't at least serve the BTC, or better yet, why the BTC was even built in the first place?  If Toyota Park had anything to do with it,, it's a moot point now that the Chicago Fire had returned to Soldier Field. 

The 386 has a stop at 71st/Harlem, which is pretty close to the BTC. I can imagine Pace decided it wasn't worth adding a deviation when people can just walk.

Speaking of the 165, why does it even exist? I know those are 63W trips that would otherwise deadhead from 63rd/Harlem to Midway, but why can't those just be more 63W trips? I don't really see any significant passenger generators along 65th.

[NewFlyerMCI]

3 hours ago, busfan2847 said:

307 was extended to BTC on 6/9/2019. It no longer operates on 63rd from Harlem and Archer and instead is extended south on Harlem, then west on 71st, to Bridgeview Transit Center.

 

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

 

Ok so I wasn't imagining things.  Thanks @busfan2847.  The question is why the 386 doesn't at least serve the BTC, or better yet, why the BTC was even built in the first place?  If Toyota Park had anything to do with it,, it's a moot point now that the Chicago Fire had returned to Soldier Field. 

Sorry, that’s on me. CTA hasn’t updated the system map yet which is what I was using when I suggested this.

[NewFlyerMCI]

3 hours ago, Anthony Devera said:

The 386 has a stop at 71st/Harlem, which is pretty close to the BTC. I can imagine Pace decided it wasn't worth adding a deviation when people can just walk.

Speaking of the 165, why does it even exist? I know those are 63W trips that would otherwise deadhead from 63rd/Harlem to Midway, but why can't those just be more 63W trips? I don't really see any significant passenger generators along 65th.

Not like anything else is using the terminal. I don’t know why it was built, although I think part of the reason would’ve been for the seatgeek stadium express buses. There are certainly other areas that could use a official terminal (Blue Island comes to mind, among other places).
 

65th St is a commercial corridor, albeit a minor, not heavily used one. I guess CTA saw not so much a need but rather an opportunity in 1993: there are a lot of businesses along this street and there aren’t going to be that many people doing a reverse commute on the 63W and so the 165 was created. People who work along 65th St can transfer to the 165 in the morning at Midway Station and return in the evening. All other times, they can just walk 2 blocks north to the 63W/386.
 

Incidentally, the nature of this set up is also probably why the 165 is never on the chopping block (in my memory, could be wrong) since eliminating this route wouldn’t save much money, since the drivers would still be doing the deadhead anyway

[artthouwill]

18 hours ago, Anthony Devera said:

The 386 has a stop at 71st/Harlem, which is pretty close to the BTC. I can imagine Pace decided it wasn't worth adding a deviation when people can just walk.

Speaking of the 165, why does it even exist? I know those are 63W trips that would otherwise deadhead from 63rd/Harlem to Midway, but why can't those just be more 63W trips? I don't really see any significant passenger generators along 65th.

The old 63 used to run between Stony Island and Narragansett,  with rush hour trips extended to 65th and Harlen. in the a.m rush, the Narragansett and Harlem trips ran via 65th west of Cicero and EB via 65th in the p.m. rush.  So when the Orange Line opened,  the 65th portion got it's own route number and interlined with the 63W.  Just a modification of what already existed. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

Minor change, but I'd shift around the routes at Midway Terminal. I just realized that the 386 effectively has a bay to itself since the 390 & 387 are special services while there are 4.5 other routes at 1 bay. What I'd do is move the 382, 387 & 390 next to the entrance since those routes leave so infrequently, move the 379 over to where the 386 is, since they run somewhat parallel and have the same frequencies for the most part, and then leave the 383, 384 & 385 where they are.

[Pace831]

49 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Minor change, but I'd shift around the routes at Midway Terminal. I just realized that the 386 effectively has a bay to itself since the 390 & 387 are special services while there are 4.5 other routes at 1 bay. What I'd do is move the 382, 387 & 390 next to the entrance since those routes leave so infrequently, move the 379 over to where the 386 is, since they run somewhat parallel and have the same frequencies for the most part, and then leave the 383, 384 & 385 where they are.

The reason the 379, 383, 384, 385 shared a bay was so passengers going along Cicero up to Ford City could get on whichever comes first. The schedules are staggered so that sharing the bay isn't much of a problem. I suppose there is less of an advantage now that Pace buses don't enter the mall, but I don't see a need for this change unless you think there are a lot of people going to 79th and Harlem from Midway.

[NewFlyerMCI]

56 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

The reason the 379, 383, 384, 385 shared a bay was so passengers going along Cicero up to Ford City could get on whichever comes first. The schedules are staggered so that sharing the bay isn't much of a problem. I suppose there is less of an advantage now that Pace buses don't enter the mall, but I don't see a need for this change unless you think there are a lot of people going to 79th and Harlem from Midway.

Ah, didn't realize that. I paired the 379 and 386 since they have the same frequency most of the time (every 20-30 mins during weekdays for example). I can't imagine 379 and 386 riders are going to the same place (other than FedEx incidentally, now that I think about it, but that might as well be as infrequent as the 390)

[strictures]

If I were running Metra now, I'd be asking the railcar manufacturers to design a new version of the RDC, with a trailer car.  It's obvious, passenger levels will never go back to their previous usage.   Downtown businesses have learned how to have many or most of their employees work from home.  The downtown office market is going to crash & the need for seven car long double deck coaches will be reduced & the even longer trains on the Burlington will go away.   

[Nova's at 103rd]

I saw the thread at took some time to think out what I would do if I could run CTA for a day but this will be a long post so be ready to read.

I would form a South Side Rehab Plan because it's needed

1 Bronzeville/Union Station will be eliminated as it only stands to service Union Station 

Experiment later AM and earlier PM service on the 2 Hyde Park Express

3 King Drive and 4 Cottage Grove would operate with the X3 and X4 express routes

6 Jackson Park Express and 26 South Shore Express would operate as the 26 South Shore Express from 103rd/Stony Island to Chicago/Michigan via #6 current routing from 67th & Jeffery to 47th & Lake Park with certain trips ending at Wacker and Columbus as well as operating daily from 4:30am to 1:00am every 8 to 10 mins

8A South Halsted will pick up slack from eliminated 108 Halsted/95th with certain trips rush hour trips from 95th Red Line and daily service to 127th

X8 Halsted Express would operate from 79th/Perry or 79th/Halsted to Clarendon/Lawrence/Marine Drive

N8 Halsted from Halsted Green Line or Halsted Green Line to Belmont/Halsted

Rebuild J14 Jeffery Jump stations with blue traffic lanes from 67th to 95th

15 Jeffery Local will have alternate service to Western Orange Line eliminating 51 51st allowing 94 California to pick up between Western and California

31 31st operates rush hour only from 6am to 10am and 2pm to 8pm with 3 to 4 buses instead of 2

35 31st/35th will operate via 35th, California, 31st instead of normal routing

39 Pershing would operate to 36th/Kedize instead of St.Louis

Experiment night owl on 47 47th full route because ridership seems to have grown a lot especially between Midway and Kedize

Truly wanna eliminate 48 South Damen 

N49 Western would operate to 87th to connect to N87

51 51st would be eliminated

52 and 52A would be combined to make 52 Kedize operating from Chicago/Troy to 115th/Springfield with short turns at 63rd from each way and running out of Kedize garage only 

54 Cicero extended to Midway and 54B operating from Cicero to 87th limiting all Pace buses from 59th to 87th to limited stops

55A and 55N combined to make 55W West 55th operating Cicero, 55th, Narragansett, 65th, Austin, 55th, and Cicero with layover at 64th and Narragansett 

62 Archer run only to Pulaski Orange Line or Midway Orange Line and allow 62H to pick up west of Cicero passengers and eliminate night owl N62 and allow Orange Line to run night owl

Make 79 79th safer, faster, and reliable with a Jump like situation making only busy and every other block stops with stations and very own wrapped buses with a revised schedule

Experiment 83 83rd route from 79th/Halsted via 79th, Emerald, Terminal, Halsted, 83rd, Birkhoff, 84th, Vincennes, 83rd, Lafayette, 87th Red Line, State, 83rd, Anthony, Jeffery, 83rd, South Shore, 79th Street Terminal

N87 would operate from 87th/Western to 91st/Commerical or Anthony like the rush hour trips

94 California operate from 69th/Western or 79th/Western to Addison/Rockwell

103 West 103rd and 106 East 103rd operate as one route from 104th/Pulaski to 103rd/Stony Island via Pulaski, 103rd, Wentworth, 95th Red Line, Michigan, 103rd, (Olive Harvey sometimes) Stony Island

111 111th/King Drive and 112 Vincennes/111th operate as one whole route from 111th/Pulaski to 95th Red Line 

112 would be renamed 112 Vincennes/95th operating from 95th Red Line to Marshfield Plaza or 119th/Western

Propose a Green Line extend to 93rd/Commercial running alongside the Chicago Skyway possibly abandoning East 63rd Branch with stations at 63rd, 71st/Cottage Grove, 75th, 79th/Stony Island, 83rd/Jeffery, 87th, ending at 93rd/Commercial (Exchange)

No need to extend Red Line South of 95th since major South routes connect to Terminal and emptying the terminal would only be a waste of money in my opinion 

Back to CTA as a whole

Extend 44 Wallace/Racine to Clinton Blue Line via Canal, Adams, Union Station, Clinton, Blue Line, Taylor, Canal to normal route

Eliminate 54A N. Cicero/Skokie Blvd as planned

Reuse the number 132 and use as 132 Elston/Clybourn (I don't like the number 41) from Congress Plaza to Forest Glen Garage via Congress Plaza, Michigan, Adams, Franklin, Orleans, Division, Clybourn, Belmont, Elston, Forest Glen Garage

Extend 157 Streeterville/Taylor to Pulaski Pink Line as planned 

Have Red and Blue Line trains run express often 

Experiment night owl service on Brown Line

Set up Loop Link situation on Michigan Ave. from Roosevelt to Delaware with prepaid boarding and dedicated bus lanes but still allowing right hand turns (police officers, cameras, and CTA employees around bus stops to enforce rules)

If you made it this far thank you and I hope this made some sense to you

[NewFlyerMCI]

5 minutes ago, Nova's at 103rd said:

I saw the thread at took some time to think out what I would do if I could run CTA for a day but this will be a long post so be ready to read.

I would form a South Side Rehab Plan because it's needed

1 Bronzeville/Union Station will be eliminated as it only stands to service Union Station 

Experiment later AM and earlier PM service on the 2 Hyde Park Express

3 King Drive and 4 Cottage Grove would operate with the X3 and X4 express routes

6 Jackson Park Express and 26 South Shore Express would operate as the 26 South Shore Express from 103rd/Stony Island to Chicago/Michigan via #6 current routing from 67th & Jeffery to 47th & Lake Park with certain trips ending at Wacker and Columbus as well as operating daily from 4:30am to 1:00am every 8 to 10 mins

8A South Halsted will pick up slack from eliminated 108 Halsted/95th with certain trips rush hour trips from 95th Red Line and daily service to 127th

X8 Halsted Express would operate from 79th/Perry or 79th/Halsted to Clarendon/Lawrence/Marine Drive

N8 Halsted from Halsted Green Line or Halsted Green Line to Belmont/Halsted

Rebuild J14 Jeffery Jump stations with blue traffic lanes from 67th to 95th

15 Jeffery Local will have alternate service to Western Orange Line eliminating 51 51st allowing 94 California to pick up between Western and California

31 31st operates rush hour only from 6am to 10am and 2pm to 8pm with 3 to 4 buses instead of 2

35 31st/35th will operate via 35th, California, 31st instead of normal routing

39 Pershing would operate to 36th/Kedize instead of St.Louis

Experiment night owl on 47 47th full route because ridership seems to have grown a lot especially between Midway and Kedize

Truly wanna eliminate 48 South Damen 

N49 Western would operate to 87th to connect to N87

51 51st would be eliminated

52 and 52A would be combined to make 52 Kedize operating from Chicago/Troy to 115th/Springfield with short turns at 63rd from each way and running out of Kedize garage only 

54 Cicero extended to Midway and 54B operating from Cicero to 87th limiting all Pace buses from 59th to 87th to limited stops

55A and 55N combined to make 55W West 55th operating Cicero, 55th, Narragansett, 65th, Austin, 55th, and Cicero with layover at 64th and Narragansett 

62 Archer run only to Pulaski Orange Line or Midway Orange Line and allow 62H to pick up west of Cicero passengers and eliminate night owl N62 and allow Orange Line to run night owl

Make 79 79th safer, faster, and reliable with a Jump like situation making only busy and every other block stops with stations and very own wrapped buses with a revised schedule

Experiment 83 83rd route from 79th/Halsted via 79th, Emerald, Terminal, Halsted, 83rd, Birkhoff, 84th, Vincennes, 83rd, Lafayette, 87th Red Line, State, 83rd, Anthony, Jeffery, 83rd, South Shore, 79th Street Terminal

N87 would operate from 87th/Western to 91st/Commerical or Anthony like the rush hour trips

94 California operate from 69th/Western or 79th/Western to Addison/Rockwell

103 West 103rd and 106 East 103rd operate as one route from 104th/Pulaski to 103rd/Stony Island via Pulaski, 103rd, Wentworth, 95th Red Line, Michigan, 103rd, (Olive Harvey sometimes) Stony Island

111 111th/King Drive and 112 Vincennes/111th operate as one whole route from 111th/Pulaski to 95th Red Line 

112 would be renamed 112 Vincennes/95th operating from 95th Red Line to Marshfield Plaza or 119th/Western

Propose a Green Line extend to 93rd/Commercial running alongside the Chicago Skyway possibly abandoning East 63rd Branch with stations at 63rd, 71st/Cottage Grove, 75th, 79th/Stony Island, 83rd/Jeffery, 87th, ending at 93rd/Commercial (Exchange)

No need to extend Red Line South of 95th since major South routes connect to Terminal and emptying the terminal would only be a waste of money in my opinion 

Back to CTA as a whole

Extend 44 Wallace/Racine to Clinton Blue Line via Canal, Adams, Union Station, Clinton, Blue Line, Taylor, Canal to normal route

Eliminate 54A N. Cicero/Skokie Blvd as planned

Reuse the number 132 and use as 132 Elston/Clybourn (I don't like the number 41) from Congress Plaza to Forest Glen Garage via Congress Plaza, Michigan, Adams, Franklin, Orleans, Division, Clybourn, Belmont, Elston, Forest Glen Garage

Extend 157 Streeterville/Taylor to Pulaski Pink Line as planned 

Have Red and Blue Line trains run express often 

Experiment night owl service on Brown Line

Set up Loop Link situation on Michigan Ave. from Roosevelt to Delaware with prepaid boarding and dedicated bus lanes but still allowing right hand turns (police officers, cameras, and CTA employees around bus stops to enforce rules)

If you made it this far thank you and I hope this made some sense to you

• The 1 has probably been one of the more truncated routes in CTA history. I can't speak on whether or not it should be cancelled, but its stuck around this long
• The X3 and X4 were on the lower end of the totem pole for ridership on the X routes. Without going back to look at RTAMS data, I'd even wager the only routes below them were the X21, X98 and routes like that. If any more X routes are coming back, it'll be Cicero, Irving Park, Garfield (I think) and possibly Stony Island first. That said, I'd support the X4 coming back, but waiting to see if the X3 would be needed
• Combining the 6 and 26 defeats the purpose of each route or else I'd wager they'd have been combined long ago. Making the 6 longer means more buses to maintain its frequency without short-turning, which it needs for Hyde Park. Having to ride from 103rd to 47th w/o making limited stops before even getting on the expressway sort of defeats the purpose of it being express.
• I believe the 108 is to be eliminated with the red line extension, but this isn't a bad alternative
• No need for N8 or X8 when Ashland is next door (and has always been the busier route)
• Instead of extending an already long 15, I think an alternative might be to combine the 51 and 43
  • The 15 runs a bit more frequently than the 51, so some trips would probably still have to end at 47th still
  • But combining the 51 and 43 might be more feasible, since there are routes who have similar frequencies and are both short
• The 31 should start earlier, but I don't think rush hour only is what will help.
• Might be better for the N87 to come to 79th/Western, but I support the night owl connection
• the 35 and 39 routings should stay as is
  • The 39 doesn't run as frequently or for as long as the 35 (or at all on Sundays), leaving people w/o a connection further west and reduced service for no apparent reason
• Combining the 52's makes the route too long, that's almost 16 miles, there's no need for another 9 and 49, who are long by necessity
• Where's the need in extending the 54 to Midway? Also, Pace buses make limited stops along Cicero from 59th to 76th already, and its pretty much only Pace routes from there
• West 55th loop has been talked about a lot here, I believe someone stated that political opposition killed that proposal
• CTA prefers the one-seat ride when it can (see the 4 for example) so I'm not sure truncated the 62 is in the best interest of the ridership. I do, however, support the Orange Line running 24 hrs (as it is now, there are only 2-3 hours of the day it doesn't run any how)
• The section of 79th that needs this kind of service is too narrow, and 79th unlike Jeffery is a commercial corridor, there are a lot of businesses that would balk at the no parking restrictions that would be put in place. 79th also has queue jumps that are somewhat effective. Also, the 79 already stops every other block, it's something I've complained about since I was a child.
• 87th/Damen is a better terminus for this 83 route than 79th/Halsted. Also, while I'd be interested in this, I don't think it'd last very long
• Is there a need for the N87 extension?
• What's the benefit of moving the 94 away from ending at the garage?
• 103rd routes are supposed to be combined when the red line is extended
• You'd be unnecessarily extending the commute times of everyone west of Vincennes with a 111/112 combination. I don't think there are enough people riding both rides to necessitate a merge
  • Vincennes by itself won't have the ridership to support this new 112
• That Green Line proposal is ambitious, but interesting. The costs of trying to get people from the ground up to the skyway might make that cost prohibitive on its own, but this isn't my area of expertise.
• Your point about the Red Line terminal is funny 
• My plan for the 44 was to Union Station, but I'd support even to Clinton Blue Line
• I'm in support of an Elston route, but I believe others have pointed out the ridership might not necessarily be there to support it
• This isn't NYC or Philly. Trains run express to fill gaps in service, running express more often would just be arbitrarily skipping stations, and it wouldn't be for very long since there are only two tracks.
• Loop Link might be easier to implement on State St.

 

If I'm wrong about any of these or if anyone has more/accurate knowledge, please feel free to correct me

[artthouwill]

Boy, @Nova's at 103rd and @NewFlyerMCI posts long!  Too long to quote , but overall I agree with @NewFlyerMCI.

[strictures]

9 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

If I'm wrong about any of these or if anyone has more/accurate knowledge, please feel free to correct me

I used to try to take the X4 to the UChicago Hospital.  But the CTA for some incomprehensible reason, had the only stop there at 59th, not at 58th, where all the entrances are. 

The same problem with the X9.  No stop at Polk, where the dental school & several other U of Illinois clinics are.  So you walk to Ashland & inevitably, the X9 zooms past you & stops at Harrison. 

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, strictures said:

I used to try to take the X4 to the UChicago Hospital.  But the CTA for some incomprehensible reason, had the only stop there at 59th, not at 58th, where all the entrances are. 

The same problem with the X9.  No stop at Polk, where the dental school & several other U of Illinois clinics are.  So you walk to Ashland & inevitably, the X9 zooms past you & stops at Harrison. 

The X buses stopped approximately every 1/2 mile primarily to facilitate transfers. 59th us 1/2 mile from 55th.  The only exceptions seem to be rail transfers such as 49th/Western Orange Line .  

If you stop at 58th and Corrage why not the Social Security office at 64th,  Ir the Disable Museum at 56th,? Target at 86th?  Tha Armory at 52nd?  The locals stop at these places so it's not like there isn't service.   

[TaylorTank1229]

13 hours ago, Nova's at 103rd said:

I saw the thread at took some time to think out what I would do if I could run CTA for a day but this will be a long post so be ready to read.

I would form a South Side Rehab Plan because it's needed

1 Bronzeville/Union Station will be eliminated as it only stands to service Union Station 

Experiment later AM and earlier PM service on the 2 Hyde Park Express

3 King Drive and 4 Cottage Grove would operate with the X3 and X4 express routes

6 Jackson Park Express and 26 South Shore Express would operate as the 26 South Shore Express from 103rd/Stony Island to Chicago/Michigan via #6 current routing from 67th & Jeffery to 47th & Lake Park with certain trips ending at Wacker and Columbus as well as operating daily from 4:30am to 1:00am every 8 to 10 mins

8A South Halsted will pick up slack from eliminated 108 Halsted/95th with certain trips rush hour trips from 95th Red Line and daily service to 127th

X8 Halsted Express would operate from 79th/Perry or 79th/Halsted to Clarendon/Lawrence/Marine Drive

N8 Halsted from Halsted Green Line or Halsted Green Line to Belmont/Halsted

Rebuild J14 Jeffery Jump stations with blue traffic lanes from 67th to 95th

15 Jeffery Local will have alternate service to Western Orange Line eliminating 51 51st allowing 94 California to pick up between Western and California

31 31st operates rush hour only from 6am to 10am and 2pm to 8pm with 3 to 4 buses instead of 2

35 31st/35th will operate via 35th, California, 31st instead of normal routing

39 Pershing would operate to 36th/Kedize instead of St.Louis

Experiment night owl on 47 47th full route because ridership seems to have grown a lot especially between Midway and Kedize

Truly wanna eliminate 48 South Damen 

N49 Western would operate to 87th to connect to N87

51 51st would be eliminated

52 and 52A would be combined to make 52 Kedize operating from Chicago/Troy to 115th/Springfield with short turns at 63rd from each way and running out of Kedize garage only 

54 Cicero extended to Midway and 54B operating from Cicero to 87th limiting all Pace buses from 59th to 87th to limited stops

55A and 55N combined to make 55W West 55th operating Cicero, 55th, Narragansett, 65th, Austin, 55th, and Cicero with layover at 64th and Narragansett 

62 Archer run only to Pulaski Orange Line or Midway Orange Line and allow 62H to pick up west of Cicero passengers and eliminate night owl N62 and allow Orange Line to run night owl

Make 79 79th safer, faster, and reliable with a Jump like situation making only busy and every other block stops with stations and very own wrapped buses with a revised schedule

Experiment 83 83rd route from 79th/Halsted via 79th, Emerald, Terminal, Halsted, 83rd, Birkhoff, 84th, Vincennes, 83rd, Lafayette, 87th Red Line, State, 83rd, Anthony, Jeffery, 83rd, South Shore, 79th Street Terminal

N87 would operate from 87th/Western to 91st/Commerical or Anthony like the rush hour trips

94 California operate from 69th/Western or 79th/Western to Addison/Rockwell

103 West 103rd and 106 East 103rd operate as one route from 104th/Pulaski to 103rd/Stony Island via Pulaski, 103rd, Wentworth, 95th Red Line, Michigan, 103rd, (Olive Harvey sometimes) Stony Island

111 111th/King Drive and 112 Vincennes/111th operate as one whole route from 111th/Pulaski to 95th Red Line 

112 would be renamed 112 Vincennes/95th operating from 95th Red Line to Marshfield Plaza or 119th/Western

Propose a Green Line extend to 93rd/Commercial running alongside the Chicago Skyway possibly abandoning East 63rd Branch with stations at 63rd, 71st/Cottage Grove, 75th, 79th/Stony Island, 83rd/Jeffery, 87th, ending at 93rd/Commercial (Exchange)

No need to extend Red Line South of 95th since major South routes connect to Terminal and emptying the terminal would only be a waste of money in my opinion 

Back to CTA as a whole

Extend 44 Wallace/Racine to Clinton Blue Line via Canal, Adams, Union Station, Clinton, Blue Line, Taylor, Canal to normal route

Eliminate 54A N. Cicero/Skokie Blvd as planned

Reuse the number 132 and use as 132 Elston/Clybourn (I don't like the number 41) from Congress Plaza to Forest Glen Garage via Congress Plaza, Michigan, Adams, Franklin, Orleans, Division, Clybourn, Belmont, Elston, Forest Glen Garage

Extend 157 Streeterville/Taylor to Pulaski Pink Line as planned 

Have Red and Blue Line trains run express often 

Experiment night owl service on Brown Line

Set up Loop Link situation on Michigan Ave. from Roosevelt to Delaware with prepaid boarding and dedicated bus lanes but still allowing right hand turns (police officers, cameras, and CTA employees around bus stops to enforce rules)

If you made it this far thank you and I hope this made some sense to you

•I mean, it’s not like #1 has a low ridership rate. I used to take it all the time when I was living over in Bronzeville to get to work and they be packed morning & evening.

•I can agree with an experimental extension of hours for #2, but maybe just adding midday serivice.

•Because of ridership during most times of their operation, today, I would only suggest restoring X4 for an experimental test pilot to see if ridership pattern have improved for the route’s need. If successful, then maybe they could take a shot with a pilot for X3.

•I don’t see a need for 6 & 26 to combine, it’ll just create more traveling time for those that may have time for a long trip. Both routes operate just fine as they are now. Hey 

•8A replacing 108 trips between 127th & 95th Red Line? Sounds like a plausible option.

•X8 is not something I suggest, since Halsted is one of the more smaller streets throughout most of #8’s route. Larger & busier streets like Western or Ashland is one of the reasons why their X routes were restored. We already have N9, that runs between Norte Ave/Clark & 95th Red Line. Despite the mile gap, south of North Ave, there are a number of east-west routes that have owl you can take to compensate.

•J14 is plausible, 15 doesn’t need that extension to make for a longer route than what it was meant to.

•31 should have earlier service, starting at 5am or 5:30. Having revised service to rush hour only is not what I think the senior citizen community would have in mind since it usually them as passenger during the midday. They could improve frequency 20 minutes during rush hour and 30 minutes on off-peak hour.

•Considering 39’s running frequency on weekends and holiday, 35 may serve commuter better in its current position when they don’t want to wait 30+ minutes for a 39 bus from either way.

•47 did have owl serivce once before, I suppose it’s worth giving a chance. But perhaps start off with running between Kedzie Orange Line & 47th Red Line first, see how ridership is between that zone.

•Despite it being only a weekday rush hour route, does 48 show the type of ridership that says it be eliminated?

•I can yes to N49 buses extending to 87th so it can establish a connection with N87 buses.

•51 could either be eliminated since the route basically has parallel service with #47, or combined with #43 as they both have short routes & low frequency. Maybe have it run between Kedzie Orange Line & 43rd/Oakenwald via Kedzie, 51st, Halsted, Root, Princeton, 43rd, Wentworth, 47th (Red Line), La Salle, 43rd, Oakenwald, 42nd Place, Berkeley, and so on and so forth.

•There no need to create another unnecessary extended route. 52 & 52A operate just fine as their own routes and you can transfer between them between the Orange Line & 63rd. I will say since their reconstructing the route to end at Chicago Ave, they could take another experimental trial with extending the 52 from Chicago/Troy to the Logan Square Blue Line so that the bus could still have a connection to Blue Line trains. Not daily but start off the pilot on weekdays only.

•54 doesn’t have any ridership demands for an extension like that. Once you go past south of Ford City, you basically are in Pace territory. Besides, Pace #383 pretty much holds decent ridership between Midway & 159th.

•The 54A was actually originally selected to be eliminated as part of the CTA/Pace North Shore Coordination Plan, to be partially replace by Pace service on the 215 (which was and is still planned to be extended to Jefferson Park Blue Line) & a new express route running between Jefferson Park & Old Orchard Mall, but since it was last updated, it appears that the 54A will continue to operate for the foreseeable future. I don’t see no issues with the route, except that should be giving midday service and improved frequency during the rush hours. Because I work up in Skokie and I’m not a fan waiting 22-27 minutes in the morning and evening for a bus if I already missed one

•There was an actual intention for CTA to combine 55A & 55N. Political differences however pretty much tossed that idea out the window.

Don’t see reducing service on 62 that much will do wonders for ridership, plus you got that railroad crossing over near Archer/Knox so 62H be better not to be delay with those long waits when the crossing is down. I do agree that the Orange Line could be extended to run OWL service especially since its last extension of hours, but doesn’t the N62 or just 62 in general pretty much run parallel of the Orange Line?

•79th street don’t have much of the form of demand that Jeffery Blvd has to initiate Jump service. They’re done fine with service along there anyways.

I saw once on the RTAMS for a study along the 83rd Street Corridor, to run between the Walmart off of Holland/83rd and 92nd/Commercial. I think there could be a possibility for a 83rd street pilot, but between 79th/South Shore or 92nd/Commercial and either 87th/Damen or 79th/Western.

•I think of there was ridership demands for the N87 to extend east of the Red Line, they would’ve given it a shot already... 

•The reason 94 was chosen to terminate at 74th/Damen was because it be only a block or two from the 74th Garage. But since 94 will be extended from Chicago to Addison, will they give the route extended hours to compensate?

•I believe there’s talking of combining the 103 & 106 for the Red Line 130th Street Extension Project, since they’ll be adding a train stop at 103rd.

•Not enough ridership on 111 or 112 to consider a merge like that, plus it’ll just be adding extra travel time that is unnecessary. Plus it seems like a unnecessary reconstruction.

•To get the Green Line that above ground, would cost quite a penny, you’d probably have to hire some real professional foundation builders. I think I once heard a proposal for the South Chicago Branch of the Metra Electric to be transferred to CTA property, have a “Gray Line” that runs between downtown & 93rd street.

•I’m honestly indifferent on the Red Line South Extension Project....

•I agree with 44 being extended north. It can either terminate at Clinton Blue Line or at the farthest, the Oglivie Metra Staion. Also think the 44 should serve the Ashland/63rd station to connect with Green Line trains.

•There definitely be too much congestion on Elston for bus service. I think 41 fits better. But they could have a pilot on Clybourn (there is definitely more shopping landmarks now then before along the street), start with weekday service between Union Station & Belmont Blue Line via Belmont, Clybourn, Division, (southbound) Wells, Wacker, Randolph, Clinton, Union Station TC, (northbound) Canal, Lake, Wacker, Orleans, and so on.

•The 157 is already set to be extended to Pulaski hopefully in the summer (originally was suppose to be last month but then the spring pick got postponed).

• Don’t see the Red & Blue Line express idea as plausible.

•Brown Line could run experimental owl service between Kimball and Belmont, since there’s only a 3-4 hour gap between service ending and beginning in the morning.

———————————————————-

I only have two current proposal of service enhancements that the CTA could look into, which is...

•Adding OWL (Overnight) service on the #155. Once you go north of Lawrence, there no east-west OWL routes.
•#53 extending from Pulaski/Peterson to Devon/Kedzie, allowing connections with #11, #82, #96 & #155.

I had something for Pace too, but maybe later.

Any questions, concerns, comments, feel free to be open on them.

[strictures]

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

The X buses stopped approximately every 1/2 mile primarily to facilitate transfers. 59th us 1/2 mile from 55th.  The only exceptions seem to be rail transfers such as 49th/Western Orange Line .  

If you stop at 58th and Corrage why not the Social Security office at 64th,  Ir the Disable Museum at 56th,? Target at 86th?  Tha Armory at 52nd?  The locals stop at these places so it's not like there isn't service.   

There's no transfer at 59th.  There's nothing at 59th!  The main entrance to U of C Hospitals once were on 59th, but that was decades ago!   You don't place a stop just because it's a half mile apart.  You place it where people go.  People go to 58th!  So you put the stop were the people go & half mile spacing be damned!

[artthouwill]

33 minutes ago, strictures said:

There's no transfer at 59th.  There's nothing at 59th!  The main entrance to U of C Hospitals once were on 59th, but that was decades ago!   You don't place a stop just because it's a half mile apart.  You place it where people go.  People go to 58th!  So you put the stop were the people go & half mile spacing be damned!

I understand what you are saying, but the X4 wasn't designed for UC Hospital patients boarding at 58th.  Again, those people had the 4 *as they do now without the X4).  If those people just wanted an X4, they could walk one block south to 59th or take the local.  I could see the outrage if the X4 WAS THE ONLY OPTION,but it wasn't.  And it makes perfect sense for the stop at 59th.  For one, there's a traffic signal there.  For two, it fits within the stopping pattern.  For three, there are other buildings along 59th on the campus.   For a farfetched four, one could transfer from a SB 4 or X4 at 59th to a 192 Express going downtown,  which still qualifies as a transfer point.  Could CTA have added a stop at 58th?  Probably,  but apparently no one or very few people saw this as an issue.

Again, X routes were designed to speed up crosstown routes by 1/2 mile intervals where generally transfers to other routes could be made.  They were like a rail route with stops 1/2 mile apart.  Travelers could take an X9 or X49 rather than a local, or riding east to the Red Line only to have to ride west again.