City of Chicago & CTA

[Busjack]

It's just an idea for down the road. Things (and people) are too screwed up now to pull something like this off. I believe a standard rapid transit car can be built. If Boeing can make 19 (22 in a few years) versions of the 737 with various configurations and engine options you can't tell me it's impossible to build a standard rapid transit car. All you need to do is design a frame, which you can scale up or down. A body which you can also do likewise. Design motors and other equipment which you can standardize and and tweak according to the customer. The only thing that I can foresee being truly be custom is the signalling system, but even that can be modularized to work in a "plug n play" manner with the rest of the systems.

Essentially you have it backwards. Something like the signalling system is pretty standard (you can look into the NTSB file for that), Maybe CTA wants something more standard for other parts of the 7000 in that it said that Tomliinson couplers, pneumatic assist brakes, and exterior mounted doors would be acceptable. You can also look up the Bombardier videos on how bodies are fabricated, and that is from scratch. If there is anything standard, it is that that body was developed by Budd, and Bombardier is now the successor to Budd.

But, again, it makes absolutely no sense for CTA to say that Bombardier overbid for the 7000s, and then for you to attribute that they they should have used a different shell, when they, by now, have made 714 of them (some still need to be assembled).

There are the Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines, but even with those, you can look into the 7900s procurement to see that the manufacturers wanted all sorts of variances from that, and CTA ends up paying about $70,000 more per bus for such things as a 12 year corrosion warranty. San Francisco uses mutlistate procurement contracts for buses, but if you go into the documentation, they still want all sorts of extras. The only thing close to standardized is streetcars, but still the Siemens, Bombardier and Czech ones are different. What Toronto and DC ordered are different. The government tried to make the Boeing Vertol streetcar standard, and that was a failure.

You might think that a Ford Explorer Police Interceptor is standard, but even those have to go out to bid; stuff like the delivering dealer has to have minority ownership enter into it.

[strictures]

Essentially you have it backwards. Something like the signalling system is pretty standard (you can look into the NTSB file for that), Maybe CTA wants something more standard for other parts of the 7000 in that it said that Tomliinson couplers, pneumatic assist brakes, and exterior mounted doors would be acceptable. You can also look up the Bombardier videos on how bodies are fabricated, and that is from scratch. If there is anything standard, it is that that body was developed by Budd, and Bombardier is now the successor to Budd.

But, again, it makes absolutely no sense for CTA to say that Bombardier overbid for the 7000s, and then for you to attribute that they they should have used a different shell, when they, by now, have made 714 of them (some still need to be assembled).

There are the Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines, but even with those, you can look into the 7900s procurement to see that the manufacturers wanted all sorts of variances from that, and CTA ends up paying about $70,000 more per bus for such things as a 12 year corrosion warranty. San Francisco uses mutlistate procurement contracts for buses, but if you go into the documentation, they still want all sorts of extras. The only thing close to standardized is streetcars, but still the Siemens, Bombardier and Czech ones are different. What Toronto and DC ordered are different. The government tried to make the Boeing Vertol streetcar standard, and that was a failure.

You might think that a Ford Explorer Police Interceptor is standard, but even those have to go out to bid; stuff like the delivering dealer has to have minority ownership enter into it.

The old PCC streetcar was fairly standard, but Chicago's Green Hornets were larger than the rest, had three doors on the side & were offset on their trucks so they could pass each other.

As to police cars, every city has its own requirements & supposedly the Chicago requirements add about $1000 per car. Such as the various flashing lights, special sirens, klaxons, etc.

[Busjack]

....

If Hilkevitch is warning about fare hikes and service cuts Busjack, since Transit Officials laid out that scenario, that may be forthcoming unless Rauner changes his tune about transit cuts of $170 million plus from Chicago Mass Transit. Not wanting to start political debates, but Republicans can be so hard-headed at times(ode to Boehner). But not saying Democrats are any better, but they've done things for lower and middle-class citizens, not just the upper-class.

As has been proven over the last decade, a governor doesn't pass a budget, the legislature does. Sometimes on time, sometimes not. Then the governor can line item veto stuff and the legislature can override that. However, the legislature may not, consistently with the Illinois Constitution, spend money the state doesn't have.

With regard to the last point, a Tribune editorial indicated that on occasion, the legislators can act like grown-ups. Update: Also read the part about how they could go forward with regard to the FY2016 budget.

Like I said, all Tammy Chase wants to do is get you scared so you write your legislator that you want a tax increase. Maybe even a tax increase on yourself. But if past is prologue, maybe somebody who wants a job with the CTA will post a website that the suburbs should pay, and forget anything about reform at the CTA.

[Busjack]

In related news on "is CTA for Chuy" is this story that a federal judge gave the ATU a restraining order allowing its members to pass out Chuy fliers. As I said, CTA isn't in favor of Chuy, but the workers are.

I would have preferred that the Tribune had published the opinion (assuming that there was a written one, which there might not have been).

[Busjack]

In post election coverage, if Rahm really is going to listen to anyone, he can start with the CTA. I see that the 2 incompetent board members appointed by Quinn are gone. Maybe Rahm could start by getting rid of "I'm listening" Terry Peterson (from the Lincoln bus hearing).

I see he also had (after a 4 year hiatus) another hand shaking post election appearance at the 95th station. I wonder if any of the commuters asked where the extension to 130th that was promised by now is.

[strictures]

In post election coverage, if Rahm really is going to listen to anyone, he can start with the CTA. I see that the 2 incompetent board members appointed by Quinn are gone. Maybe Rahm could start by getting rid of "I'm listening" Terry Peterson (from the Lincoln bus hearing).

I see he also had (after a 4 year hiatus) another hand shaking post election appearance at the 95th station. I wonder if any of the commuters asked where the extension to 130th that was promised by now is.

I would hope the extension to 130th is dead until the North Side Main Line is fixed up to running at full speed [55 MPH].

No extensions of any kind should be built until the rest of the system is at excellent condition!

[Juniorz]

Well, there is another meeting scheduled for the extension to 130th in 2015, so don't expect that to go away. He made a promise to bring the 'L' to 130th and it looks like he's living up to that promise, along with the start of rehabbing the Red Line North in 2017.

Agreed, no extensions should be until the rest of the system is in excellent condition, but you can't fix everything as scheduled, sometimes it's just better to roll with the punches and get done what is needed to keep the system in working condition. But one thing that needs to be addressed (which should have occurred 1st) is that Forest Park branch, which needed the rehab more than the O'Hare branch (but many know that I-290 must be reconfigured for that to happen).

Overall, Rahm has done a good job so far as keeping stations opened and modern and improving infrastructure. It might not be what everybody wants, but it's getting the basics together and keeping them in good operating condition. The Wilson rehab is a start, so lets all wait and see instead of judge and complain.

[Busjack]

I would hope the extension to 130th is dead until the North Side Main Line is fixed up to running at full speed [55 MPH].

No extensions of any kind should be built until the rest of the system is at excellent condition!

Well, there is another meeting scheduled for the extension to 130th in 2015, so don't expect that to go away. He made a promise to bring the 'L' to 130th and it looks like he's living up to that promise, along with the start of rehabbing the Red Line North in 2017.

Agreed, no extensions should be until the rest of the system is in excellent condition, but you can't fix everything as scheduled, sometimes it's just better to roll with the punches and get done what is needed to keep the system in working condition. But one thing that needs to be addressed (which should have occurred 1st) is that Forest Park branch, which needed the rehab more than the O'Hare branch (but many know that I-290 must be reconfigured for that to happen).

Overall, Rahm has done a good job so far as keeping stations opened and modern and improving infrastructure. It might not be what everybody wants, but it's getting the basics together and keeping them in good operating condition. The Wilson rehab is a start, so lets all wait and see instead of judge and complain.

I'm in and out with regard to both comments.

Separate projects have separate funding sources, so I wouldn't say don't do one without doing the other, but what should really be the crux of the matter is that Emanuel said all sorts of stuff about funding for the Red Line South extension, including trying to find a public private partnership, but apparently has come up with nothing. I wonder if, while handshaking yesterday, Emanuel tried to take credit for the bus terminal construction at 95th, but that constitutes borrowing about $200 million for something that would not be necessary if the extension were going ahead. Sure there may be consultant money to keep holding environmental hearings, but that doesn't mean anyone has found construction money. Also, unless Emanuel undergoes the metamorphosis some thinks he promised in the commercials, nobody is going to listen to the community. That might not mean as much on the south side as near Ashland or Clark Jct.

The north side one seems to be on the faith that the Core Capacity program will come up with the couple of billion to do that, but the patchwork a couple of years ago also indicates that they aren't planning that for about another 8 years (other than the Bryn Mawr and Wilson stations).

The Forest Park segment depends on IDOT.

We did discuss earlier whether Emanuel has the right to claim personal credit for any of it, although it does explain his megalomaniac attitude toward CTA. I'm still somewhat surprised that CTA did not come up as an issue in the runoff campaigns. I guess that the Progressive Caucus was o.k. with Emanuel's claim that he personally rebuilt the Dan Ryan segment of the Red Line.

That gets us back to why NewFlyerMCI created this topic, I suppose.

[jajuan]

Well, there is another meeting scheduled for the extension to 130th in 2015, so don't expect that to go away. He made a promise to bring the 'L' to 130th and it looks like he's living up to that promise, along with the start of rehabbing the Red Line North in 2017.

Agreed, no extensions should be until the rest of the system is in excellent condition, but you can't fix everything as scheduled, sometimes it's just better to roll with the punches and get done what is needed to keep the system in working condition. But one thing that needs to be addressed (which should have occurred 1st) is that Forest Park branch, which needed the rehab more than the O'Hare branch (but many know that I-290 must be reconfigured for that to happen).

Overall, Rahm has done a good job so far as keeping stations opened and modern and improving infrastructure. It might not be what everybody wants, but it's getting the basics together and keeping them in good operating condition. The Wilson rehab is a start, so lets all wait and see instead of judge and complain.

Giving some criticisms after he's already been in office four years so far is perfectly valid. And if he doesn't want to be placed back in a runoff situation again four years from now, he does need to listen more and micromanage less.

[Juniorz]

Giving some criticisms after he's already been in office four years so far is perfectly valid. And if he doesn't want to be placed back in a runoff situation again four years from now, he does need to listen more and micromanage less.

Giving some criticisms after he's already been in office four years so far is perfectly valid. And if he doesn't want to be placed back in a runoff situation again four years from now, he does need to listen more and micromanage less.

jajuan i agree, during his first term, he was all over the place, but results were shown during his term. I do agree that he does need to listen more, his "it's my way or the highway" approach has given him a "brash" personality, which i hope he tones down for his second term. Now, i'm not saying "go soft", but show a little more compassion towards your constituents. Overall, he's done a lot in 4 years and that shouldn't be discredited moving forward. There are a lot of political figures who get almost nothing done in 4 years, but lets try to be easy on him, i'm sure that run-off was a "little" embarrassing within itself and hopefully, he got the message

[jajuan]

jajuan i agree, during his first term, he was all over the place, but results were shown during his term. I do agree that he does need to listen more, his "it's my way or the highway" approach has given him a "brash" personality, which i hope he tones down for his second term. Now, i'm not saying "go soft", but show a little more compassion towards your constituents. Overall, he's done a lot in 4 years and that shouldn't be discredited moving forward. There are a lot of political figures who get almost nothing done in 4 years, but lets try to be easy on him, i'm sure that run-off was a "little" embarrassing within itself and hopefully, he got the message

He also has to get beyond thinking one good perceived accomplishment in one area of the public's concern gives him a blank check to do what the heck he wants in further decisions in that arena. So keeping this CTA relevant, that means he has to get beyond replaying that broken record that he got the Red Line South rebuilt as a response to other public concerns regarding the CTA being communicated and thinking that response is enough to quell any subsequent complaints.

[NewFlyerMCI]

...

There are a lot of political figures who get almost nothing done in 4 years, but lets try to be easy on him, i'm sure that run-off was a "little" embarrassing within itself and hopefully, he got the message

It should be, there was a feature-length article in the Washington Express about it. For anyone who's been to DC and noticed an abundance of newspapers on the train cars, its because the Post hands out watered-down versions of their newspapers for free in the morning, Mon-Fri.

[Juniorz]

It should be, there was a feature-length article in the Washington Express about it. For anyone who's been to DC and noticed an abundance of newspapers on the train cars, its because the Post hands out watered-down versions of their newspapers for free in the morning, Mon-Fri.

can you give a link or post the article?

[NewFlyerMCI]

can you give a link or post the article?

Prelude: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/race-for-chicago-mayor-splitting-democrats-apart-over-economic-issues/2015/02/19/0f8767d0-b7d9-11e4-a200-c008a01a6692_story.html

Finale (Rahm): http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/chicago-votes-in-historic-mayoral-runoff-thats-divided-democrats/2015/04/07/cd85b60c-dd58-11e4-be40-566e2653afe5_story.html

Quote: “You just saw an election between both a grandson of an immigrant and an immigrant, which is why we are the greatest city in America.”

Finale (Chuy): http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/April-2015/Rahm-Garcia-Election/

[Juniorz]

Prelude: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/race-for-chicago-mayor-splitting-democrats-apart-over-economic-issues/2015/02/19/0f8767d0-b7d9-11e4-a200-c008a01a6692_story.html

Finale (Rahm): http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/chicago-votes-in-historic-mayoral-runoff-thats-divided-democrats/2015/04/07/cd85b60c-dd58-11e4-be40-566e2653afe5_story.html

Quote: “You just saw an election between both a grandson of an immigrant and an immigrant, which is why we are the greatest city in America.”

Finale (Chuy): http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/April-2015/Rahm-Garcia-Election/

Thank You NewFlyerMCI

[BusHunter]

I hope Rahm doesn't hold any grudges against the CTA because they (even if it was the employees) supported the other guy. I get why they were supporting Chuy. Rahm wants to reform the city workers pensions and that is what this is all about. But yeah, I see his point in a way. I didn't know the teachers even when they strike get paid. Plus as people are living longer, there pensions are sustaining longer. Maybe there needs to be a pension cap. The city is slowly bankrupting itself and there does need to be a few changes.

As far as CTA itself, maybe they do need to make some changes. Fg is still running the Cuban Transit Authority (not one rehabbed or new bus since 2002) even though some areas of the city has over a 90-95 percent all new/rehabbed bus fleet. Something is not right there and needs to be examined. Then they flaunt the possibility of not even getting any equipment rehabs even for them for the forseeable future. It seems the more they get away with, the more they take, but eventually someone is going to pay the fiddler, whether that's the president or someone else.

[Busjack]

I hope Rahm doesn't hold any grudges against the CTA because they (even if it was the employees) supported the other guy. I get why they were supporting Chuy. Rahm wants to reform the city workers pensions and that is what this is all about. But yeah, I see his point in a way. I didn't know the teachers even when they strike get paid. Plus as people are living longer, there pensions are sustaining longer. Maybe there needs to be a pension cap. The city is slowly bankrupting itself and there does need to be a few changes.

As far as CTA itself, maybe they do need to make some changes. Fg is still running the Cuban Transit Authority (not one rehabbed or new bus since 2002) even though some areas of the city has over a 90-95 percent all new/rehabbed bus fleet. Something is not right there and needs to be examined. Then they flaunt the possibility of not even getting any equipment rehabs even for them for the forseeable future. It seems the more they get away with, the more they take, but eventually someone is going to pay the fiddler, whether that's the president or someone else.

• By siccing Claypool on the employees with the tough discipline policy, he has already written them off politically.
• The teacher one is not that they get paid during the strike, but they do get paid for the makeup days, so there is a deferral of pay rather than loss of it.
• The CTA pension mess was supposedly cleaned up in 2008, and strangely enough, Kruesi had put attention on it around 2003. The solution was to increase the employee contribution rate, sell bonds, and increase the real estate transfer tax to cover the bonds. The RETT obviously didn't produce after the market tanked, which was probably the main cause for the service cuts, but the CTA pensions apparently now do not have the problems that the rest of the pension do.
• Mary O'Connor lost in the 41st (essentially Edison Park, Norwood Park) and John Arena of the 45th (essentially Jefferson Park and Gladstone Park west of Elston) beat the Emanuel backed challenger, but most news reports indicate that this was a protest vote against O'Hare noise and in O'Connor's case, that she turned on the unions. Again, I don't recall CTA coming up as an issue in the runoff campaign. Maybe it did in some of the wards.

[BusHunter]

Our favorite mayor is shaking hands down here at Roosevelt red line.

[garmon757]

Our favorite mayor is shaking hands down here at Roosevelt red line.

Hmmm, interesting. I was debating whether I should take the Red or Purple Line downtown from work to get something to eat but you just gave me an idea to pay him a visit! :p

[Busjack]

Hmmm, interesting. I was debating whether I should take the Red or Purple Line downtown from work to get something to eat but you just gave me an idea to pay him a visit!

Are you going to ask him anything?

[NewFlyerMCI]

Are you going to ask him anything?

How about:

1) Are you and Claypool going to coordinate more closely to accommodate the needs of the citizens?

2) Any plans on seeing that residents, especially on the Orange Line and NW side see some of the influx of new equipment?

3) Do you have different battle attitute for this term?

4) Any plans on restoring State St along the Dan Ryan to comfortable driving conditions?

5) How are you going to serve the unions?

for starters.

[Busjack]

How about:

1) Are you and Claypool going to coordinate more closely to accommodate the needs of the citizens?

2) Any plans on seeing that residents, especially on the Orange Line and NW side see some of the influx of new equipment?

3) Do you have different battle attitute for this term?

4) Any plans on restoring State St along the Dan Ryan to comfortable driving conditions?

5) How are you going to serve the unions?

for starters.

The last one certainly has the answer "we won't" except the construction trades, and basically government isn't there to serve the unions, especially if it is negotiating with them.

However, my point was only to see what Garmon was going to do, not that I expected him to.

[garmon757]

Are you going to ask him anything?

He wasn't there when I got to Roosevelt. He might have rode the Red Line to 69th (sarcasm) despite my older kids mother saw him three times out there before the February election.

[Busjack]

He wasn't there when I got to Roosevelt. He might have rode the Red Line to 69th (sarcasm) despite my older kids mother saw him three times out there before the February election.

Still sounds like he thought he needed votes on the south side, but apparently not on the north side.

[BusHunter]

Still sounds like he thought he needed votes on the south side, but apparently not on the north side.

That's why I didn't shake his hand. I'm from the north side he doesn't need my help. I was more interested in his security team. Two tall skinny young guys. I would have asked him about the buses on the north side, but he doesn't seem interested in my part of town. At least Midway has plenty of new buses now.