Metra testing heated platforms

[BusHunter]

i was reading a tribune article on all the construction projects for 2016 and if you click on the map included in this link to the story and go to the Metra station on the Rock Island at 123rd, it states they intend to test a heated platform there. I'm assuming that's heated from below, like Soldier Field's grass is supposed to be heated from below. Sounds interesting, hopefully it's not too expensive.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-graphics-construction-projects-2016-htmlstory.html

Also if you go and click up at Pace NS, they state the garage will be expanding taking service from other garages. They could only mean NW, because what else could it be? The question is what routes do they intend to take or do they intend to share routes, like #290 so they could have Howard or Town Center pullins. There's really not many routes that go east just #250, #208. There's also the thought they maybe they could possibly do Pulse #270, but it's not as likely as helping the east-west stuff.

[Pace831]

46 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

i was reading a tribune article on all the construction projects for 2016 and if you click on the map included in this link to the story and go to the Metra station on the Rock Island at 123rd, it states they intend to test a heated platform there. I'm assuming that's heated from below, like Soldier Field's grass is supposed to be heated from below. Sounds interesting, hopefully it's not too expensive.

Why 123rd? That's a flag stop, you'd think they would use a station with about average ridership if they're going to pay to install a heated platform, even as a test.

[west towns]

If the platform heat doesn't work as intended and there's not many passengers around to complain  then who would know?  See we did a test trust us

[Busjack]

12 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Also if you go and click up at Pace NS, they state the garage will be expanding taking service from other garages. They could only mean NW, because what else could it be?

Other than the article being behind the paywall, the legislation authorizing Pace issuing bonds includes $3 million for expanding the North Shore garage (at the top of the Pace Construction topic; see also page 100 of the 2016 budget). Note that the budget says:

The other two authorized projects, a new paratransit garage in DuPage County, and expanding the North Shore garage in Evanston, have yet to have a timeline formulated.

So, either the Tribune goofed or jumped the gun.

Any expansion at NS would be either if the CTA/Pace coordination project turns Evanston back to Pace, or, more likely, for the Edens BOS projects, but both are probably 2018 or 2019.

[west towns]

So it doesn't seem likely NS garage is this year

[BusHunter]

14 hours ago, Pace831 said:

Why 123rd? That's a flag stop, you'd think they would use a station with about average ridership if they're going to pay to install a heated platform, even as a test.

Probably because it's less disruptive to do that to a light ridership stop. They will no doubt be tearing up the platform to do this.

I was thinking maybe they are going about this the wrong way, maybe they should enclose the stops and put giant opening doors, or the biggest they can find, and put up a sign for the Metra engineer to stop at a certain point, so the cars will line up with the doors. Sort of like the O'Hare people mover.  But that could only work on lines without excessive cars that don't have cars hanging out of the station, but with programming they could actually have different parts of the train stop at different stops, but the engineer would have to program into the system what cars are not being used.

Another thing interesting here in the trib article is they want to put a 75 car parking lot at Grayland station. I believe that's the one at Kilbourn/Milwaukee in Chicago. Where are they getting the space? By demolishing factories? BTW, that area has really changed since my childhood. I wouldn't be surprised if all the factories moved out of that area for housing.

[Pace831]

3 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Probably because it's less disruptive to do that to a light ridership stop. They will no doubt be tearing up the platform to do this.

I'd be surprised if 123rd is the only station in the system scheduled for platform rehab. When they do those rehabs, they do it in sections so not all of it is closed at once. Installing a heating system under the platform would only require each section to be closed for a few days longer. So it could be done at a higher ridership station without much more disruption than the platform rehab already does.

The intent probably is to melt snow rather than keep waiting passengers warm.

[Busjack]

5 hours ago, BusHunter said:

and put up a sign for the Metra engineer to stop at a certain point, so the cars will line up with the doors. Sort of like the O'Hare people mover.  But that could only work on lines without excessive cars that don't have cars hanging out of the station, but with programming they could actually have different parts of the train stop at different stops, but the engineer would have to program into the system what cars are not being used.

There are already stop markers at Metra stations, just like on CTA, and they have to line up the accessible car with the accessibility sign. But that's essentially the issue--just about every 11 car rush hour train slops over the street--certainly on the Milw N and UP NW. We essentially had the same discussion on why Metra can't impose tap out on Ventra cards.

5 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Another thing interesting here in the trib article is they want to put a 75 car parking lot at Grayland station. I believe that's the one at Kilbourn/Milwaukee in Chicago.

That has to be another mistake. I've never seen anyone get on there. You do have the correct location. Maybe they can put a few slots against the tracks, sort of like at Edgebrook.

It looks like stuff happens after the Tribune bought out its two transportation writers. Looks like it is not worth it to pay to go behind the paywall.

[BusHunter]

3 hours ago, Busjack said:

There are already stop markers at Metra stations, just like on CTA, and they have to line up the accessible car with the accessibility sign. But that's essentially the issue--just about every 11 car rush hour train slops over the street--certainly on the Milw N and UP NW. We essentially had the same discussion on why Metra can't impose tap out on Ventra cards.

That has to be another mistake. I've never seen anyone get on there. You do have the correct location. Maybe they can put a few slots against the tracks, sort of like at Edgebrook.

It looks like stuff happens after the Tribune bought out its two transportation writers. Looks like it is not worth it to pay to go behind the paywall.

I don't know about the parking lot. I need to take a look over there. When they were rebuilding Milwaukee last year, I walked through there and they were tearing down a few old factories, but i was under the impression that was for housing. Maybe I was wrong. There is a bar over there which would be in the path of this. i vaguely remember someone saying they wanted that property. Really though it would be simple to just make diagonal parking along Kilbourn from Addison to Milwaukee, but the isolation over there might bother a few people at night.

[BusHunter]

Looks like you were right about Milwaukee/Kilbourn. Nothing is happening over here. They are just building new houses unless the lot will be behind the houses but I doubt it.