Garfield Gateway (Green Line)

[Tcmetro]

The $50 million Garfield Green Line station renovation broke ground today. 

It looks like the budget will fund some sort of art paneling on the stationhouse and elevator shafts, renovation of the old stationhouse on the south side of the street (not to be used for passenger circulation), canopy extensions, elevator and escalator improvements, streetscaping, and bus zone improvements.

Doesn't really seem to be the most pressing need in the CTA system for improvements, but I imagine that UChicago had some role to play given their investments in the arts incubator on the block. 

Curbed: https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/6/15/17468000/cta-garfield-gateway-green-line-washington-park

Rahm's Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/ChicagosMayor/status/1007601997552418816?s=19

[Busjack]

You know Curbed Chicago is heaping it on with:

An extensive overhaul of one of the nation’s oldest transit stations

Not that one. And the rehab of the actual one keeps happening and happening.

The cited Press Release basically says this is being done because Durbin got a grant 2 years ago.

Passenger count of about 1230 is comparable to a couple of other Green Line stations (Cermak, 35th), but not Garfield Red Line about 3,000.

[artthouwill]

38 minutes ago, Busjack said:

You know Curbed Chicago is heaping it on with:

An extensive overhaul of one of the nation’s oldest transit stations

Not that one. And the rehab of the actual one keeps happening and happening.

The cited Press Release basically says this is being done because Durbin got a grant 2 years ago.

Passenger count of about 1230 is comparable to a couple of other Green Line stations (Cermak, 35th), but not Garfield Red Line about 3,000.

My guess is Garfield Grewn Line boardings are predominately northbound while Garfield Red Line has a sizable southbound ridership even if there are more northbound riders.

There needs to be a  massive build up of housing stock immediately surrounding the station for Garfield  Green Line  to have an uptick in ridership.   The Presidential Library being near there instead of Jackson Park would've been a  good catalyst as well.

[Busjack]

19 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

My guess is Garfield Grewn Line boardings are predominately northbound while Garfield Red Line has a sizable southbound ridership even if there are more northbound riders.

Only in the sense that there is little reason to go from there to 63rd St.* While CTA doesn't track that stuff, there was the stink when the lines were swapped whether people wanted to go to the north or west side

________

*I once did to go to Sears, which has become impossible for several reasons.

21 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

There needs to be a  massive build up of housing stock immediately surrounding the station for Garfield  Green Line  to have an uptick in ridership.

Again, I remember when you couldn't see the L from Washington Park. Not the case now.

22 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

The Presidential Library being near there instead of Jackson Park would've been a  good catalyst as well.

I wonder if that's how Durbin finagled the grant..

[Tcmetro]

Garfield Green Line reopening Jan 10:

https://www.transitchicago.com/travel-information/alert-detail/?AlertId=55175

[artthouwill]

38 minutes ago, Tcmetro said:

Garfield Green Line reopening Jan 10:

https://www.transitchicago.com/travel-information/alert-detail/?AlertId=55175

What I found interesting was the platform canopy covering 8 cars instead of 6 cars.  This works now because of the rush hour Red Line trains.   Actually makes me wonder why all platforms aren't completely covered.  No one wants to wait for trains on the elements.

[Busjack]

I still wonder if this will bring any ridership to the Green Line. Current weekday (according to the Sept. 2018 Ridership Report) is 1350, compared to 3452 on Red. Used to be closer to a 1:2 ratio (1533 to 3694 in 2014, after the Red Line reopened).

[artthouwill]

6 minutes ago, Busjack said:

I still wonder if this will bring any ridership to the Green Line. Current weekday (according to the Sept. 2018 Ridership Report) is 1350, compared to 3452 on Red. Used to be closer to a 1:2 ratio (1533 to 3694 in 2014, after the Red Line reopened).

I wonder if Red Line service at Green Garfield would slightly skewer that number.

[Busjack]

11 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

I wonder if Red Line service at Green Garfield would slightly skewer that number.

They only count station entries, not which train was boarded, but any skewing can't be favorable

Who happens to be on a Red Line train and gets off at a Green Line station doesn't enter into the calculation, and, remember, all Red trips on the Green Line tracks are in the reverse rush direction.

[NewFlyerMCI]

19 minutes ago, Busjack said:

They only count station entries, not which train was boarded, but any skewing can't be favorable

Who happens to be on a Red Line train and gets off at a Green Line station doesn't enter into the calculation, and, remember, all Red trips on the Green Line tracks are in the reverse rush direction.

They are? I thought they ran bi-directional? I definitely took some red line trains in the peak direction to & from Garfield & King

[Tcmetro]

If the University of Chicago gentrification project thing (eyeroll) ever gets off the ground (likely the impetus for this nonsensical project) then maybe some more people will get on the train. As it stands, this neighborhood appears to be one of the hardest hit by vacancy and teardowns citywide. 

[artthouwill]

57 minutes ago, Busjack said:

They only count station entries, not which train was boarded, but any skewing can't be favorable

Who happens to be on a Red Line train and gets off at a Green Line station doesn't enter into the calculation, and, remember, all Red trips on the Green Line tracks are in the reverse rush direction.

Not ALL trips are reverse rush.  There are some peak direction rush trips southbound as well as I have both seen and rode on them.  There are only a few Reds that layup mid days at Ashland yard.  The rest come from Howard to 63rd to match up the northbound frequency at 6 minutes on the NB Ryan and NB SSM alternating to arrive at Roosevelt NB at 3 minute intervals during the P.M. rush.

[Tcmetro]

The AM peak Red Line trips from 63/Ashland to Howard don't arrive downtown until after 9 am. 

The southbound PM peak trips from Howard to 63/Ashland all leave downtown before 5pm, but the rush hour generally starts around 3 or 4 pm. 

There's only six of these peak direction runs over a 90 minute span, so the frequency averages out to every 18 minutes. 

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Tcmetro said:

The AM peak Red Line trips from 63/Ashland to Howard don't arrive downtown until after 9 am. 

The southbound PM peak trips from Howard to 63/Ashland all leave downtown before 5pm, but the rush hour generally starts around 3 or 4 pm. 

There's only six of these peak direction runs over a 90 minute span, so the frequency averages out to every 18 minutes. 

True but remember there are Reds laid up at 63rd mid days and the first NB train from Ashland doesn't start until around 4pm. So in theory, every  third train or so leaving from Ashland originates from Howard in the PM.  There is only about an hour or so where the Howard bound trains have that 3 minute frequency from Roosevelt northward.

I only mentioned the Reds in relation to a possible spike in boardings/alightings at Garfield Green Line.  

[Busjack]

11 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I only mentioned the Reds in relation to a possible spike in boardings/alightings at Garfield Green Line.  

I'll defer on the other point, but a 7.4% decline year to year at Garfield Green while there is a 3.9% decline at Garfield Red in the Sept. 2018 report sure does not show any peak.

What really contradicts your thesis is that 63 Red is about  flat, while the Green Ashland/63 branch is down 6.7%, with Halsted/63 station down 13%. An argument could be made that if service is that much better on the Englewood branch, boardings would be up, not cratering.

[artthouwill]

11 minutes ago, Busjack said:

I'll defer on the other point, but a 7.4% decline year to year at Garfield Green while there is a 3.9% decline at Garfield Red in the Sept. 2018 report sure does not show any peak.

What really contradicts your thesis is that 63 Red is about  flat, while the Green Ashland/63 branch is down 6.7%, with Halsted/63 station down 13%. An argument could be made that if service is that much better on the Englewood branch, boardings would be up, not cratering.

I actually misread the 2014 numbers, thus my intended points are moot.  However, CTA or the City must think or know something is on the horizon to spruce up a station in a desolate area.

[Busjack]

6 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

I actually misread the 2014 numbers, thus my intended points are moot.  However, CTA or the City must think or know something is on the horizon to spruce up a station in a desolate area.

Maybe they think that, or just that someone was handing out grants. In the early 90s, the theory was either that Red was adequate (they weren't planning to replace 47, either), or that the old station was adequate. Garfield was the last station built on the South Main, and has been remodeled several times since. At least at Cottage Grove, there is some development happening.

[Sam92]

On 1/10/2019 at 10:06 AM, Busjack said:

Maybe they think that, or just that someone was handing out grants. In the early 90s, the theory was either that Red was adequate (they weren't planning to replace 47, either), or that the old station was adequate. Garfield was the last station built on the South Main, and has been remodeled several times since. At least at Cottage Grove, there is some development happening.

I think your point of 3 and 4 competing with the green is actually happening. A lot of people have been using the green to 63rd instead of the bus THEN switching. Trains have been fuller even with the frequency bump. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

3 hours ago, Sam92 said:

I think your point of 3 and 4 competing with the green is actually happening. A lot of people have been using the green to 63rd instead of the bus THEN switching. Trains have been fuller even with the frequency bump. 

Yeah, I used to do this all the time as a child. We would walk to either the 3 or the 4 and take it to 63rd to catch the green. Coming from downtown, if we missed the 3 or 4, we'd just walk to any of the Wabash stations or Roosevelt & take it back. When I was here over the holidays, I'd take the 3 to Garfield to catch the red & vice versa, although this was more to avoid having to go thru 79th red.