August 2023 Pick

[Tcmetro]

New schedules start Sun. 8/20/2023. New PDFs available here: https://www.transitchicago.com/travel-information/service-updates/advance-timetables-for-august-2023/

 

Here's the content of the alert which points out which routes will have changes. A lot of the timetables are being updated to show the end of the summer beach service and the start of school trips.

Quote

Beginning Sunday, Aug 20, updated schedules will go into effect for the following
bus routes. These changes are part of a schedule optimization initiative to provide
more consistent, reliable service. Routes with more extensive changes to hours of
service are marked with an asterisk (*).

2 Hyde Park Express
6 Jackson Park Exp
8 Halsted
29 State
35 31st/35th*
74 Fullerton
80 Irving Park
84 Peterson
90 Harlem
92 Foster
111 111th/King Drive
115 Pullman/115th
147 Outer DuSable Lake Shore Exp
151 Sheridan
156 LaSalle

 

I compared the schedules that are changing and the summary of the changes are below.

Route 2 - Reduction of several trips at peak hours.

Route 6 - Reduction of Saturday service from every 8-10 mins to every 12 mins.

Route 8 - Improve midday service from 11-15 mins to every 12 mins.

Route 35 - Start weekday/Saturday EB service 30 mins earlier and WB service 1 hour earlier. Extend trips after 8 pm from 35th/Archer Orange Line to 36th/Kedzie.

Route 74 - Improve midday service from every 16-20 mins to every 13-16 mins.

Route 80 - Improve midday service from every 16-20 mins to every 10-15 mins.

Route 84 - Improve peak service from every 15 mins to every 10 mins.

Route 90 - Improve midday service from every 25 mins to every 20 mins.

Route 92 - Improve midday service from every 20-22 mins to every 19-20 mins.

Route 111 - Reduce midday service from every 15 mins to every 20 mins.

Route 115 - Reduce midday service from every 15 mins to every 20 mins.

Route 147 - Operate all Saturday trips between Howard and Congress Plaza. Reduce Sat morning/midday service from every 8-9 mins to every 12 mins.

Route 151 - Most weekend Belmont/Halsted trips will instead end at Foster or Devon. Reduce to every 10 mins on Saturdays and every 11-15 mins on Sundays. Previous frequency on Saturday was 6-8 mins trunk/12-15 mins branch and on Sunday 8-10 mins trunk/17-20 mins branch.

Route 156 - Reduction of several trips at peak hours.

[Busjack]

 

I'm not going to quote the whole thing, but is your impression that they are just shuffling drivers around, or is there a net gain in service?

[Tcmetro]

These changes are so minor, I would say fairly neutral. It seems that there's enough drivers to do some minor restoration of service. With the reduction of summer service and the end of the Blue Line shuttles hopefully they will be able to add more trips at the end of the year.

[jajuan]

22 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

These changes are so minor, I would say fairly neutral. It seems that there's enough drivers to do some minor restoration of service. With the reduction of summer service and the end of the Blue Line shuttles hopefully they will be able to add more trips at the end of the year.

Correction. Blue Lines Shuttles are not ending. They're being shortened. For the next phase of the current Blue Line construction, instead of running between IMD and Jackson/Dearborn, the shuttles are getting shortened to between IMD and UIC Halsted. That's to account for the construction zone transitioning to being between IMD station and UIC/Halsted stations.

Looks like from the above mention of most Saturday trips on 151 would go to Foster or Devon that Kedzie's footprint on the route is seeing a further reduction.

No surprise really that the end of beach service and other overall fall changes are happening so early given the CPS school year is starting so early this time around. Basically the only summer services remaining are the 10, service running until midnight on the 124 and the 130, which in all three cases to go until Labor Day weekend. In the case of the 10 and 130, it's stipulated in their respective special outside subsidies if I remember it correctly.

[RJL6000]

Those changes are relatively minor, with the possible exception that Kedzie may no longer need that many artics. Expect Kedzie to send a few of its artics to North Park in the coming weeks.

And the only reason for Kedzie to continue running artics on Cermak is that it had to use them somewhere. That route's ridership normally doesn't justify their use.

[TGranzow29]

27 minutes ago, RJL6000 said:

Those changes are relatively minor, with the possible exception that Kedzie may no longer need that many artics. Expect Kedzie to send a few of its artics to North Park in the coming weeks.

And the only reason for Kedzie to continue running artics on Cermak is that it had to use them somewhere. That route's ridership normally doesn't justify their use.

I have always wondered about artics being used on Cermak. There is absolutely no need for them on that route. I have ridden the route a couple of times recently and a 40 footer would perfectly meet the needs of the ridership. They would be better off on a route like the #82 and/or perhaps the #12.

[artthouwill]

53 minutes ago, RJL6000 said:

Those changes are relatively minor, with the possible exception that Kedzie may no longer need that many artics. Expect Kedzie to send a few of its artics to North Park in the coming weeks.

And the only reason for Kedzie to continue running artics on Cermak is that it had to use them somewhere. That route's ridership normally doesn't justify their use.

I actually would think some of those K artics would be better off at 103rd  which would seem like it could help with their bus shortage.   K will need to hang on to their artics as we approach football season at Soldier Field with 128 and 146 extras to/from Roosevelt Red/Green/Orange Line station.

As for weekdays, maybe the 12 and 82 are better fits but they seem to work for the 21. 

[renardo870]

7 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I actually would think some of those K artics would be better off at 103rd  which would seem like it could help with their bus shortage.   K will need to hang on to their artics as we approach football season at Soldier Field with 128 and 146 extras to/from Roosevelt Red/Green/Orange Line station.

As for weekdays, maybe the 12 and 82 are better fits but they seem to work for the 21. 

Doesn't 103rd still operate the 128?

[Master58]

5 hours ago, renardo870 said:

Doesn't 103rd still operate the 128?

Yes. 

[Mr.NewFlyer1279]

1 hour ago, Master58 said:

Yes. 

128 was discontinued a while ago 

[Master58]

17 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I actually would think some of those K artics would be better off at 103rd  which would seem like it could help with their bus shortage.   K will need to hang on to their artics as we approach football season at Soldier Field with 128 and 146 extras to/from Roosevelt Red/Green/Orange Line station.

As for weekdays, maybe the 12 and 82 are better fits but they seem to work for the 21. 

103rd definitely could use some of K Artics. Knowing CTA they're probably going to allocate some of K Artics to North Park.  

[Policeman]

6 hours ago, Mr.NewFlyer1279 said:

128 was discontinued a while ago 

the 128 is only used for soldier field bears games unless cta did discontinue it

[Mr.NewFlyer1279]

34 minutes ago, Policeman said:

the 128 is only used for soldier field bears games unless cta did discontinue it

wait……i’m so wrong…the 128 isn’t discontinued???

[andrethebusman99]

Will K still do any 151 trips at all? Looks like not if all go to Foster or Devon on weekends.

[andrethebusman99]

What is the story with the TWO weekend 151 to Belmont/Halsted trips? Two hours apart, and do not fit the headway pattern? A single bus from Kedzie? Or something from another route making a couple of 151 trips?

[Tcmetro]

24 minutes ago, andrethebusman99 said:

What is the story with the TWO weekend 151 to Belmont/Halsted trips? Two hours apart, and do not fit the headway pattern? A single bus from Kedzie? Or something from another route making a couple of 151 trips?

Those two round-trips are in a block by themselves.

[artthouwill]

42 minutes ago, andrethebusman99 said:

Will K still do any 151 trips at all? Looks like not if all go to Foster or Devon on weekends.

 

22 minutes ago, andrethebusman99 said:

What is the story with the TWO weekend 151 to Belmont/Halsted trips? Two hours apart, and do not fit the headway pattern? A single bus from Kedzie? Or something from another route making a couple of 151 trips?

I honestly don't know,  but ny guess is that even those trips would probably come from North Park.  Maybe they turn into something else or come from somewhere else, but it seems like the 2 garage sharing for the 151 will no longer happen on weekends at all after being drastically reduced on weekdays.

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

Those two round-trips are in a block by themselves.

 

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

 

I honestly don't know,  but ny guess is that even those trips would probably come from North Park.  Maybe they turn into something else or come from somewhere else, but it seems like the 2 garage sharing for the 151 will no longer happen on weekends at all after being drastically reduced on weekdays.

It's definitely one block, but it originates at Union Station.  Saturday:

Union Sta 3:08 Halsted 4:07

Halsted 4:23 Union Sta 5:16

Union Sta 5:28 Halsted 6:24

Halsted 6:45 Union Sta 7:34

Seems like it cuts the 10 minute interval to 5, but the last trip seems necessary to even out the inbound interval.

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

 

It's definitely one block, but it originates at Union Station.  Saturday:

Union Sta 3:08 Halsted 4:07

Halsted 4:23 Union Sta 5:16

Union Sta 5:28 Halsted 6:24

Halsted 6:45 Union Sta 7:34

Seems like it cuts the 10 minute interval to 5, but the last trip seems necessary to even out the inbound interval.

With that kind of schedule,  it would seem like that block should be operated by K unless there's a  36 or 147  attached to it prior to starting the 151.  It's possible,  but seemingly wasteful to deadhead a bus to and from North Park to operate this block when K is so much closer.

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

With that kind of schedule,  it would seem like that block should be operated by K unless there's a  36 or 147  attached to it prior to starting the 151.  It's possible,  but seemingly wasteful to deadhead a bus to and from North Park to operate this block when K is so much closer.

Your assumption that all are NP is incorrect. From @maths22's tracker on 8/19 at 3:50 p.m.:

 

[artthouwill]

8 hours ago, artthouwill said:

 

I honestly don't know,  but ny guess is that even those trips would probably come from North Park.  Maybe they turn into something else or come from somewhere else, but it seems like the 2 garage sharing for the 151 will no longer happen on weekends at all after being drastically reduced on weekdays.

 

11 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Your assumption that all are NP is incorrect. From @maths22's tracker on 8/19 at 3:50 p.m.:

 

My quote said drastically reduced garage sharing weekdays.  That means that there has been a reduction, not a complete elimination,  of K operated runs during the week.  But @andrethebusmanwas asking about the weekend service.  It would be fair to say that, other than the one blick run you referenced,  all of the other weekend 151s are being operated by North Park.   The question is whether North Park ir K actually operates that blick of two trips between Union Station and Belmont.

[Busjack]

44 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

 

My quote said drastically reduced garage sharing weekdays.  That means that there has been a reduction, not a complete elimination,  of K operated runs during the week.  But @andrethebusmanwas asking about the weekend service.  It would be fair to say that, other than the one blick run you referenced,  all of the other weekend 151s are being operated by North Park.   The question is whether North Park ir K actually operates that blick of two trips between Union Station and Belmont.

From what I pasted, there were two blocks from K at the time indicated last Saturday. Your musings at least implied that you didn't buy K runs, especially "but ny guess is that even those trips would probably come from North Park.  Maybe they turn into something else or come from somewhere else, but it seems like the 2 garage sharing for the 151 will no longer happen on weekend..." I was not referring to weekdays.

Admittedly, at the time indicated, there were 2 K and 12 NP buses. Mostly NP, but not all.

 

[artthouwill]

22 minutes ago, Busjack said:

From what I pasted, there were two blocks from K at the time indicated last Saturday. Your musings at least implied that you didn't buy K runs, especially "but ny guess is that even those trips would probably come from North Park.  Maybe they turn into something else or come from somewhere else, but it seems like the 2 garage sharing for the 151 will no longer happen on weekend..." I was not referring to weekdays.

Admittedly, at the time indicated, there were 2 K and 12 NP buses. Mostly NP, but not all.

 

Obviously I agree that K would make the most sense for those runs even if those were the only ones they operated.  I originally thought the runs started from Belmont,  but when you posted the trips originated from zunion Station,  I said K would make the most sense.

[andrethebusman99]

Since I no longer have access to schedule information, I need to ask this:

What does Kedzie run on 151 now? Do the weekday trips go to Foster or what? How many are there actually? Parts of LaSalle runs maybe? The Saturday one might be a pull-out/pull-in block, but it almost has to be part of a run that does something else. Can somebody look this stuff up?

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, andrethebusman99 said:

Since I no longer have access to schedule information, I need to ask this:

What does Kedzie run on 151 now? Do the weekday trips go to Foster or what? How many are there actually? Parts of LaSalle runs maybe? The Saturday one might be a pull-out/pull-in block, but it almost has to be part of a run that does something else. Can somebody look this stuff up?

You can make inferences from the published schedules and trackers, as I did above.For instance the 151s starting at Sheridan/Foster are c;early pull-outs; I've seen them lined up. Similarly, those with the footnote "* buses leave Clark/Devon approximately one minute after time shown" are pull-outs via Western; I've seen those with Clark/Devon destination signs. The NB ones ending at Delaware and SB ones starting at Stockton are interlined with something else (but apparently not 125).

Generally speaking, various routes ending at Belmont/Halsted or Belmont Sheridan (151, 143, 151, 156) are K, as are buses ending near Sawyer or Kimball.

Interestingly, there was this block yesterday at 3:30:

4072 35: 31st/35th151 -251K (Kedzie)