Ashland Extension to new northern terminal?

[TaylorTank1229]

Looks like they finally installed the new bus stops. This was at the new NB stop on Wilson & Ashland.

[rl12383]

Ashland bus sitting at the ravenswood Metra stop this morning. Looks like the new routing has started.

[TaylorTank1229]

2 minutes ago, rl12383 said:

Ashland bus sitting at the ravenswood Metra stop this morning. Looks like the new routing has started.

It’s not suppose to officially start until Tuesday. So either CTA changed their minds and decided to start it now, or the driver didn’t get the memo that they’re not authorized to go to Ravenswood yet.

[MALTDISNEY]

5 hours ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

It’s not suppose to officially start until Tuesday. So either CTA changed their minds and decided to start it now, or the driver didn’t get the memo that they’re not authorized to go to Ravenswood yet.

The latter happened. I’m sure someone ain’t read the bulletin because supervisors have been posted at Ashland Irving park to tell buses to turn at Irving

[NewFlyerMCI]

7 hours ago, rl12383 said:

Ashland bus sitting at the ravenswood Metra stop this morning. Looks like the new routing has started.

This is definitely gonna need concrete pads

[Busjack]

48 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

This is definitely gonna need concrete pads

I can't tell for sure, but magnified, that lane looks like brushed concrete.

[renardo870]

On Channel 9 today, they showed a ribbon cutting at the new Ashland NB Ravenswood Metra layover with 8706 in the background. 

[jajuan]

On 8/30/2024 at 2:22 PM, TaylorTank1229 said:

Looks like they finally installed the new bus stops. This was at the new NB stop on Wilson & Ashland.

It's going to take them a while longer to update signage along the original portion of the route. For now they have notices posted on the bus stops, mainly the ones at streets with connecting routes, telling of and explaining the extension. Bus stops along Irving Park and Clark are of course updated to remove references to the 9. 

1 hour ago, renardo870 said:

On Channel 9 today, they showed a ribbon cutting at the new Ashland NB Ravenswood Metra layover with 8706 in the background. 

74th got some 8350s just in time.😂

[TaylorTank1229]

New 9 + X9 signage at major/shared stops it seems. 

[jajuan]

23 hours ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

New 9 + X9 signage at major/shared stops it seems. 

They must have just started in the last day or so. I didn't notice new signs beyond the extension portion when I rode the X9 Wednesday morning. And I see they used the new green color they chose for the X-routes to distinguish them from the traditional express routes.

[jajuan]

Now that we're at the end of the first workweek since the extension went into effect, I'll share a few observations. 

(1) The southbound 22 now has a new announcement at the Lawrence stop that alerts riders to get off there and walk a block west to transfer to the 9.

(2) Regulars are pretty much adjusting smoothly to the new transfer point now being Lawrence instead of instead of boarding at Clark/Belle Plaine. Though I have noticed a couple of folks still riding the Clark bus beyond Lawrence. 

(3) Folks have still been parking their cars at the intersections where the new stops are located along the extension and totally ignoring the actual posted bus stop signs and no parking at bus stop signs indicating that bus stops are now located at those intersections.

[renardo870]

On 8/30/2024 at 2:22 PM, TaylorTank1229 said:

Looks like they finally installed the new bus stops. This was at the new NB stop on Wilson & Ashland.

I just noticed that the N9 North/Clark routing and information is missing from this bus stop but has the 95th/ Dan Ryan Red Line Terminal shown.

[renardo870]

On 9/5/2024 at 5:03 PM, TaylorTank1229 said:

New 9 + X9 signage at major/shared stops it seems. 

N9 Night routing and Information between 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line Terminal and North/Clark is noticeably absent from the 9 Ashland portion of the bus stop.

[jajuan]

5 hours ago, renardo870 said:

I just noticed that the N9 North/Clark routing and information is missing from this bus stop but has the 95th/ Dan Ryan Red Line Terminal shown.

 

5 hours ago, renardo870 said:

N9 Night routing and Information between 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line Terminal and North/Clark is noticeably absent from the 9 Ashland portion of the bus stop.

Stops north of North Avenue won't have the N9 routing because N9 doesn't serve those stops. That's been the case with signs at those stops even before the extension. 

[Busjack]

 

15 hours ago, renardo870 said:

I just noticed that the N9 North/Clark routing and information is missing from this bus stop but has the 95th/ Dan Ryan Red Line Terminal shown.

 

15 hours ago, renardo870 said:

N9 Night routing and Information between 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line Terminal and North/Clark is noticeably absent from the 9 Ashland portion of the bus stop.

 

9 hours ago, jajuan said:

 

Stops north of North Avenue won't have the N9 routing because N9 doesn't serve those stops. That's been the case with signs at those stops even before the extension. 

@jajuan is correct about signs, first at Wilson and then at Fullerton (see code below) because there's no need to show info about a bus that ends at North and Clark; it doesn't make those two stops.

However, @renardo870's original point was why the signs show 95/Red Line? The apparent reason is that the 3:20 a.m.  and 2:46 a.m. trips from 95/Red Line go to Ravenswood.

Going southbound, there are buses from Ravenswood to 95th-Red Line from 10:15 to 1:27:

This also reinforces a point someone else made that Owl and regular runs overlap, but the transit day starts at 3 a.m.

[Busjack]

On 9/5/2024 at 5:03 PM, TaylorTank1229 said:

New 9 + X9 signage at major/shared stops it seems. 

Another possible inconsistency in the sign is that the X9 ends at Broadway/Irving Park, and does not indicate that it then goes west on Irving Park with stops on Irving Park between Broadway and Fremont and at Clark indicated in the timetable. But I suppose the rationale is that this is a northbound sign, and that is technically a southbound segment.

[jajuan]

13 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Another possible inconsistency in the sign is that the X9 ends at Broadway/Irving Park, and does not indicate that it then goes west on Irving Park with stops on Irving Park between Broadway and Fremont and at Clark indicated in the timetable. But I suppose the rationale is that this is a northbound sign, and that is technically a southbound segment.

Your last sentence is exactly the reason to what appears to be an inconsistency but really isn't. With CTA bus stop maps being direction-specific for the last several years, they're only going to show the path of that specific direction. Note the portion showing the Vincennes/104th weekday rush branch only depicts the bits on 104th, Charles and 103rd but not the part on Vincennes between 103rd and 104th. In the same line of thinking, the map of the southbound stops wouldn't show the bits along North Sheridan, West Sheridan, and Broadway. 

[jajuan]

5 hours ago, Busjack said:

 

 

 

@jajuan is correct about signs, first at Wilson and then at Fullerton (see code below) because there's no need to show info about a bus that ends at North and Clark; it doesn't make those two stops.

However, @renardo870's original point was why the signs show 95/Red Line? The apparent reason is that the 3:20 a.m.  and 2:46 a.m. trips from 95/Red Line go to Ravenswood.

Going southbound, there are buses from Ravenswood to 95th-Red Line from 10:15 to 1:27:

This also reinforces a point someone else made that Owl and regular runs overlap, but the transit day starts at 3 a.m.

@Busjack gives deeper context and detail than I did, but yes those signs show the 95th/Red Line owl routing but not the North/Clark owl routing because of the late evening overlap of southbound N9 buses that start at Ravenswood and early morning overlap of northbound 9 buses starting at 95th/Red Line. 

On the website side of things, the first bus/last bus section of the 9 Ashland page is now updated to reflect Ravenswood Metra instead of Clark/Belle Plaine, and the reroute at that point is rescinded since Ashland local buses no longer go there. Things hadn't yet been updated on that front during the first few days that the extension was effective. The only update at first was the link to the notice reporting the first day of the extension.

[renardo870]

20 hours ago, jajuan said:

 

Stops north of North Avenue won't have the N9 routing because N9 doesn't serve those stops. That's been the case with signs at those stops even before the extension. 

That definitely makes a lot of sense. Thanks for clearing that up @jajuan 

 

[renardo870]

12 hours ago, Busjack said:

 

 

 

@jajuan is correct about signs, first at Wilson and then at Fullerton (see code below) because there's no need to show info about a bus that ends at North and Clark; it doesn't make those two stops.

However, @renardo870's original point was why the signs show 95/Red Line? The apparent reason is that the 3:20 a.m.  and 2:46 a.m. trips from 95/Red Line go to Ravenswood.

Going southbound, there are buses from Ravenswood to 95th-Red Line from 10:15 to 1:27:

This also reinforces a point someone else made that Owl and regular runs overlap, but the transit day starts at 3 a.m.

Thanks @Busjack and @jajuan for that.

[jajuan]

On 9/8/2024 at 12:36 AM, renardo870 said:

That definitely makes a lot of sense. Thanks for clearing that up @jajuan 

 

I could see where the confusion came in, in that the old signs for Clark/Belle Plaine didn't show the 95th/Red Line like these do even though the same overlaps carried over from then.

[jajuan]

A few more observations now that we're a bit over one month in with the extension:

(1) Cars parked at and blocking the bus stops along the extension ceased during the second week. I think the collection of tickets their owners were getting took care of that. The only exception is the NB stop at Wilson and Ashland. That's because the bus stop is situated a bit further in from the intersection, and the space just beyond the intersection is a disability, permit parking space.

(2) The announcement for the NB Wilson/Ashland stop on the 9 includes a message alerting riders to exit there and walk east for the connection to the 22, similar to message given for the SB Lawrence stop on the 22 for the transfer to the 9. 

(3) The nearside NB stop at Ashland and Irving Park has become an X9 express only stop since the local buses have been shifted to a new farside stop at that intersection. 

(4) Those regulars not making the transfer to the 9 at Lawrence are doing one of two things: making the transfer at Wilson instead, or riding to Irving Park to transfer to the X9.