CTA Winter Bus Pick 12/22/24

[renardo870]

Good day, good people. I was just wondering what routes will have service changes and or service improvements for the Winter 2024 Pick?

[TaylorTank1229]

On 12/10/2024 at 1:21 PM, renardo870 said:

Good day, good people. I was just wondering what routes will have service changes and or service improvements for the Winter 2024 Pick?

According to alerts on the CTA website, seem routes #84, #120 & #121 will be getting adjustments to their service hours (although it’s nothing big).

#120 & #121 is getting earlier NB AM trips, starting 40-45 earlier, and later SB PM trips ending 20 minutes later.

#84 is getting later weekday evening hours to “better connect to Metra trains at Peterson/Ridge”. Although it’s only getting at extra 5 minutes of operation time in both directions… like only 5 minutes (where it probably should’ve been like an extra hour).

[Busjack]

11 hours ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

84 is getting later weekday evening hours to “better connect to Metra trains at Peterson/Ridge”. Although it’s only getting at extra 5 minutes of operation time in both directions… like only 5 minutes (where it probably should’ve been like an extra hour).

You need a Pace perspective to figure this out. For instance Highland Park and Wilmette routes had a note on the schedule that certain buses meet Metra trains. In the HP case, the trains arrived at :35 and the buses came about :25 and departed around :38. (Schedules now are slightly different.)

At Peterson-Ridge, Metra is inbound at :28 and outbound at :45. Assuming the 84 timepoint at Ridge-Clark (and at Western), the westbound trips are a couple of minutes too early for inbound riders.

[renardo870]

Service increased on 19 selected  bus routes. 

https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-fully-restores-bus-service-to-pre-pandemic-levels/

 

[strictures]

Of course no extra service on the 22 Clark, which really needs it!

https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2024/12/18/cta-bus-service-schedule

The Chicago Transit Authority plans to increase bus service to pre-pandemic levels starting Sunday.

The CTA’s winter schedule adds more weekday buses on 19 lines and additional weekend buses on six lines, the agency announced Wednesday.

The CTA has been increasing the frequency of its trains and buses since the COVID-19 pandemic sent ridership tumbling. The agency has struggled to hire and retain operators but has doubled its hiring efforts in the last year.

CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said the new schedule fulfills his goal of returning to pre-pandemic service levels by the end of 2024.

“Our ability to provide pre-pandemic service marks not a finish line but a milestone in providing the exceptional bus service our riders deserve,” Carter said in a news release.

The CTA said the new winter schedule includes “strategic adjustments” to “better meet changing ridership patterns.” Carter has previously said fewer people travel during the rush periods and more people travel at off-peak hours, as well as on weekends.

The CTA said it returned train service to pre-pandemic levels in November.

Ridership on the CTA is still low compared with five years ago. Average weekday ridership on the CTA this summer was about 67% of what it was in 2019, according to an agency report on ridership in July.

The CTA said these bus routes will see more weekday service:

    No. 2 Hyde Park Express
    No. 4 Cottage Grove
    No. 6 Jackson Park Express*
    No. 15 Jeffery Local
    No. 26 South Shore Express
    No. 28 Stony Island
    No. 35 31st/35th
    No. 56 Milwaukee
    No. 67 67th-69th-71st
    No. 80 Irving Park*
    No. 84 Peterson*
    No. 86 Narragansett/Ridgeland
    No. 120 Ogilvie/Streeterville Express
    No. 121 Union/Streeterville Express
    No. 135 Clarendon/LaSalle Express
    No. 136 Sheridan/LaSalle Express
    No. 143 Stockton/Michigan Express
    No. 151 Sheridan
    No. 201 Central/Ridge

The Nos. 6, 80, 84, 151 and 201 will also receive Saturday service increases. The No. 152 Addison will also receive a Sunday service increase.

 

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

1 hour ago, strictures said:

Of course no extra service on the 22 Clark, which really needs it!

https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2024/12/18/cta-bus-service-schedule

The Chicago Transit Authority plans to increase bus service to pre-pandemic levels starting Sunday.

The CTA’s winter schedule adds more weekday buses on 19 lines and additional weekend buses on six lines, the agency announced Wednesday.

The CTA has been increasing the frequency of its trains and buses since the COVID-19 pandemic sent ridership tumbling. The agency has struggled to hire and retain operators but has doubled its hiring efforts in the last year.

CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said the new schedule fulfills his goal of returning to pre-pandemic service levels by the end of 2024.

“Our ability to provide pre-pandemic service marks not a finish line but a milestone in providing the exceptional bus service our riders deserve,” Carter said in a news release.

The CTA said the new winter schedule includes “strategic adjustments” to “better meet changing ridership patterns.” Carter has previously said fewer people travel during the rush periods and more people travel at off-peak hours, as well as on weekends.

The CTA said it returned train service to pre-pandemic levels in November.

Ridership on the CTA is still low compared with five years ago. Average weekday ridership on the CTA this summer was about 67% of what it was in 2019, according to an agency report on ridership in July.

The CTA said these bus routes will see more weekday service:

    No. 2 Hyde Park Express
    No. 4 Cottage Grove
    No. 6 Jackson Park Express*
    No. 15 Jeffery Local
    No. 26 South Shore Express
    No. 28 Stony Island
    No. 35 31st/35th
    No. 56 Milwaukee
    No. 67 67th-69th-71st
    No. 80 Irving Park*
    No. 84 Peterson*
    No. 86 Narragansett/Ridgeland
    No. 120 Ogilvie/Streeterville Express
    No. 121 Union/Streeterville Express
    No. 135 Clarendon/LaSalle Express
    No. 136 Sheridan/LaSalle Express
    No. 143 Stockton/Michigan Express
    No. 151 Sheridan
    No. 201 Central/Ridge

The Nos. 6, 80, 84, 151 and 201 will also receive Saturday service increases. The No. 152 Addison will also receive a Sunday service increase.

 

There’s another thread that’s about the winter pick.

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, strictures said:

Of course no extra service on the 22 Clark, which really needs it!

https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2024/12/18/cta-bus-service-schedule

The Chicago Transit Authority plans to increase bus service to pre-pandemic levels starting Sunday.

The CTA’s winter schedule adds more weekday buses on 19 lines and additional weekend buses on six lines, the agency announced Wednesday.

The CTA has been increasing the frequency of its trains and buses since the COVID-19 pandemic sent ridership tumbling. The agency has struggled to hire and retain operators but has doubled its hiring efforts in the last year.

CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said the new schedule fulfills his goal of returning to pre-pandemic service levels by the end of 2024.

“Our ability to provide pre-pandemic service marks not a finish line but a milestone in providing the exceptional bus service our riders deserve,” Carter said in a news release.

The CTA said the new winter schedule includes “strategic adjustments” to “better meet changing ridership patterns.” Carter has previously said fewer people travel during the rush periods and more people travel at off-peak hours, as well as on weekends.

The CTA said it returned train service to pre-pandemic levels in November.

Ridership on the CTA is still low compared with five years ago. Average weekday ridership on the CTA this summer was about 67% of what it was in 2019, according to an agency report on ridership in July.

The CTA said these bus routes will see more weekday service:

    No. 2 Hyde Park Express
    No. 4 Cottage Grove
    No. 6 Jackson Park Express*
    No. 15 Jeffery Local
    No. 26 South Shore Express
    No. 28 Stony Island
    No. 35 31st/35th
    No. 56 Milwaukee
    No. 67 67th-69th-71st
    No. 80 Irving Park*
    No. 84 Peterson*
    No. 86 Narragansett/Ridgeland
    No. 120 Ogilvie/Streeterville Express
    No. 121 Union/Streeterville Express
    No. 135 Clarendon/LaSalle Express
    No. 136 Sheridan/LaSalle Express
    No. 143 Stockton/Michigan Express
    No. 151 Sheridan
    No. 201 Central/Ridge

The Nos. 6, 80, 84, 151 and 201 will also receive Saturday service increases. The No. 152 Addison will also receive a Sunday service increase.

 

The question is what does CTA mean by prepandemic levels of service?  Before the pandemic,  the 151 operated out of two garages.  Will CRA revert back to that?   Doubt it.  

[Sam92]

19 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

The question is what does CTA mean by prepandemic levels of service?  Before the pandemic,  the 151 operated out of two garages.  Will CRA revert back to that?   Doubt it.  

I think they will since 151 is mentioned to get weekend increases and that demand mostly came from south of Belmont. 

[strictures]

14 hours ago, artthouwill said:

The question is what does CTA mean by prepandemic levels of service?  Before the pandemic,  the 151 operated out of two garages.  Will CRA revert back to that?   Doubt it.  

No, the 151 still does run out of two separate garages.  The Clark/Devon runs come from North Park [P] & the Belmont/Halsted runs come from Kedzie [K].

[artthouwill]

11 minutes ago, strictures said:

No, the 151 still does run out of two separate garages.  The Clark/Devon runs come from North Park [P] & the Belmont/Halsted runs come from Kedzie [K].

If I remember correctly,  there was a severe reduction of K operated trips with a lot of the Belmont short turns being eliminated.   Its not that they were ever totally eliminated,  but drastically reduced.  So the question is whether the K operated trips return to  prepandemic levels?

As for the 22, I honestly don't know if adding a bunch of buses * assuming they were available to add) would solve the problem or just add more buses into the same problem.  

The other thing is that CTA would probably be more likely to try to fix problems south of Belmont and you are looking for increased service north of Foster.   

[strictures]

On 12/19/2024 at 9:42 AM, artthouwill said:

As for the 22, I honestly don't know if adding a bunch of buses * assuming they were available to add) would solve the problem or just add more buses into the same problem.  

The other thing is that CTA would probably be more likely to try to fix problems south of Belmont and you are looking for increased service north of Foster.   

Service north of Foster is often atrocious, with 45 minute waits for a bus or even longer a few times. I've lived just off of Clark since streetcar days & the only time the 22 has run properly was during the Belmont & Fullerton L station rebuilds, when they added a lot of buses to the 22.  So adding a bunch of runs would definitely go a long way to fixing it.

[Sam92]

4 hours ago, strictures said:

Service north of Foster is often atrocious, with 45 minute waits for a bus or even longer a few times. I've lived just off of Clark since streetcar days & the only time the 22 has run properly was during the Belmont & Fullerton L station rebuilds, when they added a lot of buses to the 22.  So adding a bunch of runs would definitely go a long way to fixing it.

Seems like when the PM shorts went to Devon that sorta helped 

[Busjack]

On 12/13/2024 at 9:42 AM, Busjack said:

You need a Pace perspective to figure this out. For instance Highland Park and Wilmette routes had a note on the schedule that certain buses meet Metra trains. In the HP case, the trains arrived at :35 and the buses came about :25 and departed around :38. (Schedules now are slightly different.)

At Peterson-Ridge, Metra is inbound at :28 and outbound at :45. Assuming the 84 timepoint at Ridge-Clark (and at Western), the westbound trips are a couple of minutes too early for inbound riders.

As the schedule is now posted, it turns out to be close. SB train arrives at 10:28, WB bus is at Clark/Ridge at 10:25 and Western at 10:30.

20 hours ago, Sam92 said:

Seems like when the PM shorts went to Devon that sorta helped 

Hes complaining about north of there. Now, if you are suggesting something like 50 being extenuated from Bryn Mawr to Howard, that would put more buses in the stretch of Clark at issue, but probably wouldn't help nor happen.  '

[strictures]

21 hours ago, Sam92 said:

Seems like when the PM shorts went to Devon that sorta helped 

Actually, that made it worse, as I remember that idiocy that went on for at least a decade!  But I would love the 50 extended to Clark/Arthur terminal.

[Sam92]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

Hes complaining about north of there. Now, if you are suggesting something like 50 being extenuated from Bryn Mawr to Howard, that would put more buses in the stretch of Clark at issue, but probably wouldn't help nor happen.  '

 

59 minutes ago, strictures said:

Actually, that made it worse, as I remember that idiocy that went on for at least a decade!  But I would love the 50 extended to Clark/Arthur terminal.

All this pedestrian/bike friendly stuff constantly being added to Clark basically smoked any chances of improvement. Might be better rerouting 22 to Ashland for a brief stretch

[Sam92]

On 12/19/2024 at 9:42 AM, artthouwill said:

If I remember correctly,  there was a severe reduction of K operated trips with a lot of the Belmont short turns being eliminated.   Its not that they were ever totally eliminated,  but drastically reduced.  So the question is whether the K operated trips return to  prepandemic levels?

As for the 22, I honestly don't know if adding a bunch of buses * assuming they were available to add) would solve the problem or just add more buses into the same problem.  

The other thing is that CTA would probably be more likely to try to fix problems south of Belmont and you are looking for increased service north of Foster.   

 

On 12/18/2024 at 6:40 PM, artthouwill said:

The question is what does CTA mean by prepandemic levels of service?  Before the pandemic,  the 151 operated out of two garages.  Will CRA revert back to that?   Doubt it.  

Looks like the Belmont-Halsted trips are gone for good outside of the ones left over in the pandemic. The weekend service increased but all service outside of the 3pm hour and 5pm hour belmont trips are to/from Devon. So Kedzie is pretty much rush hour supplements only (151 isn't posted yet. Found out by typing 151 into the search bar from another advanced schedule). I'm guessing the reduced 135/136 service made this possible 

[strictures]

7 hours ago, Sam92 said:

 

All this pedestrian/bike friendly stuff constantly being added to Clark basically smoked any chances of improvement. Might be better rerouting 22 to Ashland for a brief stretch

That makes no sense, as the section of Clark wrecked by the unnecessary & unused bike lane on Clark is where Ashland disappears into Clark.  That's why Clark needs to be two lanes in each direction, to carry all of that Ashland traffic.  But the fools in the city have no idea or care about that the buses are no hugely delayed from Devon to Ridge, because the sole purpose of the bike lanes is to make traffic worse in the bizarre, insane & useless idea that will cause people to leave their cars at home & take the buses & trains, but screwing up the buses by adding useless bike lanes, make it even less likely that people will dump their cars for buses!

[jajuan]

On 12/19/2024 at 9:42 AM, artthouwill said:

As for the 22, I honestly don't know if adding a bunch of buses * assuming they were available to add) would solve the problem or just add more buses into the same problem.  

The other thing is that CTA would probably be more likely to try to fix problems south of Belmont and you are looking for increased service north of Foster.   

 

On 12/21/2024 at 8:01 AM, strictures said:

Service north of Foster is often atrocious, with 45 minute waits for a bus or even longer a few times. I've lived just off of Clark since streetcar days & the only time the 22 has run properly was during the Belmont & Fullerton L station rebuilds, when they added a lot of buses to the 22.  So adding a bunch of runs would definitely go a long way to fixing it.

The issue with the 22 isn't that there aren't enough buses running on the route. The major problem affecting service is that the buses get hung up for various reasons coming back northbound out of downtown. In the warm weather months, it can be worse because Cubs home games and other Wrigley Field events as well as summertime special events that are downtown near the route get factored into those tie-ups. Service on the route have actually been increased in past picks, bringing headways and arrival times close to what I remember them being before the COVID reductions, and the issue with long wait times along the northern stretch still manage to creep up. As noted, the lane reductions along Clark between Edgewater and Arthur where Ashland merges with and breaks back off from Clark don't help. So adding buses would actually feed the problem instead of fixing it. 

[Sam92]

9 minutes ago, jajuan said:

 

The issue with the 22 isn't that there aren't enough buses running on the route. The major problem affecting service is that the buses get hung up for various reasons coming back northbound out of downtown. In the warm weather months, it can be worse because Cubs home games and other Wrigley Field events as well as summertime special events that are downtown near the route get factored into those tie-ups. Service on the route have actually been increased in past picks, bringing headways and arrival times close to what I remember them being before the COVID reductions, and the issue with long wait times along the northern stretch still manage to creep up. As noted, the lane reductions along Clark between Edgewater and Arthur where Ashland merges with and breaks back off from Clark don't help. So adding buses would actually feed the problem instead of fixing it. 

Sounds like maybe some buses starting further up like Kinzie, llinois or maybe even Chicago could help that issue. 

[Busjack]

19 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

Sounds like maybe some buses starting further up like Kinzie, llinois or maybe even Chicago could help that issue. 

@strictures can answer better, but it looks like with the schedule going from every 12 to 20 minutes from Howard as the evening goes on, one missed run would result in a 45 minute delay.

Probably running about half artics and half 40' doesn't help.

[Sam92]

45 minutes ago, Busjack said:

@strictures can answer better, but it looks like with the schedule going from every 12 to 20 minutes from Howard as the evening goes on, one missed run would result in a 45 minute delay.

Probably running about half artics and half 40' doesn't help.

Sounds like NP is having the same issues on 22 as 66 and 79 had with artics which I why they've been slowly pulled from 22. Starting some buses at Kinzie would probably save enough time to slightly bump the headways up with the same amount of buses. Seems to work with the 146 and 147. North of Lake gets some very heavy ridership so they could use a few empty buses put in. 

 

[jajuan]

On 12/27/2024 at 5:17 PM, Busjack said:

@strictures can answer better, but it looks like with the schedule going from every 12 to 20 minutes from Howard as the evening goes on, one missed run would result in a 45 minute delay.

Probably running about half artics and half 40' doesn't help.

Yeah a missed run can in fact do that and has sometimes. However, missed runs haven't seemed to be as much as a problem as they used to. This go around, it seems to be buses getting snagged and delayed along the way coming northbound, and that bleeds into the southbound service. It doesn't seem to matter whether it's artics or standard buses. Each time I've been out there during delays, one day it might be two or three 40-footers coming in a bunch when a bus does arrive. The next it can be artics bunched up. In both cases the passenger loads of each bus is pretty high. That seems to suggest that buses also get slowed down by the high volume of passenger boardings, something we've all spoken on within the artic assignment thread. I do know a lot of times I've run into delays on weekends, more often than not there was something going on at Wrigley Field, within or near downtown or at other points along the route. 

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, jajuan said:

I've been out there during delays, one day it might be two or three 40-footers coming in a bunch when a bus does arrive. The next it can be artics bunched up. In both cases the passenger loads of each bus is pretty high.

That would also explain a 45-minute gap.

Maybe Clark north of Diversey should be turned into a transit mall, like that's going to happen.😍