CTA Tattler Recent Posts

Take CTA to World Series from Westchester? Hmmmm

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 11:32:06 -0500

Longtime CTA Tattler reader Bob, lamented in an email that he misses my post, since my new job precludes me from writing much anymore. Why thanks, Bob. But he was kind enough to share this photo that he took at Friday night's World Series game in Wrigley Field. "The retro map is by the stairs that lead from the bleachers’ ground level to sections 311 and 312 in right field. I hope the out-of-town fans headed to Westchester, Kenwood, and the Stock Yards reached their destinations last night."

CTA rail expansion and modernization: Best reasons to support new TIFs

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 16:21:29 -0500

The CTA's plans to extend the Red Line south to 131st Street and modernize the Red and Purple lines north of Belmont got a big boost last week when the state legislature passed a bill allowing the city to create special Tax Increment Financing districts within a half-mile on each side of 46 miles of rail tracks. This bill, which Gov. Rauner said he will sign, would create a pool of money that allows the city to tap matching federal funding. From the Tribune report:

The projects to be covered by new TIF districts are the planned $2.1 billion modernization of the CTA Red and Purple lines, an upgrade for the Blue Line Forest Park Branch, renovation of Union Station and the much-discussed extension of the Red Line south of 95th Street. . . . A TIF district allows the city to divert future property tax revenue increases from a district toward a public improvement project in the community, in this case a transit project. This assumes that property values will increase as a result of the project. TIFs have been subject to criticism because they direct new property tax revenue away from other public services, such as public schools. The transit TIF legislation tries to allay that concern by continuing to give schools their portion — 54 percent — of any increased revenues. Of the rest of the increase, 80 percent would go to transit funding, while the other 20 percent would flow back to libraries, parks and other services. Of the four projects, the Red-Purple Line modernization is the furthest along in terms of planning and needs $1 billion in federal money, but a local match is necessary to secure it. That could come from new TIF revenues, which could pay for a bond issue, as well as other funds, said CTA spokesman Brian Steele.

Much has been written about how some TIF districts benefit the rich and empowered only. But this use of TIFs will shorten commutes of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds or serve the underserved on the far South Side of Chicago. That's why I support this use of a TIF. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

CTA offers new alerts about elevator status

Kevin O'Neil — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 19:04:23 -0500

For those of you with bad knees, swollen feet or are wheelchair-bound, knowing when elevators are out of service is crucial. You have to plan your trip around an outage, since only 88 of the 140-plus CTA rail stations have elevators as it is. Now the CTA offers riders real-time elevator status information via text or email. Riders can choose to receive notifications for individual lines or all rail lines, with information on when elevators are taken out of service for maintenance or repair, and when they resume operation. Elevators generally have a great uptime of about 99.5 percent through April, according to the CTA. To subscribe to elevator alerts via text message: Text "cta elevators" to GOV311 or visit http://www.transitchicago.com/updates/. To subscribe to elevator alerts via email: Visit http://www.transitchicago.com/updates/. More information is available on the CTA's website. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

CTA testing pre-paid boarding on #77 Belmont bus

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 14:14:06 -0500

The CTA last week launched a six-month pilot to test prepaid bus boarding on westbound #77 Belmont buses at the Belmont Blue Line station. CTA riders now prepay their fares in a designated area during evening rush periods (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.), allowing them to enter buses more quickly and increasing the speed and efficiency of bus boarding on one of CTA’s busiest bus routes. Prepaid boarding is expected to provide customers with faster boarding and reduce bus bunching. During the pilot test period, customers traveling west on the #77 will be required to tap their Ventra card/ticket or personal credit/debit card at a Ventra fare reader to enter the prepaid boarding area prior to boarding the bus. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Big win: #11 Lincoln, #31 bus routes restored on trial basis

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 15 May 2016 15:51:01 -0500

After four years of loud complaints and protests, North Side advocates of the #11 Lincoln bus will see a key portion of that route restored beginning June 20 on a six-month trial basis. And the #31 31st Street bus will run again starting in September. Amid much hue and cry, the CTA in 2012 eliminated the portion of the #11 bus between the Western Avenue Brown Line station and Fullerton. The #31 was discontinued in 1997. The CTA also announced improvements to bus and rail service on the South and Far South Sides. The bus routes receiving improvements include:

The 95th Street bus, which will combine separate east and west segments to create a continuous route
The #4 Cottage Grove bus, which will extend south from 95th Street to 115th Street
The #71 71st Street bus, which will extend all trips from 73rd to 112th and Torrence, and see increased frequency
The #26 South Shore Express, which will see earlier and later service
The #34 Michigan and #119 Michigan/119th bus routes, which will see increased frequency during midday and evening hours

Additionally, the Cottage Grove and Ashland/63rd branches of the Green Line will see increased frequency during the AM and PM rush hours. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Sexual harassment on the CTA: Widespread problem hits home

Kevin O'Neil — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 19:45:56 -0500

In a story posted today, the Reader asks: "Could woman-only el cars prevent sexual harassment on the CTA?" I think that's a terrible idea. And so does the CTA, as the article points out. The transit agency last year launched an anti-harassment campaign to educate people about what constitutes harassment, and how to report it. A CTA spokesperson said that between the campaign and the proliferation of onboard cameras, it hopes to reduce the incidence of harassment. Eight sexual assaults were reported on the CTA in 2015. When I tweeted a link to the article, it got strong reactions on both sides of the issue.

I'm looking forward to riding the woman-only cars next week in Tokyo. (Sorry @TweetingNaoto! Meet u at station!) https://t.co/WTIsyf4yBy
— Kimberly AH (@adamihasegawa) April 12, 2016

NO. GODDAMNIT. IF WE TOOK IT SERIOUSLY WE PUNISH THE PEOPLE THAT DO IT, NOT FORCE WOMEN TO BE IN A SEPARATE CAR. https://t.co/LPItkZD1lh
— Le (@witch_woolf) April 12, 2016

And then there was my feeling on the issue:

@JulieDiCaro @ctatattler men could just, you know, not grab at women and behave like adults, but sure separate cars works too.
— CTGray the sleepless (@CouchTarts) April 12, 2016

And then my own 25-year-old daughter texted me:

"As a woman with mild post-harassment PTSD who is relieved not to have to ride the Red Line anymore, I think woman-only railcars on the cta is such a fabulous idea."

She went on to tell her Dad (me) about various incidents that happened to her in high school and college while traveling the Red Line. She said men usually harass women on the train when other men aren't around to witness the act. "A man waits to pull his penis out until the car empties."

"If I had a daughter I would be mildly freaked out about her riding the Red Line because of what I know I went through." "Once I was riding the el to a friend's house when a man touched my leg through the gap in-between the seat and the railcar wall. I asked hime to please stop touching me and he got up and left the train car. But when he was outside the window where I was sitting, he punched it as hard as he could where my face was. So yeah, that's the kind of shit that makes my heart race when I am alone near a man on the el. It ain't pleasant."

And that kind of shit makes me really pissed off at men. Please, stop this shit. It could be your wife, your mother - your daughter - who gets harassed. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

New Wilson SB platform to open on Monday; number of entrances doubled

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 15:05:23 -0500

The CTA on Monday will open the new southbound platform at the Wilson Red Line station, marking the beginning of Phase 2 of the three-year, $203 million project. [caption id="attachment_8061" align="alignright" width="300"] New entrances for Phase 2 of Wilson Red Line platform reconstruction.[/caption] Red Line service frequency with remain the same, but southbound trains will board on the new platform. Purple Line service and frequency also will remain the same, and southbound trains will continue to make stops at Wilson and Sheridan during morning rush only. Purple Line Express trains will no longer stop at Addison during morning rush periods. New entrances The number of entrances available to customers at Wilson will be doubled to increase customer convenience during the construction period, according to the CTA:

Existing entrance on Broadway stays open.
Existing auxiliary entrance on south side of Wilson Avenue remains open.
New temporary entrance opens on north side of Wilson Avenue.
New temporary entrance opens on south side of Wilson Avenue, just west of existing auxiliary entrance; will be staffed with CTA customer assistant.

Southbound Red and Purple Line Express customers will begin using a brand new, noticeably modern and larger platform:

The southbound platform will be separate from the northbound platform and is most easily accessed via the new temporary entrances on Wilson.
A temporary enclosed pedestrian bridge will connect the northbound to the southbound platforms for customers making transfers.
New security cameras and lighting are being installed at the temporary entrances and exits.

Northbound customers will use existing platform, best accessed via the main Wilson entrances. This Phase 2 of the project will last till fall of this year, when the existing Wilson Ave. and Gerber entrances will be closed, demolition and reconstruction of Track #3 (NB Red) will commence; and construction of new northbound shared platform begins. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

New CTA rail cars change hated configuration, create Chicago jobs

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 17:55:47 -0500

When the CTA board approved a $1.3 billion contract for new rail cars, it accomplished two things:

It changed the hated aisle-facing seating configuration (for the most part).
It created 170 local jobs in Chicago, as the Chinese manufacturer will build a $40 million plant to build the cars.

CSR Sifang America JV, a Chinese company, will build 846 cars at a new South Side manufacturing facility. Prototype models are expected to be complete in 2019. Following testing, the cars will go into service in 2020. The new rails cars will feature of mix of forward-facing and aisle-facing seats, a seating configuration designed to ensure customer comfort while maximizing passenger flow and capacity. The design, similar to the seating configuration on Brown Line trains, was based on studies CTA conducted to solicit feedback from CTA riders on preferences related to seating and design— the first time the CTA has sought rider input on seating layout. Once delivery of the new rail cars is complete, the CTA will have its youngest rail fleet in decades—reducing the average age of CTA rail cars from 26 years in 2011 to 11 years when the 7000-series are delivered. The new rail cars are projected to save the CTA about $7 million annually in reduced maintenance costs and reduced use of power. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

CTA track work reduces slow zones to lowest level since 1997

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 15:40:23 -0500

The CTA's track modernization projects over the last four years have resulted in the lowest level of L slow zones since 1997 - just 5.5 percent at the end of 2015. In 2007, more than 22 percent of the elevated tracks were designated slow zones - areas where trains are required to operate at slower-than-normal speeds, some as low as 15 miles per hour. The most recent slow zone improvement projects have lowered travel times between two to five minutes per trip on average, or four to 10 minutes for a round-trip, depending on the time of day, the CTA reports. Service reliability improvement projects Since 2011, CTA has eliminated approximately 20 miles of slow zones across its rail lines through major track and infrastructure improvement projects. Some recent examples include:

Ravenswood Connector Rehabilitation: approximately two miles of slow zones eliminated on Brown and Purple Express tracks between Armitage and Merchandise Mart
Purple Line Express Improvement Project: approximately four miles of slow zones eliminated on Purple Express tracks between Lawrence and Jarvis—the largest such project along that stretch in more than 40 years
Milwaukee Blue Line Track Renewal (part of Your New Blue): about three miles of slow zones eliminated on Blue Line tracks between Damen and Logan Square
Red Line South Reconstruction: nearly 10 miles of slow zones eliminated on Red Line tracks between Roosevelt and 95th Street
Green Line Ashland/63rd Branch track improvements: about 1.5 miles of slow zones eliminated on Green Line tracks between Halsted and Garfield stations

Coming up in April is the Green Line West Track Renewal Project, a track improvement project that will prevent imminent slow zones from developing along aging Green Line tracks between Laramie and Harlem/Lake stations. ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

CTA wins $156 million in Red Line modernization funding

Kevin O'Neil — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 14:56:05 -0500

The CTA last week was promised $156 million in federal funds to begin engineering on Phase 1 of the Red-Purple Modernization project. And another $125 million for the huge project was included in President Obama's 2017 budget. While the latter is not a certainty, the former will push the $2.1 billion Phase 1 project into engineering, the next major stage that immediately precedes the start of construction. Phase 1 includes four Red Line station reconstructions (Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr), reconstruction of track structure and viaducts (including some that are more than 100 years old), and the construction of a rail bypass north of Belmont station designed to increase rail capacity and alleviate train congestion. The CTA’s next steps for the RPM project include finalizing the funding plan for Phase 1, which will include a mix federal and local funding sources, applying for federal project funding, and selecting a contractor to design and build the project. [caption id="attachment_8049" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Timeline for Phase 1 of Red-Purple Modernization project.[/caption] ----------------------------- If you like this post, please like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And, never miss a post! Subscribe now to receive CTA Tattler via email. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.