The Official Illinois and Chicago Transportation Thread

pottebaum · February 25th, 2005, 12:30 AM

edited

oshkeoto · February 25th, 2005, 01:50 AM

The train system is definitely a huge part of the daily lives of many people in Chicago, and is my main form of transportation. Downtown and the areas right around it are the best covered. See for yourself:

aion26 · February 25th, 2005, 02:04 AM

It is a huge part of my life being that I don't have a car. I've been riding it for over 15 years now (except for a few years when I moved away) and can say that while it isn't the best system out there, it serves us pretty good. Now if they could just sort out those funding issues.

24gotham · February 25th, 2005, 03:18 AM

The CTA sucks, but it's all we have, and one learns to put up with it's inconsistancies. That said, as much as you may hear us Chicagoan's complain about the CTA, I could not imagine life without it. Not to mention, some of the most spectacular views of the city are from the "L".
I wouldn't let it prevent me from thinking about moving to Chicago.

pottebaum · February 25th, 2005, 03:33 AM

edited

Steely Dan · February 25th, 2005, 03:42 AM

i LOVE the L and i LOVE the fact that i get to ride it everyday. i know i'm gonna sound like an arrogant big city snob, but if i were to ever live in a city without a big massive rapid transit rail system, i'd really, really miss it.

big comprehensive rail systems, be they subway or elevated, are one of the key inidcators that seperates the urban heavy hitters from the lesser cities.

itsnotrequired · February 25th, 2005, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InTheLoop

The CTA sucks, but it's all we have, and one learns to put up with it's inconsistancies. That said, as much as you may hear us Chicagoan's complain about the CTA, I could not imagine life without it. Not to mention, some of the most spectacular views of the city are from the "L".
I wouldn't let it prevent me from thinking about moving to Chicago.

CTA sucks? Spend some time on transit in other major cities and you'll be wishing you were back in Chicago. As far as I'm aware, Chicago is the only city outside of NYC that has at least some form of 24 hour rail service. Throw in all the owl buses and Chicago ain't looking too bad.

I think many Chicagoans don't realize the high level of service here. The drastic cuts proposed by the CTA have everyone up in arms yet the cuts would simply make the CTA an "average" transit agency. Trust me pottebaum, the CTA is amazing. It may not be the MTA but it has to be the second best system in the country.

expat_marla · February 25th, 2005, 04:58 AM

having moved from chicago to sydney i can attest that chicgo's mass transit is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

goonsta · February 25th, 2005, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsnotrequired

CTA sucks? Spend some time on transit in other major cities and you'll be wishing you were back in Chicago. As far as I'm aware, Chicago is the only city outside of NYC that has at least some form of 24 hour rail service. Throw in all the owl buses and Chicago ain't looking too bad.

I think many Chicagoans don't realize the high level of service here. The drastic cuts proposed by the CTA have everyone up in arms yet the cuts would simply make the CTA an "average" transit agency. Trust me pottebaum, the CTA is amazing. It may not be the MTA but it has to be the second best system in the country.

It may not suck, but its still below-standard. The US by far is the worst 1st world country in terms of public transit. Accepting being 2nd best in this category is not really that much of an accoplishment.

Steely Dan · February 25th, 2005, 05:51 AM

^ but goon, you can't really blame this nation's automobile fetish on the CTA. even if we built 20,000 miles of subway lines in chicagoland, there will always be a higher percentage of people who will refuse to use such a system in this country than elsewhere in the world. so many americans just utterly detest the very notion of public transit, or at best they think public transit is ok for other people, but they have god-given right to be able to conveninetly drive and park where ever they so wish.

america's PT systems suck because an alarming percentage of american people suck.

chicagogeorge · February 25th, 2005, 06:04 AM

The only city I have been to with a better mass transit than Chicago is NYC of course.

JivecitySTL · February 25th, 2005, 06:07 AM

Do most Chicagoans prefer "L" or "El"? I've always thought of it as the "el" since the nickname is derived from "elevated." What's the verdict, Windypeople?

Steely Dan · February 25th, 2005, 06:11 AM

^ the CTA uses "L", but i don't think it's an issue that most chicagoans would really care all that much about, to be honest.

goonsta · February 25th, 2005, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharptent

^ but goon, you can't really blame this nation's automobile fetish on the CTA.

Oh, I'm not, but certain things such as the ridiculous disparity of the level of service on certain areas of the city can be blamed on CTA. The low ridership excuse doesn't fly either. You can't expect residents to all of a sudden wake up and want to ride the train or the bus. The company has to make that first step, and then the rest of the dominoes will fall into place.

Quote:

america's PT systems suck because an alarming percentage of american people suck.

Priceless.

DeMaFrost · February 25th, 2005, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottebaum

The only thing I want is a system that I can use very often in my daily routine. And it looks like the CTA can atleast offer me that! Do any of you guys know where I can find pictures of subway or L stations?

http://www.chicago-l.org/

Everything you ever wanted to know about the El, including pictures and history, and sound recordings of the CTA Guy announcing the stops (both pre-automated CTA guy and post)

itsnotrequired · February 25th, 2005, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goonsta

It may not suck, but its still below-standard. The US by far is the worst 1st world country in terms of public transit. Accepting being 2nd best in this category is not really that much of an accoplishment.

The US in general is indeed not as mass-transit oriented as it could be. However, the CTA is still a great system. I'm not suggesting people just sit back and say "Well, its all we got" and accept shortcomings. The system could always be improved but when compared to other US cities, the CTA is top notch. Again, many people here don't realize how good we have it.

Chi-town · February 25th, 2005, 07:38 PM

About 1.5 million people use the CTA every day, and a third of that is on trains. So yes, quite a few people use it. Chicago's transit isn't quite as good as New York's and it sucks compared to a lot of cities in Europe, but it's good for the States. The best coverage is on the North Side, nearer the lake.

ChicagoLover · February 25th, 2005, 08:24 PM

Forumers, take the following "when pigs fly" scenario: You have discretion over several billion dollars in federal funds to built an entirely new L line. Where would you build it? Above or below ground? Where is it most needed?

Steely Dan · February 25th, 2005, 08:43 PM

^ i'd build an aerial tramway connecting the tops of sears, trump, aon and hancock. it'd be rather pointless, but it'd also be damn cool!

mypetrobot · February 25th, 2005, 08:49 PM

i'd like to see more downtown loop stops made. but thats wishful thinking. i guess the most realistic one would be the grey line. but what i would like is maybe a midtown loop, i mean i like the circle line because its a new line but i would like to have one closer in from where the circle line is. or a north side southside and west side loop. like three smaller loops connecting to the central loop.

February 25th, 2005, 12:30 AM	#1
pottebaum Minneapolis Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,084 Likes (Received): 0	The Official Illinois and Chicago Transportation Thread edited Last edited by pottebaum; July 17th, 2011 at 10:59 PM.

February 25th, 2005, 03:18 AM	#4
24gotham Formerly InTheLoop Join Date: May 2004 Location: Hell's Kitchen, NYC Posts: 485 Likes (Received): 0	The CTA sucks, but it's all we have, and one learns to put up with it's inconsistancies. That said, as much as you may hear us Chicagoan's complain about the CTA, I could not imagine life without it. Not to mention, some of the most spectacular views of the city are from the "L". I wouldn't let it prevent me from thinking about moving to Chicago. __________________ 24gotham - "Architecture should reflect the time in which it is built, not a previous time that may or may not have existed." Formerly "InTheLoop" of Chicago.

February 25th, 2005, 03:33 AM	#5
pottebaum Minneapolis Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,084 Likes (Received): 0	edited Last edited by pottebaum; July 17th, 2011 at 10:59 PM.

February 25th, 2005, 03:42 AM	#6
Steely Dan facist lord of the cosmos Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: old style city Posts: 2,598 Likes (Received): 5	i LOVE the L and i LOVE the fact that i get to ride it everyday. i know i'm gonna sound like an arrogant big city snob, but if i were to ever live in a city without a big massive rapid transit rail system, i'd really, really miss it. big comprehensive rail systems, be they subway or elevated, are one of the key inidcators that seperates the urban heavy hitters from the lesser cities. __________________ "I wish they'd hurry up and just destroy humanity already........... it's the waiting that I can't stand" - Philip J. Fry

February 25th, 2005, 04:58 AM	#8
expat_marla sweet home chicago Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 186 Likes (Received): 0	having moved from chicago to sydney i can attest that chicgo's mass transit is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! __________________ "Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose the former and have seen no reason to change." - Frank Lloyd Wright

February 25th, 2005, 01:50 AM	#2
oshkeoto Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 565 Likes (Received): 0	The train system is definitely a huge part of the daily lives of many people in Chicago, and is my main form of transportation. Downtown and the areas right around it are the best covered. See for yourself:

February 25th, 2005, 02:04 AM	#3
aion26 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 398 Likes (Received): 0	It is a huge part of my life being that I don't have a car. I've been riding it for over 15 years now (except for a few years when I moved away) and can say that while it isn't the best system out there, it serves us pretty good. Now if they could just sort out those funding issues.

February 25th, 2005, 05:51 AM	#10
Steely Dan facist lord of the cosmos Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: old style city Posts: 2,598 Likes (Received): 5	^ but goon, you can't really blame this nation's automobile fetish on the CTA. even if we built 20,000 miles of subway lines in chicagoland, there will always be a higher percentage of people who will refuse to use such a system in this country than elsewhere in the world. so many americans just utterly detest the very notion of public transit, or at best they think public transit is ok for other people, but they have god-given right to be able to conveninetly drive and park where ever they so wish. america's PT systems suck because an alarming percentage of american people suck. __________________ "I wish they'd hurry up and just destroy humanity already........... it's the waiting that I can't stand" - Philip J. Fry

February 25th, 2005, 06:04 AM	#11
chicagogeorge Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: South suburban Chicago Posts: 5,312 Likes (Received): 104	The only city I have been to with a better mass transit than Chicago is NYC of course.

February 25th, 2005, 06:07 AM	#12
JivecitySTL The Jive is Alive. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St. Louis Posts: 1,559 Likes (Received): 0	Do most Chicagoans prefer "L" or "El"? I've always thought of it as the "el" since the nickname is derived from "elevated." What's the verdict, Windypeople? __________________ You can't spell STYLE without STL. www.stl-style.com

February 25th, 2005, 06:11 AM	#13
Steely Dan facist lord of the cosmos Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: old style city Posts: 2,598 Likes (Received): 5	^ the CTA uses "L", but i don't think it's an issue that most chicagoans would really care all that much about, to be honest. __________________ "I wish they'd hurry up and just destroy humanity already........... it's the waiting that I can't stand" - Philip J. Fry

February 25th, 2005, 07:38 PM	#17
Chi-town liberal elite Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 407 Likes (Received): 0	About 1.5 million people use the CTA every day, and a third of that is on trains. So yes, quite a few people use it. Chicago's transit isn't quite as good as New York's and it sucks compared to a lot of cities in Europe, but it's good for the States. The best coverage is on the North Side, nearer the lake.

February 25th, 2005, 08:24 PM	#18
ChicagoLover Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 822 Likes (Received): 0	Forumers, take the following "when pigs fly" scenario: You have discretion over several billion dollars in federal funds to built an entirely new L line. Where would you build it? Above or below ground? Where is it most needed?

February 25th, 2005, 08:43 PM	#19
Steely Dan facist lord of the cosmos Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: old style city Posts: 2,598 Likes (Received): 5	^ i'd build an aerial tramway connecting the tops of sears, trump, aon and hancock. it'd be rather pointless, but it'd also be damn cool! __________________ "I wish they'd hurry up and just destroy humanity already........... it's the waiting that I can't stand" - Philip J. Fry

February 25th, 2005, 08:49 PM	#20
mypetrobot Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 194 Likes (Received): 0	i'd like to see more downtown loop stops made. but thats wishful thinking. i guess the most realistic one would be the grey line. but what i would like is maybe a midtown loop, i mean i like the circle line because its a new line but i would like to have one closer in from where the circle line is. or a north side southside and west side loop. like three smaller loops connecting to the central loop.

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