The Official Illinois and Chicago Transportation Thread

[Roch5220]

^Definately in terms of volume, NYC does blow everyone else away. However, sometimes waiting for subway trains on the weekends or weeknights makes it feel that the trains work on a commutter train schedule, and that there is constant construction causing service interuptions (ie. closed station, no express, no local service) on the 456 on the weekends, is very faustrating. And thats before my beefs with the NRW, and F trains. Providing the best service, I think Chicago wins. Granted, the network isn't as extensive, but you make alternative arrangements. In NYC, you take the subway, well, you leave extra early going to say queens, cause its not unusual that I wait 30-45mins for the F train.

In terms of Boston, I like the system, but I think the trams could be a little more frequent.

[pottebaum]

I really hope there aren't any huge cuts within the CTA... That'd really be depressing.

Has there been any major news about the financial situation lately?

[Rail Claimore]

New York has more passengers because the system is just much more dense and more extensive. Chicago, as urban as it is, would never be able to get NY numbers proportionate to its population without adding at least another 2 million people inside the city limits and doubling the amount of trackage on the current system. New York has the equivalent of at least 20 full length cross-town lines. Chicago has only 4: Red, Blue, Green, Brown/Orange.

New York isn't there because of better service or efficiency, it's there because of necessity.

[simulcra]

I call it the "CTA" because many trips out of hyde park are intermodal, so saying "take the L to downtown" or "take the bus downtown" is inherently misleading because many times you will be using both.

[aion26]

A lot of people do forget the buses, especially people who have recently moved here (which, unlike some provincial sorts, I have no problem with, as everyone is a transplant at some point, even if it is generation or two back , because they find them confusing. I work with a lot of students and recent transplants and hear the phrase "I dont' take the busses, I don't get them", I fail to understand what is so hard to get and take buses all the time, in fact I'd venture to say I ride as many buses as I do trains.

[geoff_diamond]

I can echo that. Everyone that I go to school with constantly reminds me how much they despise the bus, despite the fact that they can never give me a decent reason why. I would actually say that I ride the bus more than the train, simply for the fact that most of my trips originate downtown, and frankly, I'd rather ride above ground where I can see everything happening around me.

[chiphile]

^You'd be surprised at how many people are retarded when it comes to maps, and when I say retarded, I mean retarded, they can't understand a thing about it. So that's why they don't "get" the buses, the stupid shits have no idea "where" they are in the first place, whether they are facing north, south east or west, and when it comes to finding their location on a map, they have no idea. Is this the result of the US education system or are people all just morons? It makes me wonder how the world works.

It's kind of like rats going through a maze, they don't have a mental picture of the entire maze in their heads, they just have some idea of the path they should take and where to turn right or left, I guess that's how most people get around, weird.

And I know we're talking about CTA, but I cannot stand anyone that gets lost while driving either, it's unbelievable to me.

[simulcra]

The L map has nice sharp colors and is easy for even a tourist to pick up all the spatial details of it.

The bus maps (if a stop actually has one and not just the stop) show a very vague map with only significant streets listed without a sense of spatial geography. If I know a bus route, I'll take it, but it's not like the L where I can just know instantly how it'll take me somewhere.

The student/tourist population can't be bothered to learn a bus map, especially when it isn't featured so prominently and the schedule is not always clear and they don't need to make trips very often. I mean, I have a very vague sense of where the 173 goes and an idea of what happens to the 6; neither have maps that I can look at on the spur of the moment while passing their stop. Futhermore, busses tend to be slower and more unreliable than the L, so I'd rather connect to the L and go to my destination even if it means multiple bus transfers, just to reduce the chance of heavy asphalt traffic/malfunctions delaying my journey.

[Steely Dan]

^ simulcra, i fully agree with you about the bus map vs. train map issue. the CTA could really use better map signage for its bus routes, there's no doubt about that. to those that know where they're going, it ain't no thing, but to the uninitiated, the confusing, bare-bones bus maps (if you can even find one) can be intimidating.

[24gotham]

The CTA isn't known for clear signage.... I think they got it right with the test signage on the platform at Clark and Lake (I love the use of "Way Out" instead of "Exit", very European.), but as happens all too often, they spend money on a study or test something new, and then abandon the project altogether.
They haven't used the "A/B" system for more than a decade, yet there are hundreds of "A/B" signs still around.

[pottebaum]

Woah, I just noticed from looking at some picks that the stations outside of the loop are really pretty old!

Look at the Chicago stop in River-North(I think)
http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/im...chicago05t.jpg

BTW:
Do many people live in the Loop? I always liked the idea of living there, but I wasn't quite sure what was all available.

[oshkeoto]

A lot of the El stations in the Loop are really old. A lot of them all over the place are really old.

And living in the Loop--there isn't a lot of it, but it's increasing pretty rapidly. There's also lots of housing in the areas directly adjacent to the Loop, especially to the south, west, and northwest.

[24gotham]

^As a resident of the Loop, I can say that more and more people are moving here. The population of the Loop has more than tripled in the last five years, and the increase in people moving to the loop isn't likely to slow down for a while. As for #'s.... well, this is a business district, but I can say that in my zip-code (60602), the population in the 2000 census was only 70, but there was only one residential building at the time. There are now currently five residential buildings (with a current estimate of more than 600 residents), with two more currently under construction, and at least one more proposed. But my zip-code makes for just a small area in the Loop.

I will be the first to admit, housing tends to be expensive. One bedroom condos rutinely go for 300K or more. (I'm not rich, I just got very lucky with my place. I was at the right place, at the right time. Couldn't afford to buy it now.)

[24gotham]

Originally Posted by oshkeoto

A lot of the El stations in the Loop are really old. A lot of them all over the place are really old.

Many of them date back to the mid to late 1890's. Here are a few of the older "L" stations in the Loop

Quincy has been restored now-1897



Madison/Wabash was built in 1896


State/Lake was built in 1895. (I think it is the oldest in the Loop)

[Rail Claimore]

Most of the stations in Chicago are either really old or really new. The CTA hasn't gotten around to renovating every station on every line yet. Most of the station renovations are coming with renovations of the actual lines, and the newer or renovated/rebuilt stations are pretty nice without looking overly expensive. CTA also uses ATSS or something in a few stations such as O'hare and Cumberland. These are LED signs that display estimated train arival times and other things.

The Clark-Lake elevated station has the type of signage that should be implemented system-wide.

[pottebaum]

Which train line do you guys use the most?

[aion26]

The Blue line, I use it almost every day, but at some point in my life I've lived off the Brown and Red Lines. Living off the Brown Line was was my least favorite experience as far as subway lines go.

[24gotham]

The Brown Line is certainly the "Luxury" line as far as cleanliness goes, and the view when circling the loop is great. But you can have the same view with the Purple, Orange, and to a lesser extent, the Green Line as well. As for favorite, I have riden all of the lines, but not end to end. Hard to pick a favorite but I am partial to the Brown Line for it's neighborhood views.

[crawford]

What is the ridership breakdown? I assume the Red Line north to Howard is (by far) the busiest, and the Green Line has the lowest ridership.

[Rail Claimore]

Daily Ridership off the top of my head...

Red Line: 180K
Blue Line: 120K
Brown Line: 40K
Orange Line: 40K
Green Line: 40K