Here are the simple steps needed to make Chicago's transit system world-class

[TransitEngr]

I'll respond by numbered topics:
1. I think the Circle Line could have huge benefits for a city desperate to break out of the "I need a car to live here" mentality. But, there are many many issues here. The state is broke, the city is broke, and the federal government is struggling to finance a war and now rebuild entire cities after a very busy hurricane season. There is simply no money for this. An engineering consulting firm (not my company) was awarded the contract to design The Circle Line. Budgets have become so non-existent that the consulting firm was pulled off the job ENTIRELY, and the design was completely halted. A agree with you 100% that the "bang for your buck" is probably greatest with the Circle Line proposal. For instance they could use the largest amount of existing infrastructure, especially the existing (but unused) elevated tracks that link the existing Harlem/Lake Green Line branch with the existing Forest Park Blue Line branch. But again... there just is not enough money for a project this size. A project this size makes the Airport Express project look very very tiny.

2. A Red Line station at 16th is simply impossible. The grade is far too steep to place a station platform here. If a 0.00% grade platform (required by CTA design guidelines) were to be built here, it would require completely rebuilding the Red line from very far south of Chinatown way north into the loop. But, I will tell you, I worked on a VERY preliminary plan to create something called "The Red Line ByPass". Because of previous plans to run Circle Line trains in the Red Line subway (a.k.a. State Street subway, and again, the Circle Line is on hold indefinitely) my consulting firm was hired to figure out a way to re-route some (but not all) of the red line trains out of the state street subway. The solution is REALLY cool. South of the North/Clyborn stop there would be a split. Red line trains would then either run through the state street subway, or they would run underneath Clinton Street through the West Loop Transportation Center, and then continue south under Clinton, have a Roosevelt subway stop, and then quickly rise up cross over the existing freight railroad bridge over the Chicago river and then dip back down to go underneath the Riverside neighborhood. And yes, one of the three alternatives I helped create would have a subway stop serving that new neighborhood, as you mentioned above. This bypass would then tie into the existing red line after it levels off near the Chinatown stop. Once again, just as a disclaimer, this was all preliminary, and was created to solve the congestion that would have been created if the circle line was ever built.

3. I think you mean between Clinton and Ashland? This is a good idea. Especially with more and more people moving to the West Loop. Again, there is no money.

4. Most people who live on the south side in South Shore and Hyde Park (the two major urban residential areas of the south side) are very opposed to converting Metra Electric service into a CTA Gray Line. There is also serious concern about running transit trains (which have MUCH lower crash worthiness standards than the Metra Electric Nippon Sharyo's) mixed in with freight trains. Commuter trains and intercity trains obviously share tracks with freight trains, but nowhere do transit trains share tracks with freight trains. This would be extremely dangerous, and would require completely breaking off the tracks from the existing ones, basically only sharing the Right Of Way (ROW) (much like the Orange Line trains share ROW with freight trains). However... the best thing about the Gray Line is that people living in Hyde Park and South Shore would be able to extend service hours compared to the existing Metra Electric. Most of the people opposed to the switch are simply opposed to the managerial change that would take place... i.e. Metra to CTA. Once again, there are VERY preliminary ideas to use the Lakefront Busway (that's the paved area parallel to the Metra Electric tracks you see running through Grant Park) to run a Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit line from the Randolph street station, to Soldier Field, McCormick place, and south to Hyde Park with more frequent service than the existing Metra Electric service.

5. I'm a HUGE fan of T.O.D. I say if developers want to do business here, force them to pay for new clean bus shelters, bus stop signs, bike racks, bike lanes, give them tax credits for locating within a 4 block radius of transit stations, and penalize them for building anything too tall when it's far away from a transit station, and last but not least gradually reduce the percentage of parking spaces allowed in highrise office and residential towers in the following neighborhoods:
Edgewater, Uptown, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Gold Coast, River North, Near North, Streeterville, Greater Loop, New East Side, West Loop, South Loop, Hyde Park, and South Shore. Perhaps 50 years from now we'll consider installing a congestion charging zone as they've done in London. But for now this is impossible in a city in the USA.

6. Increasing the number of Metra trains during off-peak hours isn't easy. The freight railroads own most (but not all) of these lines, and as soon as Metra trains are off these lines the lines are clogged to high-hell with freight trains. These lines are clogged literally 24-7-365. The CREATE plan is a plan to grade separate numerous highway/rail crossings and more importantly it's a plan to grade separate numerous rail/rail crossings. This would eliminate numerous speed restrictions, pump more and more trains per hour, and yes... Metra's part of the action would see an uptick in passenger trains/hour in both peak and off-peak service. The federal government under-funded this BIG TIME. In fact, the people who are putting together CREATE (all of the railroads, Metra, the county, the city, the state) were all completely devastated by the lack of funding. They had a "worst case scenario"... and the amount of money offered by the feds came in WELL below that "worse case".

Urban Politician... I'd say you have a damn good grasp of transit in Chicago, especially for someone not living here.

Keep fighting the good fight!
TransitEngr

[Azn_chi_boi]

Do you work for the CTA? Because, they reply sounds really professional!

Also welcome to this forum!

[TransitEngr]

Originally Posted by Azn_chi_boi

Do you work for the CTA? Because, they reply sounds really professional!

Also welcome to this forum!

Wow. Thank you for your compliment. No, I'm a civil engineer specialized in transit/railway engineering. I work for a private civil engineering consulting corporation. My clients include now, or in the past: CDOT, CTA, Metra, Amtrak, The NICTD (a.k.a. The South Shore), most of the Class I freight railroads, and numerous other transit/rail agencies around North America.

And thanks for welcoming me to the forum, very cool one indeed. Transportation/cars/transit, etc will become an increasingly important topic in the future. Thanks for creating this forum Urban Politician. It's such a huge topic from Carbon Dioxide emissions, to oil dependancy, to pollution, to obesity in the American population, it's all interlinked to the addiction to the automobile.

[itsnotrequired]

Originally Posted by TransitEngr

I'll respond by numbered topics:
4. Most people who live on the south side in South Shore and Hyde Park (the two major urban residential areas of the south side) are very opposed to converting Metra Electric service into a CTA Gray Line. There is also serious concern about running transit trains (which have MUCH lower crash worthiness standards than the Metra Electric Nippon Sharyo's) mixed in with freight trains. Commuter trains and intercity trains obviously share tracks with freight trains, but nowhere do transit trains share tracks with freight trains. This would be extremely dangerous, and would require completely breaking off the tracks from the existing ones, basically only sharing the Right Of Way (ROW) (much like the Orange Line trains share ROW with freight trains). However... the best thing about the Gray Line is that people living in Hyde Park and South Shore would be able to extend service hours compared to the existing Metra Electric. Most of the people opposed to the switch are simply opposed to the managerial change that would take place... i.e. Metra to CTA. Once again, there are VERY preliminary ideas to use the Lakefront Busway (that's the paved area parallel to the Metra Electric tracks you see running through Grant Park) to run a Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit line from the Randolph street station, to Soldier Field, McCormick place, and south to Hyde Park with more frequent service than the existing Metra Electric service.

It is my undersatnding that the CTA would operate the same trains on the Gray Line as are currently operating. The plan calls for simply having the CTA run the trains instead of METRA. The CTA would run them at service levels similar to the El lines. Customers would pick up other CTA benefits such as the Chicago Card and same transfer structure as the CTA buses and trains.

Am I missing something here?

[pottebaum]

Do you think the Cirlce line will ever get built, in any form? This is cool; we have our own transit expert!

[TransitEngr]

Originally Posted by itsnotrequired

It is my undersatnding that the CTA would operate the same trains on the Gray Line as are currently operating. The plan calls for simply having the CTA run the trains instead of METRA. The CTA would run them at service levels similar to the El lines. Customers would pick up other CTA benefits such as the Chicago Card and same transfer structure as the CTA buses and trains.

Am I missing something here?

Yes, you are. But don't worry, you didn't miss anything obvious, and your point is valid. Most people do not understand how incredibly complicated it would be to run commuter style trains under a RRT (Rail Rapid Transit) agency's control. I know it sounds insane.... but it would be like moving a mountain. The CTA and Metra are fairly large agencies, with very different mindsets. They are entire sub-cultures in and of themselves. Either having entirely new CTA RRT trains in the Metra Electric ROW (right of way) or as you point out having CTA own and operate the Metra Electric trains would BOTH be monumental tasks. I don't want to come off as bad-mouthing my clients, but it's just true.

[itsnotrequired]

Originally Posted by TransitEngr

Yes, you are. But don't worry, you didn't miss anything obvious, and your point is valid. Most people do not understand how incredibly complicated it would be to run commuter style trains under a RRT (Rail Rapid Transit) agency's control. I know it sounds insane.... but it would be like moving a mountain. The CTA and Metra are fairly large agencies, with very different mindsets. They are entire sub-cultures in and of themselves. Either having entirely new CTA RRT trains in the Metra Electric ROW (right of way) or as you point out having CTA own and operate the Metra Electric trains would BOTH be monumental tasks. I don't want to come off as bad-mouthing my clients, but it's just true.

Ah, political infighting. An American classic!

CTA buying entirely new trains to operate on the Gray Line totally destroys whatever cost effectiveness the plan has. What makes the Gray Line proposal so great is that it is so cheap to implement from a capital standpoint. All it takes is a different way of thinking from the transit agencies (but like you say, moving a mountain).

The cheapest way to do this would be to have the CTA subsidize METRA to operate their trains at greater frequency/longer durations. METRA would honor all CTA passes and transfers. This would allow customers in the area to have better train access to downtown and also allow the CTA to shut down some of the bus routes in the area. CTA and METRA are more or less "competing" for fares in the area and there is a lot of unnecessary duplication of services. Too bad the agencies will probably never agree to this...

[TransitEngr]

Originally Posted by pottebaum

Do you think the Cirlce line will ever get built, in any form?

Great question... it's an exciting idea isn't it? It would ultimately change Chicago's Rail Rapid Transit system from a pulse network (pump people to downtown in the morning, and out at night) to a system wide network, where people take RRT all over town for most of their daily functions, work, dine, entertain, recreation, etc. People do that now... but it would be much easier with the Circle Line.

There are many potential outcomes.

Either nothing will be builit, parts will be built, or the whole thing will be built in long and drawn out stages. My guess is that most of it will be built, over a decade or more.

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by TransitEngr

Great question... it's an exciting idea isn't it? It would ultimately change Chicago's Rail Rapid Transit system from a pulse network (pump people to downtown in the morning, and out at night) to a system wide network, where people take RRT all over town for most of their daily functions, work, dine, entertain, recreation, etc. People do that now... but it would be much easier with the Circle Line.

There are many potential outcomes.

Either nothing will be builit, parts will be built, or the whole thing will be built in long and drawn out stages. My guess is that most of it will be built, over a decade or more.

^Thanks for all of your insight, Transit. I have a few questions.

1. Regarding the Circle Line, is it not true that work on the first phase is already under way? Is it also not true that funding for "planning" the Circle Line was approved in the latest Federal Transportation Bill? Since the Feds are funding further planning of the Circle Line, wouldn't it be safe to say that it is effectively being "earmarked" for further funding? Finally, if/when the Circle Line is finally complete, what do you think are the chances that free or cheap transfers between CTA/Metra will be available?

2. What do you consider is the most likely and most cost-effective way for the city to ultimately provide rail service for the future Riverside Park neighborhood (if at all)?

3. Finally, can't the RTA take a larger role in somehow "forcing" the CTA and Metra to work out some of their differences and cooporate a bit better?

[TransitEngr]

Originally Posted by The Urban Politician

^Thanks for all of your insight, Transit. I have a few questions.

1. Regarding the Circle Line, is it not true that work on the first phase is already under way? Is it also not true that funding for "planning" the Circle Line was approved in the latest Federal Transportation Bill? Since the Feds are funding further planning of the Circle Line, wouldn't it be safe to say that it is effectively being "earmarked" for further funding?

2. What do you consider is the most likely and most cost-effective way for the city to ultimately provide rail service for the future Riverside Park neighborhood (if at all)?

3. Finally, can't the RTA take a larger role in somehow "forcing" the CTA and Metra to work out some of their differences and cooporate a bit better?

1. You say "first phase is already under way"... do you mean planning/design? Not construction...right? I'm not sure if SAFETEA-LU (the latest rediculously named Fed Transportation Bill) set aside funding for planning. It certainly might have, I just don't know (I'm the first to admit when I don't know something). I'll see what I can find out at work. There have been projects in the past that have received federal funds for the 30% planning and even 100% design contract document level, and then no federal funding for construction.

2. I honestly don't know. It would be great if a Red Line bypass could be built to provide Rail Rapid Transit to that future community. But a Blue Line Loop through the West Loop transportation center would be mutually exclusive (my boss and I discovered that) and would not provide enough room to run the Red Line bypass under Clinton St with the Blue Line under Clinton. I honestly don't see any low-cost (I won't even use the word "cheap") way to provide Rail Rapid Transit to the Riverside Community.

3. In a way the RTA was already forced to force the CTA and Metra to cooperate. The board of regents (or whatever their fancy name is) in Springfield about a year or two back threatened the RTA with a funding cut if they didn't force the CTA, Pace, and Metra to develop one single fare collection system. The CTA and Pace already cooperate on that rather well. I have been on only one Pace bus in which the driver didn't know what to do with my CTA Chicago Card Plus... but typically my Chicago Card Plus works on Pace Buses. So the bottleneck is Metra. I don't remember the target date, but there's some year by which all of the Metra trains will be required to accept the one fare collection standard. So that's fare collection.
Metra, Pace, and CTA already do a reasonable job in scheduling trains and buses to arrive/depart so it's somewhat convenient to make a transfer. Obviously more could be done. Now on the long-term planning/coordination. I don't know if the RTA has the authority to force these three agencies to cooperate to such a degree. In many ways it's not about forcing people or agencies to do things, so much as it is about showing them how cooperating can help them. A carrot is typically better motivation than a big stick. I see what you're getting at Urban Politician. The Circle Line even at its planning/design level requires the forethought of Metra and CTA planning something *Together*. And you're thinking that if they did this more frequently more brilliant ideas would come along??? I'd bet you're right.

Now when it comes to the Gray Line I would say that no size carrot would get them to cooperate nicely here. Not only is it political and tied to dollars, but the CTA is a transit agency that is simply unversed in the safety, design, and maintenance standards of a railroad. Rail Rapid Transit (also known as Heavy Rail, "The Tube" in England, or "The Metro" in France) has a shadow of the regulations compared to Commuter Rail. The CTA would have to educate an entire staff on FRA (Fed. Railroad Admin), AAR (Amer. Association of Railroads) and AREMA (American Railway Engineers and Maintenance-of-way Association) standards. It would be like trying to get orange farmers to add on a department specialized in building aircraft carriers.

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by TransitEngr

1. You say "first phase is already under way"... do you mean planning/design? Not construction...right? I'm not sure if SAFETEA-LU (the latest rediculously named Fed Transportation Bill) set aside funding for planning. It certainly might have, I just don't know (I'm the first to admit when I don't know something). I'll see what I can find out at work. There have been projects in the past that have received federal funds for the 30% planning and even 100% design contract document level, and then no federal funding for construction.

Actually, I did mean that I thought construction of phase I was under way. I have read this in a particular website that discusses Chicago-area transportation projects in significant detail. Here's the link to the exact page--it suggests that work on phase I has begun, although perhaps I'm mistaken (if the link doesn't work, I may be able to perform a cut and paste of the important parts): http://www.rtams.org/rtams/rtpProject?id=3

2. I honestly don't know. It would be great if a Red Line bypass could be built to provide Rail Rapid Transit to that future community. But a Blue Line Loop through the West Loop transportation center would be mutually exclusive (my boss and I discovered that) and would not provide enough room to run the Red Line bypass under Clinton St with the Blue Line under Clinton. I honestly don't see any low-cost (I won't even use the word "cheap") way to provide Rail Rapid Transit to the Riverside Community.

I figured as much. It looks like bus service will be the only option for a very long time. Chicago will only get significant transit dollars once the Federal Govt rearranges its ridiculous priorities

3. In a way the RTA was already forced to force the CTA and Metra to cooperate. The board of regents (or whatever their fancy name is) in Springfield about a year or two back threatened the RTA with a funding cut if they didn't force the CTA, Pace, and Metra to develop one single fare collection system. The CTA and Pace already cooperate on that rather well. I have been on only one Pace bus in which the driver didn't know what to do with my CTA Chicago Card Plus... but typically my Chicago Card Plus works on Pace Buses. So the bottleneck is Metra. I don't remember the target date, but there's some year by which all of the Metra trains will be required to accept the one fare collection standard. So that's fare collection.
Metra, Pace, and CTA already do a reasonable job in scheduling trains and buses to arrive/depart so it's somewhat convenient to make a transfer. Obviously more could be done. Now on the long-term planning/coordination. I don't know if the RTA has the authority to force these three agencies to cooperate to such a degree. In many ways it's not about forcing people or agencies to do things, so much as it is about showing them how cooperating can help them. A carrot is typically better motivation than a big stick. I see what you're getting at Urban Politician. The Circle Line even at its planning/design level requires the forethought of Metra and CTA planning something *Together*. And you're thinking that if they did this more frequently more brilliant ideas would come along??? I'd bet you're right.

Yeah, that is exactly what I've been thinking about. Not having the inside knowledge that you have, I am compelled to simplify things and use "common sense". I see a CTA and Metra map, and all I can do is imagine that if somehow they were merged into 1 system, Chicago would essentially have an UNBELIEVABLY thorough and comprehensive rail network that would revolutionize mobility in the region. To me, the Circle Line seems like the perfect 1st step in bridging the political and infrastructure gap between CTA and Metra.

Now when it comes to the Gray Line I would say that no size carrot would get them to cooperate nicely here. Not only is it political and tied to dollars, but the CTA is a transit agency that is simply unversed in the safety, design, and maintenance standards of a railroad. Rail Rapid Transit (also known as Heavy Rail, "The Tube" in England, or "The Metro" in France) has a shadow of the regulations compared to Commuter Rail. The CTA would have to educate an entire staff on FRA (Fed. Railroad Admin), AAR (Amer. Association of Railroads) and AREMA (American Railway Engineers and Maintenance-of-way Association) standards. It would be like trying to get orange farmers to add on a department specialized in building aircraft carriers.

That's too bad. But honestly, 1 of 2 things really has to happen. Either the laborious conversion of Metra Electic to CTA operation occurs or that line starts to run much, much more frequently. Oh, and are you sure that residents of Hyde Park don't want the Gray Line? Check out their website, www.hpherald.com and click "Hyde Park community conference", which is essentially their community discussion board--there is a section that discusses the Gray Line proposal and their support for it. That's where I heard about it.

[itsnotrequired]

Originally Posted by The Urban Politician

Actually, I did mean that I thought construction of phase I was under way. I have read this before several times, including in a particular website that discusses Chicago-area transportation projects in significant detail. I'll see if I can find a link for ya.

The Paulina Connector was recently upgraded so as to return it to revenue service. The tracks has been used for years by the CTA for maintenance purposes but it has now been brought up to standards for running passeneger loads.

This portion of track is sometimes refered to as "Phase 1" of the Circle Line project. It runs N-S along Paulina between the Green and Blue lines (a bit to the east of the United Center). I beleive the CTA had plans to put this back into revenue service before the Circle Line was even announced. It could also be used for the Silver Line plan that the CTA is floating around.

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by itsnotrequired

The Paulina Connector was recently upgraded so as to return it to revenue service. The tracks has been used for years by the CTA for maintenance purposes but it has now been brought up to standards for running passeneger loads.

This portion of track is sometimes refered to as "Phase 1" of the Circle Line project. It runs N-S along Paulina between the Green and Blue lines (a bit to the east of the United Center). I beleive the CTA had plans to put this back into revenue service before the Circle Line was even announced. It could also be used for the Silver Line plan that the CTA is floating around.

^The statement you just quoted has been edited. I provided a link to what I was talking about. But yeah, I honestly think Phase I construction has already been under way, but then I don't live in Chicago so who am I to know WTF is goin on?

[nomarandlee]

For some reason it seems a light rail possibility is not well received here but why not have some light rail or trams in loop/river north/musuam campus/streetersville/Michigan Ave?

It would be much more tourist friendly and would enhance foot travel throughout the loop.

I think something akin to Toronto's service would be ideal here. For some reason it seems a light rail possibility is not well received here but why not have some light rail or trams in loop/river north/musuam campus/streetersville/Michigan Ave?

It would be much more tourist friendly and would enhance foot travel throughout the loop.

I think something akin to downtown Toronto's service would be ideal here.

I think something akin to Torontos service would be ideal here.

[pottebaum]

Looking at these two maps, I think the CTA and Metra need to improve coverage in the NW side:

[TransitEngr]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

For some reason it seems a light rail possibility is not well received here but why not have some light rail or trams in loop/river north/musuam campus/streetersville/Michigan Ave?

It would be much more tourist friendly and would enhance foot travel throughout the loop.

I think something akin to Toronto's service would be ideal here. For some reason it seems a light rail possibility is not well received here but why not have some light rail or trams in loop/river north/musuam campus/streetersville/Michigan Ave?

It would be much more tourist friendly and would enhance foot travel throughout the loop.

I think something akin to downtown Toronto's service would be ideal here.

I think something akin to Torontos service would be ideal here.

Very true. Chicagoans being cross with light rail runs back to something called The Chicago Distributor.... then it was called The Chicago Circulator (died in 1997/98). Both of these were plans to install light rail throughout the loop, Streeterville, River North. And both of these died for one very specific reason. Each time the city had a route in mind developers and land owners would scream NIMBY... and the route would be changed, each time encountering the same resistance, and eventually dying because every route was blocked. But... CDOT has wizened up quite a bit since then. CDOT is working on several plans all of which MIGHT have light rail run over various parts of the alignments. However, this time CDOT is sticking quite well to its guns and is negotiating with developers and land owners block by block, and is preserving Right Of Way with developers so that potential routes are not precluded by large developments. The Ogden Ave. Corridor was also looking at Streetcar service (which is one form of LRT, Light Rail Transit). But I'm not sure what happened to that with one of the politicians now gone who supported the streetcar being used instead of BRT (Bus Rapid Transit).

Little known fact, at its height of service Chicago had the world's largest network of streetcars on Earth. Rubber tire manufacturers and the oil companies essentially killed streetcars in America, but imagine looking at the CTA map and replacing all of those bus lines with streetcar lines... amazing huh!?

Now, to get back to what NomarAndLee said... yes, Light Rail (particularly articulated light rail running at decent speeds, with low-floor train sets, and mini-platforms) would be fantastic throughout downtown. There are dozens of very solid mini-corridors downtown that are perfect for Light Rail, one of which I'm working on in my company right now, sorry I can't be more specific than that. Once my firm makes its final deliverable to the client (and hence it all goes public) I'll go wicked-mad and explain that corridor in this forum.

I'm personally a huge fan of light rail. It decreases our nation's dependence upon foreign oil, and in a city where nearly 80% of our electricity is produced by nuclear power... they basically reduce air pollution, overall (not just foreign) dependency on fossil fuels, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. On top of all of that light rail help promote a European style pedestrian ambiance that's friendly and inviting. Additionally businesses typically (after the construction phase) experience great benefit. I.E., no business is going to locate somewhere because of a bus line, but businesses and consumers will gravitate to a Light Rail Station.


Cheers, Happy Monday

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by TransitEngr

Very true. Chicagoans being cross with light rail runs back to something called The Chicago Distributor.... then it was called The Chicago Circulator (died in 1997/98). Both of these were plans to install light rail throughout the loop, Streeterville, River North. And both of these died for one very specific reason. Each time the city had a route in mind developers and land owners would scream NIMBY... and the route would be changed, each time encountering the same resistance, and eventually dying because every route was blocked. But... CDOT has wizened up quite a bit since then. CDOT is working on several plans all of which MIGHT have light rail run over various parts of the alignments. However, this time CDOT is sticking quite well to its guns and is negotiating with developers and land owners block by block, and is preserving Right Of Way with developers so that potential routes are not precluded by large developments. The Ogden Ave. Corridor was also looking at Streetcar service (which is one form of LRT, Light Rail Transit). But I'm not sure what happened to that with one of the politicians now gone who supported the streetcar being used instead of BRT (Bus Rapid Transit).

Little known fact, at its height of service Chicago had the world's largest network of streetcars on Earth. Rubber tire manufacturers and the oil companies essentially killed streetcars in America, but imagine looking at the CTA map and replacing all of those bus lines with streetcar lines... amazing huh!?

Now, to get back to what NomarAndLee said... yes, Light Rail (particularly articulated light rail running at decent speeds, with low-floor train sets, and mini-platforms) would be fantastic throughout downtown. There are dozens of very solid mini-corridors downtown that are perfect for Light Rail, one of which I'm working on in my company right now, sorry I can't be more specific than that. Once my firm makes its final deliverable to the client (and hence it all goes public) I'll go wicked-mad and explain that corridor in this forum.

I'm personally a huge fan of light rail. It decreases our nation's dependence upon foreign oil, and in a city where nearly 80% of our electricity is produced by nuclear power... they basically reduce air pollution, overall (not just foreign) dependency on fossil fuels, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. On top of all of that light rail help promote a European style pedestrian ambiance that's friendly and inviting. Additionally businesses typically (after the construction phase) experience great benefit. I.E., no business is going to locate somewhere because of a bus line, but businesses and consumers will gravitate to a Light Rail Station.


Cheers, Happy Monday

^Wow, this is quite fascinating. Do you have any idea what the funding situation for a downtown light rail circulator would be?

Also, I hope you got the chance to see my previous few posts before this--I provided a link for you to look at regarding the construction of Phase I of the Circle Line.

[TransitEngr]

TUP... Hey, I tried that link, but it asks for a user name and password. I'd LOVE to know about any phase of the Circle Line, please share.

And to answer your question... nope I don't have a clue about any funding set aside for light rail downtown. Right now what I'm working on is in the 10-15% Planning level, so it's a ways off from 100% contract documents, let alone construction financing.

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by TransitEngr

TUP... Hey, I tried that link, but it asks for a user name and password. I'd LOVE to know about any phase of the Circle Line, please share.

And to answer your question... nope I don't have a clue about any funding set aside for light rail downtown. Right now what I'm working on is in the 10-15% Planning level, so it's a ways off from 100% contract documents, let alone construction financing.

^Okay, here's a cut and paste of essentially what is at that site:

2030 RTP Major Capital Project: Circle Line
Overview
Proposed Mode: Rapid Transit

Project Type: Chicago Transit Hub

Investment Categories: Committed - Circle Line (Phase I)
Project - Circle Line (Phase II)
Corridor - Circle Line (Phase III)



Description
The Circle Line is composed of new strategic links to Chicago's “L” rapid transit system that will allow more direct connections between most rapid transit and commuter rail lines. These new links are located about 2 to 3 miles from the Chicago Central Business District (CBD). The Circle Line will also allow significant service and operational improvements.

The project will significantly increase transit access to employment centers in Chicago's expanded central area. It will also allow for new transit-oriented commercial, retail and residential development to be concentrated along the existing, but underutilized, urban infrastructure. The project is expected to significantly decrease transit travel time between the Central Area, city neighborhoods and suburban communities throughout the region. The Circle Line connects to 6 CTA rail lines, 12 Metra rail lines and 20 CTA bus routes.

The proposal is divided into three phases. Phase I, already underway, restores a section of elevated structure connecting Lake Street and Congress. Phase II involves constructing a new south link between the Douglas Branch and the Orange Line. Phase III involves constructing a new north link between Lake Street and the Red Line. Implementing each of these phases is accompanied by itinerary changes on existing rapid transit lines serving the CBD.

The service crosses the South, Main, and North Branches of the Chicago River, though no construction activity is expected across the Main Branch. The project also crosses Washington and Warren Boulevards, part of the Chicago Historic Boulevard System; the boulevards could be enhanced by the project at these locations

[TransitEngr]

Originally Posted by The Urban Politician

^Okay, here's a cut and paste of essentially what is at that site:.......

The proposal is divided into three phases. Phase I, already underway, restores a section of elevated structure connecting Lake Street and Congress. Phase II involves constructing a new south link between the Douglas Branch and the Orange Line. Phase III involves constructing a new north link between Lake Street and the Red Line. Implementing each of these phases is accompanied by itinerary changes on existing rapid transit lines serving the CBD.
[/I]

Hmmmmmmm.... It says Phase I is already underway. I'm a little confused by that since the elevated structure linking the Lake St. Green Line El and the Congress branch is already in reasonably good condition... although it has been abandoned for years. It would take limited budget to get it up to operating condition, except perhaps for upgrading signals, maybe building a United Center El stop (which would be GREAT), and creating the route to operate on Phase 1 including reprinting maps, etc.

Regarding funding. This is what I found (good news):

Jon Hilkevitch - Chicago Tribune
Archer Bridge to be rebuilt
Published August 8, 2005
"....Federal funding for road building in Illinois will increase 33 percent under the legislation. Seed money also will be provided for long-planned commuter rail projects, including the Chicago Transit Authority's Circle Line and Metra's STAR Line."


and...


TRAINS News Wire for August 1, 2005
"....Among the numerous transit projects given government go-ahead was Metra's STAR line, a 55-mile commuter rail route connecting Joliet on the southwest to Hoffman Estates and O'Hare on the northeast, which would use existing Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad right-of-way, plus a new rail right-of-way into O’Hare from the west. Ditto for the Chicago Transit Authority's Circle Line, which would encircle the Loop area downtown, connecting all existing CTA and Metra lines as they approach the Loop and providing additional shortcuts between stops. Both projects are expected to produce thousands of jobs over the next decade."



*Looks good*... Phase I should be a snap (snap = 2 or 3 years with the laid back slow pace of life Chicagoans are famous for ), and phase II and III should each take a decade. Yes... even if this goes beyond "Seed money"... it will still take decades, especially since a great deal of Phase III requires tunneling all the way from Ashland & Lake all the way up to North & Clybourn.