by Aaron M. Renn
Chronicling life riding the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Visit The Weekly Breakdown on the web at http://www.urbanophile.com/breakdown/
The CTA cutback list is available on the web at: http://www.transitchicago.com/announce.htm#CA426
Correction: There is no handicapped accessible entrance at Fullerton. I must have been half asleep when I scoped out the station improvements. It's just a gate, not an entrance.
Who Do You Believe?: Governing magazine examined Justice Department figures and concluded the CTA is the second most dangerous subway/L system in the US with 952 crimes per million rides. The CTA claims that the study erroneously counted crimes such as fare jumping and that the CTA is actually the safest subway/L system in America with 12 crimes per million rides. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 4/20 ]
Don't Count On It: Area Congressmen asked with Mayor Daley to block the next round of CTA cuts. He declined to do so. CTA President Frank Kruesi called the congressmen "hypocrites" for complaining about service cuts at the same time Congress eliminated operating subsides for the CTA [ Source: Chicago Tribute 4/24 ]
Federal Operating Assistance to the CTA: In 1991: $41.5 million In 1999: Zero
4/21 6:35p - Announcer at Fullerton says that the approaching southbound Howard train was delayed by a signal problem at Belmont, and that after stopping at Fullerton, it will run express to Grand.
4/21 9:50p - Southbound Evanston train is delayed at the Howard interlocking for about 5 minutes. The reason: yet again two Howard trains were taking up the entire platform area. We had to wait until one left before we could proceed, at which point we had a ten minute wait until the next run.
John Paulus (nospam-shadowm@ripco.com) reports:
On 4/13 @ 8am, The Wilson El Stop's card machines are BOTH broken (one takes coins only, the other, totally gone). Also, the machine that accepts coins isn't giving out transfers.
(And if i haven't mentioned it, there are two entrances at Wilson. The main one (just North of Wilson) has 3 turnstiles, with just one accepting coins. The South entrance has two turnstiles (with no agent), but but neither accepts coins.
Chuck Metalitz (nospam-taxpayer@pobox.com) reports:
Effective Sunday, Evanston rail service is discontinued between approximately 1AM and 5AM. Previously, service was provided by one train, with one operator. The substitute service will require two buses. AFAIK, each station will continue to have a guard all night.
Today the friendly Customer Assistant at South Blvd gave me the new schedule. It shows the train times, but in the place where the bus schedule could be simply says "When trains are not running, use the N201 bus." This document doesn't even show the phone number for travel information (773/836-7000) nor the CTA's non-information toll-free number (888-YOU-RCTA). In fact, it doesn't even state an "effective date", merely an effective month of April, 1998!
Richard Caroli (nospam-rcaroli@nmh.org) reports:
At Main Street in Evanston, the purple line station in the last couple of days saw the installation of a huge chain link fence INSIDE the walkway after the turnstiles and metal doors and panels were installed at the top of the stairs and on the openings looking out at the platform. Why? Is it to keep taggers or whoever off the tracks at night because they will now be "closed" from 1-6 or whatever the new hours are? If so, are they doing it at all Evanston stations? [ Good questions - AMR ]
It must have cost a fortune for this new fencing and steel work! And the station looks like a prison yard now. Metra is right next door, they dont run late at night and they have NONE of these types of security measures, why do CTA stations need to look like third world jails? Arent the old metal bars enough? Now CTA spends our money on two or three layers of security? This seems really ill-advised IMHO.
I thought this curtailment of service was supposed to SAVE money and here they are SPENDING money to make the station locked on the stairwells and up by the platform when the front door of the station and the old turnstiles have locks anyway!
It is incredible that the CTA has this massive public infrastructure already built that would be the envy of most "new" or expanding cities in the sun belt and they (and our state and federal govt.) are cutting service and leting the tracks sit idly! [ I couldn't agree more - AMR ]
The Weekly Breakdown is a small Internet journal devoted to the trials and tribulations of being a regular rider of the Chicago Transit Authority. I would be happy to hear about and include your experiences. Just send mail to breakdown@urbanophile.com.
Aaron.
Just Say No to Frames, Ads, and Animated GIF's