The Weekly Breakdown - A small Internet journal devoted to the trials and tribulations of being a regular rider of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). CTA News and Rumors ------------------- The reconstruction of the Green Line L is apparently still not complete. Signs at Loop stations are announcing the opening of the new Marion station on that line (where ever that is). The Chicago Tribune had a longish article about the CTA in the Sunday (2/1/97) Perspective section. Among other things, it is projecting the CTA will actually turn a modest surplus this year. Here are a few facts cited in the article: Available capital funds through 2001: $855 million Size of capital shortfall through 2001: $1.9 billion Amount of money saved through recent service cuts: $25 million/year Number of CTA employees: 12,000 Number of CTA positions eliminated through attrition: 800 Daily CTA ridership: 1.4 million Number of suburbs with CTA service: 37 Cost of new fare card system: $106 million Decline in bus ridership 1975-1996: 30% Decline in rail ridership 1975-1996: 44% Decline in operating costs 1975-1996: 6.4% Number of CTA busses without working air conditioning: 1000 Number of CTA busses past estimated useful life: 500 CTA Breakdowns -------------- Tuesday 1/27 - Southbound Red line trains doing best Clark St. bus imitation at rush hour. No train for quite sometime, then two come right in a row. I wait for the second one and get a seat at 7:30! Tuesday 1/27 - The front right door on the lead car of a Ravenswood train is non-operable. Wednesday 1/28 - Twice an Evanston train blocked the progress of the Ravenswood I was on. But both times the driver came on the intercom and politely explained that there would be a minor delay, and the reason for it. If only this happened more often (the explanation, I mean). Saturday 1/31 - Northbound Howard train. The left front door of my car is out of order. About the Weekly Breakdown -------------------------- I'm now working in the Loop for the forseeable future. Riding the CTA to and from work (and around town) always brings a myriad of inexplicable annoyances and problems. So many in fact, that I figure I have enough to fill up a short weekly Internet posting with all the bad things that happen just to me. Hopefully this will help to illuminate in some small way how the CTA's poor operations can drive riders crazy, even if many of the problems are pretty minor. Call it death of a thousand cuts. The cumulative weight of so many minor screw-ups is enough to make almost anyone who can afford one just buy a car and give up on transit completely. If you have any problems you'd like to share, please send them to me at breakdown@urbanophile.com. Aaron. ------------------------- The CTA's web site can be found at