by Aaron M. Renn
Chronicling life riding the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
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TJ Ross, head of the Phoenix transit agency, has been named the head of the suburban PACE bus agency. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 6/9/98 ]
Mayor Daley came down on the side of a Blue Extension to Schaumburg. This puts him at odds with CTA officials who are facing an estimated $2.5 billion funding shortfall just to rehabilitate the existing system. (The cost of the Blue Line extension is estimated at $500-800 million). They want to fix the existing system before investing in new routes. RTA officials are also very unhappy with Schaumburg village president Al Larson, who got authorization (but no funding) for the extension written into the new transportation bill without going through them. [ Chicago Sun-Times 6/10/98 ]
Union Station lost power on on 6/10 when a steam pipe burst and water shorted out the wiring. Hundreds of commuters were trapped outside in a rainstorm when station officials locked the doors to keep people out of the waiting area (which still had power). Everything was back to normal by rush hour, with most trains experiencing only minor delays. There was also another brief power outage on 6/11.
nospam-djaco@yin.interaccess.com wrote back to tell us that the escalator at the Jackson Red Line station is back in operation. On the downside, he has been experiencing long waits between Clark St. busses at Congress Ave. The waits have been as long as 20 minutes at afternoon rush hour.
Eric Holeman (nospam-ehol@enteract.com) lets us know that the CTA is taking "the rapid out of transit". Recently, his southbound Red Line train was going so slow it was being outpaced by a parallel Broadway bus. He still thinks the Red Line is a better deal though. Last Sunday he spent 20 minutes simply waiting for a Broadway bus to show up.
Eric also brings back up one of my pet peeves: Evanston Express headways. The Purple Line actually run less frequently at rush hour than it does off peak. If you miss the 3:30 southbound at Davis, it is 15 minutes before the next train. Miss the 4:01 and you'll have to wait 17 minutes for a train.
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.
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