by Aaron M. Renn
Chronicling life riding the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
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The Douglas L rehab project has failed to get any money out of the House Transportation Subcommittee this year. It is still not to late for funding to be added at any of the innumerable steps this legislation must go through before it becomes law. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 7/17/98 ] [ You know, if Chicago's Congressional caucus were smart, they would blackball funding for this project (and all CTA major captial projects) until the recent service cuts are undone - AMR ]
After a one year study, Metra has selected a $165 million plan to expand service on its Southwest line. This would increase the number of trains per day from 16 to 30 and move the downtown terminal from Union Station to LaSalle St. Station. Options rejected included expansion to 52 trains per day, though this could happen in another future expansion. This expansion is still a long way from actual construction. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 7/17/98 ] [ This project would interestingly free up slots at Union Station for additional commuter rail service to the West Side instead of the Douglas L rehab, if it were done on an accelerated time frame. - AMR ]
Amtrak is restoring service on the Hoosier State train to Indianapolis. Apparently the time spent coupling and decoupling cars to the Cardinal caused delays on that line. (One of Amtrak's biggest repair yards is in the Indianapolis suburb of Beech Grove). The Hoosier State will now resume service in order to shuttle cars to the yards. The schedule is still abysmal. The train runs three times a week leaving at 5:05am from Indy with a running time of 5:15 (compared with a three hour drive). [ Source: The Indianapolis Star 7/10/98 ]
7/12 9:45pm - A Red Line train partially derailed near Webster. About 200 passengers had to be evacuated via ladders from fire trucks. The CTA was forced to cut power to the line, which stranded a parallel south bound train that also required evacuation. Shuttle bus service substituted for the L while the track was out of commission. No word on a cause as of yet. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 7/13/98 ]
Last week a co-worker waited for a Blue Line train at Harlem for about twenty minutes at rush hour until a train finally came - and whizzed right past express.
Maura Byrne (nospam-byrn@midway.uchicago.edu) Reports:
On 6/25/98 (I'm not definite, but pretty sure of the date), I was riding the Red Line south at 8:15 in the morning. There was a slight delay at the Roosevelt station, but not enough of one to really get my attention. As we moved south of Cermak toward the 35th Street station, however, there was a pretty long pause while the operator talked for a while on the radio. I heard some noise about someone on the track, but I couldn't make it out. We crept forward, and I saw the real problem. The two rear cars on a northbound Red Line had broken off and were stuck on the track. The cars were packed, and the doors were open. It looked as though these cars didn't have any power, so the doors had been opened to provide some air. And our train had suddenly become -- ta daaaa -- Rescue Train! The delay at Roosevelt had been to give the operator a board, like the one seen in "Speed", to allow persons to cross from the stranded train to our train. The process took a good twenty minutes or so, although nobody minded because we all were tremendously relieved at getting all those people off that train. I have no idea how long they had been waiting for rescue. They were saying something about sparks flying, which led some people to whom I'd told this story to think that the wheels had locked up.
Eventually, the train pulled into the 35th Street station, where the train suddenly had to run express to 87th Street. We all got off, and our good mood was starting to dissipate. But at the 35th Street stop there were Customer Service Assistants giving transfers and general assistance to those who had been stuck. Besides, in the "It Could Be Worse" department, I could see two northbound trains, one almost pulled out of and one almost pulled into the station. The former train had the last two cars at the platform, and the latter had the first two cars at the platform. For all four of these cars at the platform, the doors were open but the cars were still full of people, so I don't know if those doors were supposed to be open or not. Shortly after getting left at the platform by Rescue Train, another southbound train pulled in. When I got on, I asked the conductor if this train would be making all stops. He replied, "So far," which was good for a laugh for the front car. Upon arriving at the 47th Street stop, this train also became an express train, running to 79th Street. I had to wait for the next train, which was on the heels of this train, to get to Garfield, the stop I wanted to get to in the first place.
By the end of the whole thing, I'd expected to see a mention of it in the news somewhere, but I saw absolutely no mention of it anywhere. So thanks for letting me "validate my experience". [ No problem - thanks a lot for writing in! - 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.
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