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/
In the first of what I hope will be many enhancements to the Weekly Breakdown web site, I have added maps of the CTA's night owl network.
An update on the Metra Southwest line expansion plans. The line is proposed to be extended 11 miles to Manhattan. The cost breakdown is $100 million for track and signal upgrades, $33 million for new stations and $33 million for new locomotives and coaches. [ Source: Chicago Sun-Times 7/22/98 ]
7/21 5:15pm - I guess the CTA isn't the only transit agency with door problems. My UP-North Metra train was delayed while the crew fixed a door problem in the lead car.
Speaking of door problems, the remainder of this week's issue is devoted to a horrific brush with death by commuters on the CTA Red Line reported to us by Scott A. Newman (nospam-scottn@suba.com). Note while reading this story that CTA trains are supposed to have an interlock that prevents them from moving when the doors are open.
7/20/98:
I boarded a northbound Howard train at Roosevelt around 5:30pm. The AC was out in the car I boarded, so I moved to the next one back, hoping for a more pleasant ride.
As we headed north, the train filled with rush-hour passengers. At Grand, the train stopped, but the doors nearest me failed to open. The train proceeded, much to the dismay of several passengers who could not reach the other set of doors (too crowded) before they closed.
At Chicago, the doors once again failed to open and this time someone popped them open manually. The conductor, not realizing the problem, closed the rest of the doors and cleared the train to proceed while passengers were still boarding through the malfunctioning doors and a couple of passengers, caught with one leg on the platform and another on the quickly accelerating train, were thrown about as a result. The train then came to a quick halt, the doors were reset, the malfunctioning doors on my car closed, and we continued on our way.
At North and Clybourn, there were no problems. However, at Fullerton, a passenger again decided to pop the door open. This time the doors got stuck and the train proceeded out of the station with the one pair of its doors wide open. With the train still very crowded and no way to contact the motorman, we zig-zagged at full speed through the curves between Fullerton and Belmont, several people holding on as tight as possible for fear that they might lose their balance and be tossed from the train. Not until about halfway between Belmont and Addison did the safety systems kick in and the train stopped so the doors could be unjammed and electrically disabled for the rest of the trip.
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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