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/
To reach the CTA's online ticket sales site, click the yellow banner at the top of their web page. (It is supposedly a scrolling message, but doesn't work for me for some reason). Or click straight to http://www.transitchicago.com/store/index.html
The CTA is still planning to renumber its bus routes, a move Tribune transportation writer Jon Hilkevitch likened to "New Coke". [ Source: Chicago Tribune 10/26/98 ]
The CTA received $240 million in federal funding to expand the platforms on the Ravenswood L to accomodate eight car trains. When someone asked why the CTA was spending this huge sum on expansion while chopping service elsewhere, the CTA board chairman Valerie Jarrett said, "We have to invest where people want to go." [ Which apparently means only affluent white neighborhoods - AMR ] [ Source: Chicago Tribune 10/29/98 ]
The CTA is declaring that their U-Pass system (where college students pay a flat fee for an unlimited ride semester transit pass) is a great success. So far this fall there have been 774,000 rides under the program, with 59% of them off peak. The top users were Harold Washington College (158,875 rides), DePaul University (130,750 rides), and Loyola University (118,039 rides). One DePaul user claimed that his classmates who drive in from the suburbs and don't use the pass hate it. (The program is mandatory for all students in a school). The Sun-Times (which covered this story in its 10/26/98 issue) declined to interview anyone who disliked the pass however.
Ryan Szerekes (nospam-rszerekes@yahoo.com) wrote in to say that he thinks he saw one of the CTA's new busses with a two way data terminal on Foster Ave. There was a CRT display that said "slow down". Ryan says the bus was making good time down Foster. I guess too good time.
10/24 Melaine Huston (nospam-mhuston@ix.netcom.com) reports that her Red Line train ran express from Wilson to Loyola. No explanation as to the cause.
Metra was handing out flyers this week apologizing for major delays on the UP-North line on 10/27. Apparently a southbound express train hit a car on a grade crossing in Glencoe about 5:20 which caused closed the tracks for quite some time. While I took that line home that night, I fortunately did not experience any delays. But I get off way south of Glencoe.
It had to happen. I just mindlessly get on the same train every day because my train is always on the same platform. One day last week there was a different train at my platform and I ended up on an express train that skipped my stop. Fortunately I was able to exit at Davis St., cross to the L, board a southbound train that arrivied immediately, and get back to Main St. faster than if I had caught my regular train. Of course it did cost me an extra $1.50.
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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