The Weekly Breakdown - Vol. 3, #21 Chronicling life riding the Chicago Transit Authority Note that email distribution of the Weekly Breakdown is suspended until further notice because my computer crashed. In the Media ------------ In the wake of several highly publicized attacks on CTA passengers and employees, the agency is testing video cameras at four L stations. The stations where cameras will be installed are 35th St./Orange Line, Kedzie/Green Line, Roosevelt/Red Line, and 95th/Red Line. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 8 June 2000 ] The CTA has announced that it will start keeping its part time stations open at all times when there is service in order to eliminate confusion for riders about whether or not a particular station is open. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 6 June 2000 ] The group studying transportation options in the Northwest Tollway Corridor have set a goal of 18 months to reach consensus on a option. Local governments strongly prefer a Blue Line L extension, though this is by far the most expensive option. Other options include light rail and bus transit. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 7 June 2000 ] Commentary ---------- Mark Andersen wrote in with this very interesting piece of rumor:
This is straight from the rumour mill but I have a feeling it's true since I heard it from several sources in my neighborhood. At the Western and Armitage stop on the Blue Line the CTA is putting in a couple of staircases to let people off on the west side of Western. Currently all exits leave on the east side of Western. Anyway, there is a strip of land about 7 feet by (i estimate) 125 feet on the north side of the tracks that the CTA recently purchased for a whopping $1.5 million (according to the rumour mill). This little strip of land used to be a run down hot dog stand a few years ago and has been vacant for quite awhile. The land is basically worthless to build anything on. The interesting thing about this is that the CTA staircase doesn't even encroach on that strip of land yet for some reason they felt the need to part with $1.5 mill to buy this out. I think for $1.5 million they should have at least got deed to the building next store and the bar (Westward Ho). Maybe the CTA employees who decided to purchase that land were drinking at the bar when they made such a bonehead decision.
Bob Soron sent in this followup to my complaints last week about not hearing an announcement about the UP-North Metra delays:
I don't know how such announcements work, but I was also caught up in the delays of this past week when the train hit the pedestrian. I get on at Ravenswood, and was a little early for the train that reaches the station around 8:25 -- a lot of people already knew about the delay from having heard it on the radio (although I didn't), and Metra did broadcast announcements in that station three or four times in the 45 minutes I was there. I don't know why our station got announcements and yours didn't, but I can vouch that they were there.