CTA Bus Tracker Amazes

The CTA gets a lot of bad press and some of it's warranted, but in our opinion it's usually not. So when they do something right, we feel it's our job to applaud. The CTA Bus Tracker deserves this recognition and praise.

One of our oldest gripes with public transportation is the unreliability of their so called 'schedules'. In the past trains were the most reliable since they operate on tracks solely devoted for their purpose. Bus schedules obviously depend on traffic and as most Chicagoans know...good luck figuring that conundrum out.

However, the new bus tracker system helps to alleviate this problem. The system has been rolled out slowly, starting with a couple test routes, but seems to be well received by all parties involved. Recently, many routes that service the South Loop have been added to the system and upon our tests, it's truly a great and useful technology.

Below is the web based version which shows you a variety of features (ranging from the route of each bus, where it is on the route, when it will get to your desired stop, and so on):
So great, that's helpful if you're on a computer at home or at work, but what if you're out and about enjoying the Chi. Don't fret because there is a mobile version which isn't quite as simple or user friendly, but after some practice just as convenient.

Although we've only been using the bus tracker for a couple of weeks, it's honestly improved our commuting experience. You probably don't hear that from CTA commuters very often!

However, one question remains, why can't they do the same thing for the El trains? It seems like it should be easy if they've been able to roll this technology out to hundreds of buses, right?

Regardless, congrats to the CTA for a useful and consumer centric improvement to the system!

Federal Funding for the Olympics

Jack G recently directed us to this old but relevant article from the New York Times circa 1999. The article talks about federal spending associated with the Olympics. Obviously this is relevant for us to consider as Chicago's bid for the 2016 games progresses.

From what we've read, the federal government is on tap to pay for the security if the games come to Chicago. This no doubt will be a lot of money given the size of Chicago and awareness of security post 9-11. The story states that the most recent American games in Salt Lake City, the first after 9-11, cost the federal government upwards of $200 million. Compare that with the '96 Atlanta games ($92 million for security) and the '84 Los Angeles games ($68 million) and it's easy to assume that the cost of security for Chicago could potentially be twice as much as the Salt Lake City games.

However, the biggest federal expense might come from new infrastructure projects that are sped up due to the Olympics. Olympic loyalists argue that this would happen eventually, but given the stage the Olympics provide enables these projects to be greenlighted quicker.

Our guess is that long term CTA, Metra and highway projects that are on the table but currently 'unfunded' could fall into this category. We hope so, because right now the current Olympic transportation plan for Chicago is pretty unimpressive.

The Metra and The Olympic Village Stop Question?

Ok, by our calculations it seems like the bid team intentionally left out the fact that there is a 27th street Metra stop right by the proposed Olympic Village. Why would they do this? We thought it provided them a great opportunity to connect the Olympic Village to the rest of the city with Mass Rail Transit.
From our calculations, there really are not many close CTA stops to the proposed Olympic Village (see chart below). The closest Red Line stop is the Chinatown stop which is approximately 1.5 Miles away. The closest Green Line stop is also about 1.5 miles away. So the CTA really won't be accessible to the Olympic Village.
So this leaves the Metra, which literally stops at the proposed Olympic Village. Let's also not forget that the Metra stops at McCormick Place and 18th street (both places that are either at or very close to proposed venues). So again why would they leave these off their maps? Are they hiding something? It's weird because they put random CTA stops on the map, but leave out major Metra stops that could actually affect the bid.

Not sure the reasoning, but the only logical explanation would be security concerns. Do the Athlete's only use buses? I imagine they do when they're going to venues to practice and compete, but when they're done wouldn't it be good if they could jump on a train and enjoy the real CHICAGO culture!

Just a thought on our part...can you think of any other reasons?

First Take on the 'Final' Chicago Bid

Let's be honest, it's impossible to sort through the 500+ pages of bid information quickly. However, as I thumbed through the plan, the venue portion (volume 2) did impress me. The 'Olympic Waterfront' cluster, which is centered around Grant Park, Museum Campus, McCormick Place and the new proposed Olympic Village, would truly be spectacular and showcase some of the most beautiful areas of our city to the entire world.
However, the biggest disappointment has to be the Transportation plan. Our hope, as well as many other people judging by the comments on this article on chicagotribune.com, was that the Olympics could serve as a spring board for the City, State and Federal governments to invest and upgrade our decrepit CTA. Anyone living in Chicago knows upgrades are desperately needed!

We were hoping for some new lines (maybe the circle line project) or something connecting the Olympic Village to the rest of the CTA. Amazingly this doesn't exist. I think it goes without saying that the Olympics would bring funding for the CTA, but right now it looks like it would solely be used to upgrade the existing system; which is needed but not the scale we were hoping for.

However, 2016 is a lonnnnnnnng time away! If Chicago gets the Olympics it wouldn't surprise me if the transportation plan changes (remember Chicago and the US are all about CHANGE these days thanks to Obama). I know it would cost a lot to expand the CTA, but we see this as an opportunity Chicago can't pass up.

More Olympic thoughts to come as we continue to read, listen and digest all that is the 2016 Olympic bidding process...

Chicago Mass Transit Doesn't Stack Up

A great article and video on Medill's website comparing Chicago's transit system to Madrid's and Tokyo's. Based on the video it's pretty clear that Chicago doesn't stack up to either of these transit systems. Tokyo's system simply looks amazing!

The fact of the matters is that Chicago has the second largest mass transit system in the United States (behind New York). However, compared to many foreign cities it's pretty weak. Hopefully our new president can help change this trend, but Americans love their cars...

"The Future of The CTA on the South Side"

Here is an interesting article from the Chicago Weekly about some CTA improvement projects specifically on the South Side. They provide some more insight on the discussions around the 18th street and Cermack Green line stations (here is Sloopin's take on the proposed green line stations).

They also have an interesting bit about a "Gold Line" which would run on the Metra tracks from Millenium Station along the lake front down to 93rd street.

The "Gold Line" concept is similar to our post entitled "Sloopin's Grand Plan" that we published in October. The main problem and difference from Sloopin's plan is that the "Gold Line" doesn't physically connect with the existing CTA lines. They proposed a transfer fee (ie - 25 cents similar to transferring from a train to a bus) but we think a physical connection is a very important step to the legitimacy of this idea. We understand that this would cost a lot of money, but without this connection, in our eyes it's really not part of the EL. Here is their proposed "Gold Line":

More Talk About New Green Line El Stations in the South Loop

About a month ago on Sloopin, we talked about the possibility of two locations for new Green Line El stops in the South Loop.

Well today, one of the urban planners came back with their first thoughts. He cited the North, Damen and Milwaukee intersection and El stop as an example of what he envisioned for this area. I don't see how it would be like that, but regardless there is definitely potential for both of these stops (either 18th street and/or Cermack).

Here is a picture of the area proposed (yellow is residential, orange is hotels and gray is retail):


I sure hope they're taking the 2016 Olympic Bid into consideration while planning. I know the Olympic Bid could speed up the process for these projects to get the green light, but still it seems like development down here could be a big opportunity for the bid. I'm pretty sure they're smart enough to consider this, but I've seen our fabulous government do some pretty stupid things before.

Green Line in Jeporday?

According to Chicago Business that's the case. I'm pretty sure a deal will be reached but essentially AIG's financial issues have caused some contractual problems with the Green Line's lease of land, tracks and stations on the green line...

Chicago 2016 Clinched? Hopefully, but not Yet

The CTA Tattler has an interesting post today about Obama’s potential impact on the CTA. Although I agree on many fronts, I think this statement in the post is a little premature:

"My prediction is that Obama's presidency won't make much of a difference to the CTA -- except that his election cinches the city's Olympics bid. And with that bid will come some federal dollars to improve public transportation to mostly South Side venues. But those dollars would have come regardless of who is president."

I agree that if (and that’s still a big if) Chicago gets the Olympics the CTA will get federal funds to beef up the South Side portion of the CTA. However, I know Obama helps Chicago’s profile internationally, but I think Rio has a compelling story that will be challenging for Chicago (no country in South America has ever hosted the Olympics).

Sloopin came up with some ideas to beef up the South Side CTA…take a look.

CTA Circle Line Hearing

According to the CTA Tattler, there will be a meeting to discuss the Circle Line project in 2009:

"An Open House presentation on the proposed Circle Line is tentatively scheduled for early 2009. No definitive dates have been set. As soon as the dates are established, CTA will notify the public."

Here is an additional link to a Sloopin post about the circle line.

Transportation and Parking Studies for the SLoop

Another article talking about the transportation and parking studies in the South Loop. I’m glad this is on the cities radar as it’s probably a good sign of future plans and improvements for the neighborhood.

For some other posts in regards to transportation in the south loop see the following:

• Sloopin’s Grand Plan
• New Green Line Stop in the South Loop?
• Circle Line Concept

Sloopin's Grand Plan: CTA and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Solution

So for a week or two Sloopin has been talking about the CTA and potential new stops in the South Loop. As we’ve mentioned in other posts, the biggest wild card is the bid for the 2016 Olympics. As stated when the IOC reviewed the initial bid:

“The role of public transport in a Chicago games is not clear,” the IOC evaluation team wrote. While the use of the lakefront for numerous sports venues is appealing, it added, those venues are “not in close proximity” to train lines that can efficiently move tens of thousands of athletes, officials and spectators.

So with that said, below are some ideas that Sloopin has in regards to solving that problem. Our options focus on the Central and South Cluster as those are probably the two most critical to Chicago’s bid. The West and North Clusters have less of a role in the bid. The West Cluster is already set up well with public transportation (pink line) and the North Cluster is another story, but we’re not going to focus on that now.

The image below is a divided into three different illustrations:

1. Far Left Map - is the current CTA and Metra maps with the proposed Olympic venues marked with the “X”. The Red “X’’s are venues and the Black “X” is the Olympic Village.
2. Center Map – is the same map, with the addition of the black line. This black line marks railroad tracks that currently run the Metra, South Shore and commercial train. Our idea revolves around using these tracks for a new CTA line (so we must assume this is a possibility). Since it’s expensive and often legally tough to get new real estate for trains, it seems that these are already there and could be used to address some of the concerns of the IOC. We will get into the specifics later.
3. Far Right Map – are the different options our ideas. We’ve numbered the options to reflect our opinion in terms of ease, cost and planning (so option 1 is the most likely and option 3 would be the least likely). These options take into account current planning by the RTA (see earlier post). The connector idea will ultimately connect the black line to the green line and create a “South” Loop.

So now that you’ve seen the bigger picture, let’s dive deeper into each option:

Option 1 – The 16^th and 18^th street station

As you can see by the illustration below, the black line already stops at 27^th (where the Olympic village would be), McCormick Place (where many of the sports and the press center will be) and 18^th street (which has a bridge that goes over LSD to Soldier field and Northerly Island).

The way to connect this to the EL is by utilizing the commercial train tracks that turn west at 16^th street (which you can see in the red box). I doubt the CTA could use the same tracks, but maybe they could build something that runs above these train tracks.

The black line would connect to the existing EL lines at 16^th between Wabash and State Street. Our idea calls for a new station for the 3 existing lines and the new black line (red, green and orange line already use the tracks). The station is marked by the blue oval.

The pros for Option 1 are as follows:

• Utilizes existing train track real estate. This would enable the city to build over or use existing tracks, which probably would save a lot of money.
• City would not need to take over real estate or drastically change existing lines
• It connects to all key South and Central Cluster venues to the greater EL system
• It connects McCormick Place and the Olympic village to the Main Stadium in Jackson Park.
• Creates a new developmental corridor on 16^th – 18^th street

The cons/questions for Option 1 are:

• Could the EL use the commercial tracks on 16^th street?
• How expensive would this be?

Option 2 – Cermak Station

This option is very similar to Option 1, however it won’t access the 18^th street Metra stop. The black line would now serve the 27^th street stop (where the Olympic village would be) and McCormick place.

Option 2 calls for the black line to run either under or over ground along Cermak and connect with the Green line at Cermak between Wabash and State streets (which is the portion within the red box in the picture below). This option calls for a stop at Cermak for both the green and black lines (which is noted by the blue oval).

The pros for Option 2 are as follows:

• See Option 1 pros
• Creates a new developmental corridor leading to McCormick place (good for tourists and conventions)
• It has adequate space between the Roosevelt stop (which is on the 1200 block. Option 1 - the 16^th station obviously will only be 4 blocks away from Roosevelt)

The cons/questions for Option 2 are:

• The city would have to build on Cermak Street, which could be costly.
• People have raised concerns about the neighborhood in this area (however, by 2016 we think the neighborhood will look very different especially if this type of development happens).

Option 3 – Randolph Stop

Option 3 could be the best, however our guess is that it would cost the most and have the biggest disruption to the current system and city. Again, the bulk of the idea is to use the existing Metra and South Shore train tracks that go along the south portion of LSD, through Grant Park and finally ending at Randolph street (under Millennium Park).

The biggest question is how and where would this line connect to the existing EL system. In the illustration below, you can see the black line eventually linking to the Red Line at State and Lake. The line would then loop South and head toward Jackson Park on the existing green line tracks. This option has a lot of variables, opportunities, questions and concerns. However, if the funds exist, it would probably be the best solution because:

• It provides closer public transit access to the lake front (IOC concern)
• It does a better job of linking to all existing El lines and the Loop
• Has potential to link to the Block 37 Super Station (if that ever happens) and both airports
• It still connects to McCormick Place, the Olympic Village and the Main Stadium

However, the biggest concern in our mind would be how much would this cost? To connect this in the loop seems like it would be very expensive.

Olympic Line Connector

This is used in all three of our ideas and would link the existing green line tracks to the existing Metra and South Shore tracks. This would create a “South” Loop and give everyone access to all relevant Olympic Venues (McCormick Place, Olympic Village, Main Stadium and other Olympic Venues). Assuming the CTA can use existing tracks, the only new construction piece would be linking the 63^rd street Metra station to the 63^rd street Cottage Grove CTA station (which is within the red box on the illustration).

As you can see, the idea calls for this new Black Line (or Olympic Line which I’m sure the IOC would like) to run counter clockwise.

Overall, all of the ideas try to address the IOC’s concerns:

• Closer public transit train access to venues and the lakefront
• Ability to move thousands of athletes, spectators and officials to all of the venues

We also tried to avoid ridiculous, costly projects and ideas since the bid team is trying to not make this too costly (Option 3 probably would cost some coin).

So this is Sloopin's Grand Plan. Please let us know if you agree, how you would change things or just plainly what you think?

We have some other thoughts on the Olympics and development, but we will tackle those later.

Circle Line Concept

Thanks to John for bringing up one of my favorite Chicago topics, the CTA and its future developments. We know this is a double edged sword given the recent block 37 super station debacle, but it’s still fun to dream. This brings us to the “Circle Line” concept, which was presented in 2002:

Does anyone have any links to more recent talks about the “Circle Line”? This plan addresses some things I think are very important:

1. Linking the northwest to the near north neighborhoods
2. Providing a much needed public transportation option at the United Center (the bus system is pretty horrible)
   

But the main thing it misses is access to the lake. This is tough, mainly because it would cost a ton of money, but it is one of the main criticisms of the current Chicago 2016 Olympic plan (not a clear explanation of how the public transportation would be linked to the water front and sporting venues). I’m working on a post that talks about this, so stay tuned.

But in the meantime does anyone have ideas on how to improve the “circle line” concept? What about creating access to the lake?

A New Green Line Stop in the South Loop

Looks like the CTA and RTA are investigating a new green line stop in the South Loop. Here is the statement from the RTA:

Potential Green Line Station at 18th Street or Cermak: This study would identify potential uses and design in areas adjacent to the Green Line at 18th Street and Cermak Road and address development on these key east-west corridors in the south loop. Through the study we will chose to focus on one of the alternatives over the other and develop a more refined corridor plan for the appropriate corridor.

As of now, I think the 18th street stop would potentially be better for a couple reasons:

1. It could be a station for the Green, Red and Orange line (access for more people to the South Loop)
   
2. There is a bridge on 18th that connects the lake front to the South Loop Community
3. There is already a red line stop at Cermak

However, the Cermak green line stop could be good because:

1. Cermak would be very close and within walking distance to McCormick place. Obviously this has huge benefits for tourism, conventions and potentially the Chicago 2016 bid.
2. It also seems like Cermak could be a big retail, bar, restaurant, shopping area in the future (again if the Olympics came to Chicago it would be great)
   

The big wild card in this evaluation is the 2016 Olympic Bid. Since plans currently call for the Olympic village to be just south of McCormick place, city and Olympic planners need to find a way to have a CTA stop within or very close to the Olympic Village (which would link the village to the rest of the city). I have some thoughts on this idea, but I will save them for another time.

What do you think would be better? An 18th or Cermak green line stop?