CHICAGO: Transit Developments

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by le_brew

it blows my mind that this is a decades long desire to fix the junction while not addressing that antiquated bottleneck called "the loop."

there are far more, and longer delays on several lines (too many) there.

I agree, have there been any plans to fix the loop in the past?

[k1052]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

I agree, have there been any plans to fix the loop in the past?

A plan to put the whole thing in subway was put forward decades ago but went nowhere. I suppose you could still do that but it would cost billions and really not net any service improvement since the space required to build flying junctions etc is not available underground.

Realistically taking the east loop from three stations down to two and rebuilding State/Lake to remove the passenger flow bottleneck that causes extra dwell time is probably the best that can be hoped for in the near term. You could rearrange how the lines run though the loop to minimize conflict but that would probably involve cutting off one side of the loop service from each line...not something likely to be popular.

[Mr Downtown]

I've never heard of any scheme to eliminate the diamonds. Of course, from about 1973–1983, there was an assumption that a new Franklin St. subway would render the Loop L unnecessary and it could be removed altogether.

Worth noting that prior to 1969, both tracks of the Loop operated in the same direction (anticlockwise). At the time, this was thought to offer the most capacity, but i don't know if that would be true today as the trains now enter and leave the Loop at different places that they used to.

[CTA Gray Line]

Originally Posted by chicagopcclcar1

http://bit.ly/FlyoverSwitch that 300+ million left could easily create a new Southside "L" service -- Improved transit services for both the North and Southsides,

That page was drawn by someone who has NO DEGREE IN RAILWAY ENGINEERING. He claims experience in locomotive driving; one might ask why he's not still a locomotive engineer and not working at a gas convenience store. Take that in account when you make your judgement.

I never claimed to have any type of degrees, and yes I worked for the C&NW from 1971 to 1974 until I was LAID OFF due to LACK OF BUSINESS (not some implied negative action).

I am working at a convenience store now because after being LAID OFF due to LACK OF BUSINESS from the Copier repair industry (disposable inkjet All-In-One's killed them) I was HOMELESS for 8 months in 2006, and Craig - Owner of the Gas station, was kind enough to hire me OUT OF THE GUTTER

I am quite Happy with my min. wage. job because it is secure, and I shouldn't worry about getting LAID OFF again.

I worked out of what was then Proviso Yard in Northlake, I worked my way up through Switchman, Brakeman, the Hump, Locomotive Hostler, Fireman, and Engineer quickly -- strictly on the recommendations of train crews who told C&NW Management that I handled trains better than some Engineers who had been there over 20 years -- remember, I was controlling the train while they were in, around, and under it on the ground -- risking their lives.

True, I do not have any Paper Degrees, but I have driven many, many fast 100+ car freight trains from Proviso to Wood St. (16th & Western), and the Riverdale Yard at 139th and Ashland over the IHB (learning IHB Road Rules); I think that grants me much more rail knowledge than any piece of paper.

Now notice the intense attempts to discredit me, my ideas, and my knowledge; something creepily psychological going on here ("Crabs-in-a-Barrel")

WHAT will Mike gain if I am sucessful? I sure won't get any money, Craig won't get any money. CTA and Metra would get it kicking-and-screaming shoved down their ever-resistant throats.

All this VITRIOL from an attempt to create Jobs -- WHAT A HEINOUS CRIME!!!

[chicagopcclcar1]

Originally Posted by CTA Gray Line

Now notice the intense attempts to discredit me, my ideas, and my knowledge; something creepily psychological going on here ("Crabs-in-a-Barrel")

WHAT will Mike gain if I am sucessful? I sure won't get any money, Craig won't get any money. CTA and Metra would get it kicking-and-screaming shoved down their ever-resistant throats.

All this VITRIOL from an attempt to create Jobs -- WHAT A HEINOUS CRIME!!!

Your biggest error is taking whatever you pronounce as being the only truth and denouncing anyone who doesn't take your idea as being the one and only truth. I only came back because you brought up that idiot switch plan for Clack Junction. Your second mistake....moves to the branch must be made from track three, not from track four. You don't why because you are dealing something you know nothing about. And think about your first mistake.

You said you live 25 miles from Chicago. At 25 miles, you can't vote on the runoff election in April. You probably will never ride the L" through Clark Jct. A prudent mind would want to know why you care to much.

"instead of 320 million: http://bit.ly/FlyoverSwitch that 300+ million left could easily create a new Southside "L" service ..."

"Chuy IS going to be elected, .....That is 480 Million Dollars, don't you think he'll arrange for a new CTA Planning Dept, with new ideas to spend it on?"

"....new Southside ...
THE GRAY LINE"

Never!

[CTA Gray Line]

Originally Posted by chicagopcclcar1

Your biggest error is taking whatever you pronounce as being the only truth and denouncing anyone who doesn't take your idea as being the one and only truth. I only came back because you brought up that idiot switch plan for Clack Junction. Your second mistake....moves to the branch must be made from track three, not from track four. You don't why because you are dealing something you know nothing about. And think about your first mistake.

> Good Grief -- Moves must be made from track 3 because that is the PRESENT track configuration. Didn't they just CHANGE the track configuration just North of Wilson, to route Purple Line trains onto the Red Line tracks? So track configurations actually can be CHANGED -- just like what my idiot switch concept depends on: https://app.box.com/s/alm8rzgfcotdmkaua9bbp6d73rlvkexk <

You said you live 25 miles from Chicago. At 25 miles, you can't vote on the runoff election in April. You probably will never ride the L" through Clark Jct. A prudent mind would want to know why you care to much.

> I've tried this before (you said use crayons) so I'll waste time again; I care because I lived on the Southside for 58yrs, and watch it drop from being the Jewel of the entire City, to the present sewer; with the poorest neighborhoods in NE Illinois: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...income-levels#

I rode the I.C. to work, school, and other things for many, many years, so I know the system's HUGELY (criminally) unused potential, under it's preset ownership.

My Family and Friends are still trapped down in that sewer (with bullets flying all over the place day and night), while I get to live in beautiful, quiet, lovely "The Arboretum Village" (half-way to being Andy's Mayberry) so I am trying to do whatever I can as a lowly peasant to change that situation. (Hell -- you laugh at your OWN people's misfortunes: "use Crayons")

I am not going to resort to your childish name-calling; I lived at Lawrence & Kimball for 3.5 years, I moved there solely and specifically because of the convenience of taking the Brown Line to my Copier repair job, working for IBM downtown every day. I rode it twice every work day, and sometimes came home for lunch (4 times those on days) for over 3 years. I am completely familiar with day-to-day, weekend, holiday, Winter and Summer, end-to-end Brown Line operations (this is what happens when you open your mouth, and don't know what the heck you are talking about) <


"instead of 320 million: http://bit.ly/FlyoverSwitch that 300+ million left could easily create a new Southside "L" service ..."

"Chuy IS going to be elected, .....That is 480 Million Dollars, don't you think he'll arrange for a new CTA Planning Dept, with new ideas to spend it on?"

"....new Southside ...
THE GRAY LINE"

Never!

This is America, the wonderful thing is we ALL have a right to our own opinions -- right OR wrong. People fight and die for us to have that right.

[UPChicago]

Are you all adults?

[chicagopcclcar1]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

Are you all adults?

You would think.....

He takes a half a page explaining all the places he's lived it. Don't people have their own alderman, their legislators, their mayor, etc? Did these people ask him to look out for their fortunes. What is the hero's name in Marvel Comics?

Note, he never explained why Brown line needs to run from track 3. He go off talking about Red line weekend reroute as if that means something. Clueless.

[CTA Gray Line]

Originally Posted by chicagopcclcar1

You would think.....

He takes a half a page explaining all the places he's lived it. Don't people have their own alderman, their legislators, their mayor, etc? Did these people ask him to look out for their fortunes. What is the hero's name in Marvel Comics?

Note, he never explained why Brown line needs to run from track 3. He go off talking about Red line weekend reroute as if that means something. Clueless.

OK David, I will continue with it. In the (to you) ridiculous initial track configuration diagram I have submitted: http://bit.ly/FlyoverSwitch ON THE LEFT is the present track plan with a crossover from track four to three, then the Brown Line branching off from track three.

ON THE RIGHT is an alternative configuration where the Brown Line branches off from track four using diamond crossings over tracks three, two, and one.

The present configuration requires 3 different sets of points to be aligned, and then re-aligned after, for a Brown Line train to leave the NS Main: and it also has to operate at reduced speed to zig-zag through the crossovers without throwing passengers all over the place.

With 1 [ One ] switch to control NB Brown Line movements, it would eliminate the time needed to set/reset the whole Clark Jct. interlocking (switches, signals, cab controls, tower indications) each time a Brown Line train had to pass through.
And with a smooth spiraled curve (as shown), and precise crossover diamonds, Brown Line trains could operate quickly while leaving the NSM directly from track four, without any signifcant delays to other Red and Purple Line trains operating on other tracks: http://bit.ly/FlyoverSwitch

Tower 18 at Lake & Wabash has 75 different Lines passing through it, and yet some how they make that work without a "Flyover" or new Subway!

How do they manage that? Bet you won't answer that question!

[chicagopcclcar1]

Originally Posted by CTA Gray Line

The present configuration requires 3 different sets of points to be aligned, and then re-aligned after, for a Brown Line train to leave the NS Main: and it also has to operate at reduced speed to zig-zag through the crossovers without throwing passengers all over the place.

The present configuration requires 3 different sets of points to be aligned, and then re-aligned after, for a Brown Line train to leave the NS Main: and it also has to operate at reduced speed to zig-zag through the crossovers without throwing passengers all over the place.


How can you be such a dumb ass....Brown line track run the speed 25 MPH through the switches...ALL THE SAME SPEED...then they go through the curve at the THE SAME 25 MPH SPEED. Your idiot switch doesn't make trains run faster.

You still don't know why they MUST LEAVE on track three.

Your problem you can't admit when you are wrong. Comes from seeing your Gray Line drowning every time. 15 years!!!

[CTA Gray Line]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

Are you all adults?

NO [ NO ] -- Apparently not, this seems to be a manifestation of third-grade school school-yard Bully stuff.

I don't know, as the victim -- how would you, UPChicago (as an ADULT) respond?

[le_brew]

Originally Posted by k1052

A plan to put the whole thing in subway was put forward decades ago but went nowhere.

it did indeed go "somewhere." it was about shovel ready when the mayor died in office. by the time construction was to commence around '79, new politics and preservationist had emerged to defeat the plan.

[emathias]

"chicagopcclcar1" and "CTA Gray Line"

I like both of you, and you've both previously added beneficially to the discussion on there.

But right now, both of you, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND QUIT HIJACKING THIS THREAD.

For fuck sake, I don't see why BOTH of you haven't been suspended yet. I'm tired of watching this pissing match, and it's adds NOTHING to this forum.

So please, for the love of Chicago, SHUT THE FUCK UP for a few WEEKS - BOTH OF YOU. And when you come back, make sure your heads are out of your asses.

[chicagopcclcar1]

Originally Posted by emathias

"chicagopcclcar1" and "CTA Gray Line"

I like both of you, and you've both previously added beneficially to the discussion on there.

I went back seven pages....I could not find any of your posts. I often wonder, where are the others. You see this debate going on....you must have some agreement or a disagreement. No one says anything.

Obviously, the two of us are at a stand off. I posted pictures that I thought would give more meaning.

See something....say something. That sounds so lame.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

Not even the Dan Ryan Branch? Cermak-Chinatown and Sox-35th for sure are 10 cars long.

Are you sure? The stations are long structures, but the platforms themselves are not necessarily 10 cars long. Sox-35th seems to be long enough at 500', but Chinatown is not long enough at 450'. There are stairways, elevators, and windscreens that prevent the platform from being extended without spending a few million at least. None of the other Dan Ryan stations, including 95th, seem to be long enough - although 95th will probably have its platform extended as part of the current reconstruction.

BTW, a married pair is 96' long, and you need probably 10' at each end for a margin of safety, so 500' is about right.

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by CTA Gray Line

NO [ NO ] -- Apparently not, this seems to be a manifestation of third-grade school school-yard Bully stuff.

I don't know, as the victim -- how would you, UPChicago (as an ADULT) respond?

Personally, I wouldn't have, no one here needs to know about anyone else's personal life nor do they need to substantiate their opinion, because at the end of the day no one's opinion is more valid than another's. I understand replying once to back up or clarify your opinion but a continuous back and forth is needless because you aren't going to change the other persons point of view. Also why get offended by anyone taking the take to launch personal attacks on a web furom clearly that person leads a petty existence.

[CTA Gray Line]

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/28...lanes-downtown

Posted: Mar 15, 2015 2:06 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 16, 2015 6:57 AM CDT

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) -

Two downtown streets will be reduced to two lanes early Monday as crews began construction on a $31.8 million Loop bus-rapid transit project dubbed the “Loop Link"......

[CTA Gray Line]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ashbey...b_6847758.html

Ashbey Riley

Posted: 03/16/2015 3:08 pm EDT | Updated: 03/16/2015 3:59 pm EDT

"CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) policies and practices are currently discriminatory towards strollers." Apparently, stroller discrimination is rampant here in Chicago, y'all.

This is the opening line of Michelle Parker's online petition to the CTA where she demands that the CTA make changes to their current policies to make public transportation more "family friendly".........

[Ryanrule]

man fuck strollers.
you had a baby, you get to stay home for 5 years.
deal with it breeders.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Ryanrule

man fuck strollers.
you had a baby, you get to stay home for 5 years.
deal with it breeders.

^ Did you say that to your mom yet?