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Originally Posted by ardecila
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Wait... building two stations and a tunnel through the Medical District is disruptive, but building the Circle Line isn't? I was envisioning the regional-rail system as a more flexible, less-costly replacement for several CTA expansions, including the Circle Line. Northsiders would get one-seat-ride access to the IMD via regional rail; they'd just have to ride Metra to get it. A less costly option might be to use the extra space in the Eisenhower median, but this is much less convenient as well, since most of the jobs are 1/2-mile south.
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Your proposal duplicates existing service (with the exception of the Tri-Taylor stop, your stations are less than 1/2 mile from existing Blue or Pink Line stations), and most of the Circle Line is just routing changes. The Tri-Taylor stop is hemmed in on three sides by industrial uses and freight train tracks - the ridership potential for a station like that wouldn't even come close to justifying the cost. Tunnels and underground stations like that would in no way be "less-costly replacement" for CTA expansions, and unless you run trains at CTA-level frequency - probably not cost-effective - it would be penny-wise, pound-foolish to spend nearly as much with a small fraction of the overall benefit. The IMD is important, but because of the nature of the work, it will always have a large portion of people driving, and it is fairly well served already, and with the addition of the Circle Line plus planned BRT service on Western will become increasingly better-served without very expensive specialty tunnels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
The transfers at Clybourn and South Loop obviate most of the need for cross-Loop connections. Two lines run through the West Loop (via Union) because that's where most jobs are, while East Loop-bound pax can make a quick transfer to the third line. I figured any kind of Loop tunneling would be complex and insanely expensive, especially the large-diameter tunnels used for regional-rail systems. Streeterville/Water Tower have the same problem, but since they currently have no rail transit, the expense is worth it.
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A good solution would help transit within downtown as well as transit outside of downtown. That's why a cross-loop solution is preferred to one in which you can only cross sides outside the Loop. Any sort of big rework like this would require changing the trainsets to electric, which would mean smaller cars. Not as small as metro-style trains, but nowhere near as big as current Metra locomotives. Tunnels wouldn't need to be insanely big. Monroe has ROW preserved and should be able to accommodate such a thing.
The West Loop has a lot of growing office space, however the Central Loop still has the most. Only dropping people in the West or East Loop areas continues the problem of dropping people outside of the center of where they work. While allowing people to transfer to the East Loop trains helps solve the issue of the East Loop losing offices due to poor accessibility for commuters, it doesn't help those in the center of the Loop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
People coming from O'Hare on the MD-W or from Aurora on the BNSF would not have the option of transfering, so cross-Loop is still needed in some form - this is perhaps a better job for a CTA expansion (bus subway?) As I noted above, the locus of jobs has been moving steadily towards the West Loop for years now, so cross-Loop is becoming less of a concern.
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It has only been moving westward because Chicago has done such a crap job providing cross-loop transit.
People *want* to work near the lake. If it were easy for commuters to get to Streeterville and/or the central Loop, those would grow. Streeterville could use more offices, and better transit would allow people to get there.
I do like the idea of the 1968 Central Area Plan's West Loop-Streeterville subway, but if you're building subways for commuter lines anyway, they make more sense. Ideally, though, perhaps redesigning things so both CTA and electric Metra trains can use the same rails and same tunnels would be the best solution.