With a bow to Gladys Knight and the Pips and the late Marvin Gaye, the chorus from Queen of Peace High School pretty much said it all last week at opening ceremonies for the Chicago Transit Authority’s newest attraction.
“I heard about the Orange line,” they warbled to the tune of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” “Not too much money, and it slices time. . . . Honey, I know it’s the best way to go.”
And a fine ride it is, based on a Getting Around test trip.
The trains are shiny, clean and modern, the ride remarkably smooth and quiet, and the service between the Loop and Midway Airport well worth a buck and half (and a steal at the introductory fare of 25 cents that was in effect until Sunday).
The 11-mile run offers riders a cross section of Chicago scenery.
Heading southwest from the Loop, you go past the huge, burned-out factory at Canal Street and Cermak Road that was used in filming “Backdraft.” A little farther along, a first-rate view of the downtown skyline appears.
The tracks then snake their way through gritty industrial sites, rail yards, truck docks and a succession of Southwest Side neighborhoods-with two-flats, commercial strips and tidy bungalows.
An impressive vista of the airport comes into view as trains approach the Midway station at the end of the line.
The trip takes about 30 minutes, and riders can look down and wave to motorists on congested Archer Avenue, where they once suffered on plodding CTA buses.
Because Orange line motormen also handle the duties of conductor, making announcements and operating doors, trains were stopped at stations a bit longer than they normally would be, but not long enough to become frustrating for riders.
The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents CTA rail workers, contends the conductorless trains are less safe than those on the rest of the system that have two-member crews.
The transit authority insists safety is not compromised. Time will tell.
Graffiti lunkheads hit the line repeatedly while it was under construction, but workers cleaned the scrawlings in time for last week’s opening.
Nevertheless, the battle with taggers is expected to continue. On the day I rode, there were cops and canine security units all over the place (enough to raise questions whether there were any left to patrol the rest of the rail system).
The Midway station, with large expanses of glass, is full of light and space and makes a pleasing architectural statement. The other seven stations are rather spartan by comparison, but still open and bright.
Clocks on station platforms are a nice feature, though too many of them weren’t working on opening day.
Perhaps the Orange line’s biggest shortcoming is something Getting Around complained about several weeks ago in advance of the opening: the difficulty getting from the Midway station to the airport terminal.
First, you go up an escalator from the train platform to the station and then up another escalator to a skybridge that stretches the length of more than four football fields. After alternately walking and riding on moving sidewalks to get across this expanse, travelers must descend a set of stairs to reach the sidewalk outside the terminal.
But with the line’s opening, the city has taken a few measures to ease the inconvience. Luggage carts are available for use on the skybridge, and for people who have a hard time walking, attendants in electric carts are on the scene to provide rides.
At the bottom of the stairs, there’s a canopy to protect passengers from the elements, and a new door has been installed at the east end of the airport terminal, permitting people to get inside the building quickly.
In short, the line is worthy of the long-suffering Southwest Siders, who have waited so long to get it.
———-
Got a commuting question? See a problem on the area’s roads, trains or buses? Getting around will address topics of general interest. Write to Getting around, c/o Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611-4041.
