Chicagoans have endured a summer of extreme heat, rising gas prices and debates over artery-clogging trans-fat oils. But for “L” riders, the summer of 2006 might be remembered with one word: slow.
A confluence of events ranging from construction to new Pink Line service has caused trains to crawl along sections of track, increasing travel times and forcing some riders to wait for several trains to pass until they can find one with enough room to board.
On some lines it could get worse before it gets better. Work on Belmont and Fullerton stations will force the CTA to operate Red, Brown and Purple Line trains on three tracks, instead of four, in that busy corridor during certain times.
Wicker Park resident Stephen Mullins, 22, said it used to take him about 20 minutes to get to his downtown software engineer job. Now his Blue Line commute can stretch as long as 45 minutes as he waits for a train with enough room to accommodate him.
“Sometimes I have to wait for a second train,” said Mullins, who boards at the Division stop. “Sometimes a third train.”
Even CTA President Frank Kruesi is not immune. A regular Blue Line rider, he has encountered slower trains during off-peak hours and watched riders pack into rush-hour trains.
“There is clearly an impact,” he said.
On Wednesday, CTA staff told board members that the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line, which typically has some of the fastest stretches of track on the system, is among the latest areas to be hit with lower speed limits. In recent weeks, the agency has instituted slow zones on 15 percent of the Blue Line’s O’Hare branch, up from about 2 percent previously, with many of the zones limiting speeds to 15 mph.
An increase in maintenance following the July 11 Blue Line derailment is partly responsible for the slow zones on the O’Hare branch. Since the accident, which sent more than 150 passengers to hospitals, the CTA has taken an “extremely conservative” approach to assessing track condition, and Kruesi has directed employees to accelerate any work that needs to be done.
As part of that effort, the CTA board approved a $225,000 contract with Holland Co. on Wednesday to do a comprehensive assessment of the distance between rails, the height and alignment in areas that can’t be inspected by CTA equipment.
While that work could continue to slow trains, the recent heat wave hasn’t helped matters. Extremely high temperatures can cause rails to expand, resulting in kinks and misaligned tracks. It can take a week or more for the problems to manifest themselves, so the CTA has added even more slow zones and increased inspections, Kruesi said.
With trains moving more slowly, O’Hare branch riders report teeming platforms and packed rush-hour trains.
Maureen Pfeiffer, 26, who boards at the Blue Line’s Damen stop, said her train was so crowded the other day that her foot got caught in the door when it opened.
“It’s claustrophobic on the train,” said Pfeiffer, who is waking up earlier to beat the crowds.
Meanwhile, trains that circulate around the Loop have slowed with the June 25 introduction of Pink Line service.
In the days after the service started, “L” trains were taking an average of two minutes longer during peak afternoon travel times to make their way around the Loop because there were more of them on the track.
Orange Line riders have borne the brunt of the increased travel times. In the Pink Line’s first week, it took Orange Line riders more than four minutes longer to circulate the Loop, officials said. The CTA has since directed motormen to pull to the end of station platforms so the last car of their trains fully clears junction signals, allowing other trains to move through.
That effort has reduced travel times so the average trip around the Loop for all lines now is about 30 seconds longer than it was before the Pink Line service began, officials said. For Orange Line riders, it’s now just under two minutes longer, and motormen are trying to make up the time by speeding up between stations on other parts of the route outside the Loop, Kruesi said.
Grace Williams, 49, who rides the Orange Line from her Southwest Side home to the Loop, said she’s noticed an improvement recently. Still, she said, she’s getting home later because of the delays.
“I have less time to spend at home in the evening,” she said.
Red, Brown and Purple Line riders know the feeling. For months, off-peak trains on those lines have crawled through the Clark Junction corridor, near Belmont Avenue, because of construction work related to the $530 million Brown Line rehabilitation project.
After riders complained, CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown recently warned on her blog that the situation will get worse before it improves. As soon as the end of this year, work at Belmont and Fullerton will require the three-track system, creating an even greater impact on travel times because of the constrained capacity, she wrote.
Her remark has Red Line riders like Andersonville resident Geoffrey Meyer, 35, nervous. A lawyer, Meyer already encounters slow-moving trains through the Clark Junction corridor to and from his job downtown.
“What is it going to do to travel times?” he said. “I just can’t see how three tracking is going to work. It’s so crowded on those tracks right now.”
Ridership on the rise
Despite the delays, the CTA continues to see a surge in riders. The number of CTA trips provided in the first six months of the year is up 1.3 percent compared with the same period in 2005. Of that, the biggest increase was on the rail side, with “L” ridership jumping 5.6 percent, CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said.
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READER POWERPOINTS
“L” and bus riders are fed up with the CTA slowdown this summer. Here’s what some of them who’ve recently e-mailed RedEye had to say.
Wanted: more trains,more often
The California Blue Line Stop on O’Hare branch [is tightest space on my CTA commute]. Morning rush, always. Trains are usually five to seven minutes apart. However, it never fails: if one train is delayed even five minutes, it’s next to impossible to board. Needless to say the next few stops are impossible for other patrons. More trains more often on time is perfect. What is a waste is the expansion of the Brown Line. I have taken that line at all hours including rush, and have always gotten a seat. It’s the cleanest most efficient line, by far the last that should get help. Improve the Blue and Red by increasing service and keeping it clean.
Daniel Opine, 40, Logan Square
Waiting on Green
I was wondering if anyone at the CTA knows that the Green Line is supposed to run on a schedule. And if they do, why they don’t do anything to enforce it, keep to it or at least inform their riders of delays?
According to their published schedule on the CTA Web site, Saturday inbound trains should arrive every three to seven minutes at the Oak Park station. However, [on a recent] Saturday evening I waited for about 15 minutes. Oak Park Avenue is the second stop on the line, and I find it hard to believe the train was delayed for that long at Harlem Avenue. But the real frustration is on days like today (Aug. 2). Not only is the heat index pushing 110 degrees, but I and my fellow Green Line riders have to wait on the tiny State and Lake platform for over 20 minutes when the trains should be coming every eight minutes. What’s more, this is not a once-a-week occurrence but an everyday ritual.
I guess I just wish that the CTA would focus on improving their current services before it decides to add more like the Pink Line. Even an announcement at the stations that notify riders of delays would be wonderful. Ideally, I think we would like more frequent rush-hour trains.
Maggy Bobek, 23, Oak Park
Blue Line blues
I’ve been riding the CTA Blue Line for years, before it was even called Blue Line. The service I’ve experienced this summer is worse than bad. It is by far the worst service I have experienced. The problems seem curiously tied to the fire that occurred last month. Delays occur ever single day. One day last week riders were stuck waiting on the platform for an hour during the morning commute. I’ve also had lights go out on the train as it sat on the tracks for about 5 minutes. These are not after-hours delays, mind you. Those delays are even worse than the rush-hour delays. I’m fed up with CTA service this summer.
Alexander Facklis, 37, Oriole Park
Bus driver break
We’ve all had issues with CTA, but [last week] my commute hit a new low. After waiting 45 minutes for the No. 36 Broadway bus–which, I was told by the CTA, is scheduled to arrive every seven minutes during the morning rush–the driver stopped the bus, informed us she was going to the bathroom, and would “be back in 10 minutes, maybe less.” I suppose the McDonald’s shake she was drinking could have been the culprit; maybe that’s why she was 45 minutes late too?
Kate Palm, 23, Lakeview
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Gas leak causes Green Line delays
A 5-mile stretch of the Green Line was shut down for about 20 minutes Wednesday morning when a crew from the Chicago Department of Water Management ruptured a gas main on the Near West Side, authorities said.
Power along the tracks was shut off around 9:15 a.m. in both directions between the Clark and Lake station in the West Loop and the Pulaski Road station on the West Side, CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said.
Southbound trains along the CTA’s Pink Line, which shares a section of track with Green Line trains, also experienced some delays due to the closure. The CTA ran a shuttle bus between the two stations during the outage, Taylor said.
Power along the “L” tracks was turned off only as a precaution, said Peoples Energy spokeswoman Elizabeth Castro.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., power was restored to the Green Line and service resumed, Taylor said.
-Tribune
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U. of C. campus to get improved bus service
The CTA board on Wednesday approved a five-year, multimillion-dollar deal with the University of Chicago to provide more bus service to university buildings.
The deal covers six routes, including a new route serving the university, its hospitals and the Garfield Green Line “L” stop, officials said.
The university will subsidize operations, estimated at $1.8 million a year, by paying whatever part of that cost is not covered by fares.
Among the changes:
– The No. 171 U. of C.: The Hyde Park route will operate more often and later, as will the No. 172 U. of C.-Kenwood route.
– The No. 173 U. of. C.: The Lakeview Express will operate earlier in the day, but it will no longer run late on evenings and weekends.
The changes will take effect Aug. 27.
-Tribune
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Talk to us
Do you think the CTA is too slow? Or is it getting you to work on time? Tell us at ritaredeye@tribune.com. Please include your full name, age and neighborhood.
