Garbled messages from rail operators.
Distorted platform announcements.
Delayed or non-existent communications about service disruptions.
These are some complaints about communication breakdowns with customers that CTA riders have raised with RedEye. Many riders said the CTA has delivered timely, consistent updates about recent transit agency projects, including ongoing Brown Line construction and the June launch of the experimental Pink Line.
But some of those same riders said the CTA should be more progressive about delivering daily service updates and real-time arrival times for trains and buses. They also want the CTA to improve the sound quality of platform announcements.
RedEye checked in with the CTA to see what it is doing to improve bus, train and station communications with riders.
What the ‘L’ did you say?
South Loop rider Nick DeGeorge offered a two-word description of CTA platform announcements:
“Not clear,” DeGeorge, 29, said. “I don’t think I’ve ever understood a word.”
Albany Park’s Andrea Sedushak agreed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever understood basically anything said while I was on a platform,” said Sedushak, 26. “It’s really bad in the tunnels. I don’t even listen anymore.”
The reason some announcements on elevated and subway platforms may sound garbled or distorted is because they originate from CTA’s control center and travel over an infrastructure of cables and wires to reach rail stations, CTA spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said.
Newer infrastructure is comprised of advanced fiber optics, which is able to carry more information with clearer audio, Ziegler said. An example of that is on the Orange Line, where stations have been upgraded to the fiber-optic system, Ziegler added. The Purple and Yellow Lines are scheduled to be equipped with the new system by the end of the year, she said. It is part of a $31 million communications upgrade that began last year.
Fiber optic installations along the Green, Blue, Pink and Red Lines are set to be completed by next year. Enhancements on the Brown Line are set to be completed when the capacity-expansion project ends in late 2009.
In the meantime, if riders have trouble making out messages, they should let the CTA know.
“Customer assistants should be actively informing customers of delays or alternate routings at those stations where it is difficult to understand announcements over the public address system,” Ziegler said. If they do not, riders should contact customer service at 888-YOUR CTA with the station where the assistant works, their uniform badge number, as well as the date and time of the incident, Ziegler said.
Mumbled messages onboard the ‘L’
What about the clarity of communications onboard the train? Inaudible announcements by train operators are a sticking point for Dalia Hatuqa , who said she nearly missed a recent Shakira concert because of a mumbled message.
Hatuqa, 26, said the rail operator said something that sounded like the trains were running “a little late.”
“But it turned out that he said ’30 minutes late,’ ” said Hatuqa, a Lakeview resident. “Big difference. There was this whole mass exodus off the train once we all figured out what was being said.”
Rider Michael Muniz said he used to ignore the nuisance of unclear operator announcements, but after the Blue Line derailment and evacuation in July, the Roscoe Village resident grew increasingly concerned for his safety.
“If there were an emergency, I might not be able to hear the announcer’s instructions, especially if they were on the [public announcement] system,” Muniz said. “I’ve read the emergency signs on the trains and all, but I wouldn’t know what the heck to do.”
Some customers may hear clearer onboard operator announcements on new rail cars set to arrive in late 2009, Ziegler said, because those trains will feature the “latest available technology.” But the system used on those trains will be the same as the one currently used systemwide, she explained. Ziegler added that equipment age is only one factor in garbled messages. Other culprits include:
“Ambient noise in the area at the time of the announcement and how well an operator’s voice transmits,” Ziegler said.
What’s up with wireless alerts?
What’s worse than distorted messages about service? No message at all.
That’s what a number of “L” and bus regulars told RedEye about their perceived lack of CTA communication about emergencies or long service delays.
Muniz said the best solution would be wireless alerts letting riders know if trains or buses are running behind and why.
“I used to have updates sent to my phone when I lived in San Francisco,” Muniz said. “I really miss that and think we should have that here.”
The CTA developed an e-mail alert system for “L” and bus riders last December, Ziegler said, but an internal pilot conducted earlier this year revealed that the process delivered information too slowly.
While the CTA reworks that process, it is planning to launch an alert system this fall customized to customers’ specific interests.
“Riders will be able to identify the bus or rail lines for which they wish to receive information,” Ziegler said. “Customers will be able to choose as many bus routes and rail lines as they wish.”
The transit agency also updates alert information on transitchicago.com, and since last August, has provided information to the www.ctatattler.com’s wireless alert service, Ziegler said. The CTA also posts service-related information on transitchicago.com, Ziegler said. She added that the transit agency provides field employees–including customer assistants–with two-way radios so they can be aware of disruptions, pass that information to riders and help them find alternate routes.
Bus and train tracking
Rider Tony Coppoletta, 27, said he is so impressed with CTA’s next-bus tracking technology pilot that he has considered walking six blocks out of his way to catch a No. 20-Madison bus. That’s the only route where riders can get real-time estimates of bus arrival times, thanks to a pilot that launched last month .
The pilot uses satellite technology that tracks CTA bus locations to provide arrival times at www.ctabustracker.com, which riders can access on Internet-enabled devices. There also is one electronic sign mounted at the westbound Madison and Jefferson bus stop that provides the next bus’ arrival times. That instant information is promising, Coppolletta said.
“Time is contextual, so if a rider knows a bus is coming in 12 minutes instead of six, he or she can take that time back by buying a cup of coffee or a newspaper across the street,” said Coppoletta, who lives in River West.
Albany Park’s Sedushak said she would welcome tracking technology on trains.
“It would be so great if you could know when your train is coming instead of staring off into the distance,” Sedushak said, as she waited for a train at the Belmont stop. “It could save you so much time.”
Right now, the CTA is focusing on the No. 20-Madison pilot; in December, the transit agency will evaluate the possibility of expanding the pilot to other buses in the system, Ziegler said. CTA is still working on plans for a similar test on trains, according to Ziegler. In 2002, the transit agency embarked upon a collaborative pilot with the RTA to see what the system would need to support a real-time train arrival system, she said.
“The pilot project identified that the CTA needed to upgrade its train-tracking system and continue to install fiber optics before it could move forward with providing next train arrival announcements,” Ziegler said, adding that the process is ongoing.
Construction communications
The majority of riders who talked to RedEye said the CTA keeps them in the loop on new CTA service and construction, specifically the launch of the Pink Line.
Coppoletta said the agency did an “excellent job” leveraging automated bus and “L” announcements, as well as posting signs to explain the experimental route and alert riders to its start date.
Other riders said the CTA has provided detailed, timely and repetitive information about station closures and alternative routes related to the ongoing $530 million Brown Line capacity-expansion project.
“The signs were posted very well and were visible,” Muniz said. “You knew when things were going to happen and could plan around it.”
But Muniz said he is out of the loop about Clark Junction track and signal work, which is related to the Brown Line project. That project, under way at the intersection of the Brown, Red and Purple Line trains just north of the Belmont stop, is intended to upgrade the signaling system and create more crossover areas, or places where North Side “L” trains can switch tracks, Ziegler said.
Muniz, who said he travels through the Belmont stop often, expressed frustration about the trains stopping and standing in the area near that track and signal work.
“I wish there was more updated information from CTA about the dates and times of the track work,” Muniz said. “I don’t even know why the train is stopped most of the time. I get stuck up there a lot.”
MESSAGES YOU’LL HEAR ON THE CTA
If you ride the “L” on a regular basis, chances are you’ve heard one of the train’s six automated service-related announcements. Most of the announcements are self-explanatory. But there is one that has some riders mystified.
“I don’t understand what the announcement about standing, waiting for signals ahead means,” Dalia Hatuqa, 26, said. “I do hear it a lot though.”
The announcement is: “Your attention please: We are standing momentarily waiting for signal clearance. We expect to be moving shortly.”
What does it really mean?
“Signals work like traffic lights on a regular street to direct train traffic safely along the tracks and through intersections and merges,” CTA spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said. “A train that is standing waiting for signal clearance is–at that moment–standing at a red light waiting for other trains to clear the area before it proceeds.”
The other five announcements related to service you may hear on the “L”:
– “Your attention please: We are being delayed because of a medical emergency. Assistance has been requested, and we hope to be moving shortly.”
– “Your attention please: We are being delayed because of an equipment problem on a train. Work is under way to correct the problem, and we hope to be moving shortly.”
– “Your attention please: This train is experiencing an equipment problem. Your operator is off the train for a few minutes working to correct the problem. We hope to be moving shortly.”
– “Your attention please: We are being delayed because crews are working on the track ahead. We expect to be moving shortly.”
– “Your attention please: We are being delayed because of a raised bridge ahead. We hope to be moving shortly.”
RIDERS MAKE SURE YOU GET THE MESSAGE
Can’t wait until the CTA introduces its wireless service alerts this fall? You don’t have to, thanks to two local tech professionals who have launched unofficial “L” and bus service alerts.
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CTAtattler.comwireless alerts
Who created it: Daniel O’Neil, 39, an Internet consultant who lives in Logan Square
What it offers: You can sign up on www.ctatattler.com to receive messages about “L” and bus service delivered to subscribers’ wireless hand-held devices.
When it was founded: July 2005
What inspired it: O’Neil got tired of the midnight “whining and complaining” by riders who blogged on his brother Kevin O’Neil’s ctatattler.com site. “Why sit in your underwear sending details of what bus or train was delayed that day,” Daniel O’Neil said. “Let’s share this little information with everybody else when it counts.”
Who feeds it: Any of the approximately 400 subscribers, including the CTA via the handle “CTA(underscore)HQ”
What’s next: Some riders are campaigning for alerts customized by line or bus route, but Daniel O’Neil sees the CTA as a “network effect,” where one disruption can affect other buses and trains. For now, the service stays the same, he said.
transit.elevatedconsulting.com
Who created it: Tony Coppoletta, 27, a technology consultant who lives in River West
What it offers: One-page stop for status of “L” service disruptions, station construction or other factors affecting train travel times.
When it was founded: March 2006
What inspired it: “The CTA does post its own service alerts, but they do it chronologically,” Coppoletta said. “I didn’t feel there was one specific place on their site you could go to and say ‘This line is OK, this one has problems.’ “
Who feeds it: Occasionally Coppoletta pulls information from CTAtattler wireless alerts, but mainly, the site lists service alerts or construction notices pulled from transitchicago.com.
What’s next: Coppoletta said this version of his “transit status” service is a beta site, but the full version will include bus information and be delivered via e-mail and wireless hand-held devices.
— Kyra Kyles
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kkyles@tribune.com
