Chicago train riders can now figure out how long they’ll need to stand under those french fry lights to keep warm on frigid outdoor platforms, thanks to an online train tracker unveiled Saturday by the Chicago Transit Authority.
Estimated times until the next train will arrive are listed on the CTA Web site, transitchicago.com, with a simplified version available for mobile devices.
The agency used a $100,000 grant to update the site, but otherwise utilized existing budget funds to upgrade the signal system so software can monitor approximately where trains are along all eight rail lines, CTA President Richard Rodriguez said at a news conference with Mayor Richard Daley.
In addition to the online information, arrival data will also be displayed on digital signs at 13 stations: Clinton, Ashland and California on the Green Line; Lake, Garfield, Cermak-Chinatown and Jackson on the Red Line; Chicago on the Purple and Brown lines; Fullerton and Belmont, which are on the Red, Brown and Purple lines; Halsted on the Orange Line; Polk on the Pink Line; and UIC-Halsted on the Blue Line.
Rodriguez said the system is designed to be accurate to within about a minute of a train’s arrival, though most train cars — unlike CTA buses — are not equipped with GPS trackers to give their exact location.
— John Byrne
