Op-ed writer Yunus Emre Tozal’s critique of the Blue Line (“Blue Line is failing in its mission to be a vital link between O’Hare and the city,” Feb. 2) is quite valid in many respects. Compared to the smooth-sailing, clean, quiet mass transit trains in many other cities, the Blue Line falls short. Much can and should be done to bring the train line up to par with other cities.
But some of the conditions on the Blue Line, or any CTA method of transportation, reflect a systemic problem — and that is the city’s shortage of 24-hour shelters that would bring many unhoused people off of the trains and into a more comfortable, secure setting.
I work at the Harold Washington Library Center and take the Blue Line regularly. As HWLC also offers the city’s unhoused population temporary refuge from the weather, I see many of these folks as they leave the library with their belongings and then meet up with them again as they walk to the train. I have the luxury of a home at the end of my commute; many others remain on the train for the entire night.
At HWLC, we also see many tourists occupying time in the library before they can check into their hotels or catch later flights. They’re appreciative of the direct route the Blue Line provides from the Loop to O’Hare International Airport. But they also take note of the presence of unhoused people. This is what makes the biggest impact on people visiting our city, and it’s generally followed by a question: Why do people have to sleep on the train?
The answer should not be because a city the size of Chicago, with all it has to offer its visitors, is ill-equipped to address its homeless population. Remedying the situation would at least address that “unsafe feeling” for riders.
— Teresa Groat, Chicago
How it’s interconnected
In her discussion with the Tribune (“Putting public transit on track,” Feb. 2), Nora Leerhsen, acting director of the CTA, mentioned that the CTA was involved in some funding of homeless shelter beds. This makes sense. It also points to another issue that is impacting the CTA even though it is completely outside its ostensible mandate — mental health services.
On a recent “L” trip, my nonclinical assessment was that two people sharing my car were wrestling with difficulties, one of whom was making other riders uncomfortable.
It’s another reminder that cities are complex collections of people and interconnected systems. Unless they are all functioning together, there will be ancillary fallout.
— Mike Koetting, Chicago
NYC’s airport-rail link
Yunus Emre Tozal’s op-ed trashing the Blue Line’s service between O’Hare International Airport and the Loop lacks specificity and credibility. He claims that Chicago should emulate the “comfortable, reliable” rail connection in cities such as New York. Really? Has he flown to New York?
To use the subway from LaGuardia Airport, one must squeeze into a bus with insufficient luggage storage and likely stand, crammed in, for the 15-minute ride to the Jackson Heights station where, as of three weeks ago, there is not an operational elevator to the platform. Then hope you understand which line you’re supposed to take to get to the right location.
John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports offer a tram service to public transit options, but taking the train from either location will require yet another transfer at Penn Station, a confusing and crowded welcome to the city.
Contrast this with the Blue Line from O’Hare to the Loop. No transfers. One fare. Almost always a seat when you leave the O’Hare CTA station. Typically, a frequent and reliable departure. And the Rosemont station is only one stop away, where there are many transfer options if you are not traveling to the Loop. And the cost? It’s $2.50 or no more than $5 for the full fare. Try to do that in New York! The same can be said regarding the Orange Line to Midway Airport.
It’s hard to tell from Tozal’s piece what exactly he thinks should be “modernized” with the Blue Line. But he is wrong to accuse the state and region of doing nothing to coordinate and improve mass transit. Illinois just passed a measure that will fund substantial improvements to the reginal system, including the CTA.
Is the CTA’s Blue Line service world-class? Perhaps that is up for debate. Personally, if the CTA would maintain clean cars on a more consistent basis and do something about the tobacco and cannabis odors that are too frequently encountered, I would say yes.
It certainly beats New York City hands down.
— John S. Brennan, Chicago
CTA’s accessibility gap
I am very disappointed that the range of the Tribune’s “wide-ranging interview” with acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen didn’t include any discussion of the rail system’s woeful accessibility for people with disabilities.
If the CTA’s website is to be believed, 37 rail stations still need to be made accessible. The system’s “All Stations Accessibility Program” (“ASAP” — such punsters at the CTA) calls for this to happen by 2038. All the system needs is hundreds of millions of dollars. Why no question about the status of this plan, its priority at the CTA and its funding?
As if reinforcing the point that accessibility is not a topic much worth exploring, the Tribune photojournalist photographed Leerhsen in front of steps at the Damen Avenue Green Line station.
The Tribune and the CTA have many steps to climb to show they care about making accessibility a priority issue for our alleged world-class city.
— Michael Solomon, Chicago
Public safety on trains
I am writing to express my concern about the safety issues in Chicago’s public transit system, specifically its trains.
The data indicates that crime rate on CTA trains has increased, even with ridership decreasing compared to pre-pandemic times; it has become more dangerous per ride.
Many of Chicago’s youths use the CTA regularly to commute to and from school. Children and young adults are already vulnerable due to their age. The trains are often imperative in helping them get an education when their schools are distant.
I live on Roosevelt Road, regularly board the train at the State/Lake stop and have taken CTA trains and buses my whole life. In the past month, I’ve encountered more intrusiveness and discomfort between individuals riding the trains. I and others I know have experienced threatening and inappropriate behavior at stations and on trains. It’s not explicit violence, and the issue is possibly overlooked and needs to be addressed.
I have yet to see many public transportation police officers at stations and on trains when they are most needed. More security must be implemented at high-crime CTA train stations to increase youth ridership and prevent individuals engaging in inappropriate behavior from using the trains.
— Lily Shah, student, Latin School of Chicago
Editor’s note: This has been updated to clarify how much a Blue Line rider might pay when traveling from O’Hare to the Loop.
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