is the green line always really slow?? (Chicago, Washington: transfer, neighborhood)

[ak934]

Hi,

I am moving back to Chicago from NYC and will be working on the south side at the U of C in Hyde Park. I was thinking of living in the west loop, so the green line could be a good option (clinton stop, for example), but I took it down south today and it was incredibly slow. Is that common for the green line?

Thanks!

[ajolotl]

Yes, it is slow, plus it doesn't really bring you to Hyde Park, and the walk across Washington Park looks much longer in the winter than it does when the weather is nice. If you're going to transfer anyhow (e.g to the #55 after Green Line) I strongly recommend taking one of the express busses (#2 or #6). They take about 15 minutes from central loop to HP. No idea how to get from West to Central Loop, but assuming it's easy that might be a better bet.

Originally Posted by ak934

Hi,

I am moving back to Chicago from NYC and will be working on the south side at the U of C in Hyde Park. I was thinking of living in the west loop, so the green line could be a good option (clinton stop, for example), but I took it down south today and it was incredibly slow. Is that common for the green line?

Thanks!

[noid_1985]

Simple...just take the red line to Garfield and there is an express bus that will bring you east to Hyde Park

[ak934]

Yes, I know about the red line way, was just hoping to do it without a transfer.

Unfortunately, since I need to go to the western part of campus, the el to the 55 is probably better than the express buses, which mostly go to the east part of campus.

I wish the green weren't so slow...

[ajolotl]

Yes, this is a problem. I will say though that the walk from 57th and Stony to western campus is very safe and beautiful -- full of life, some cool restaurants and bookstores, some great architecture, Cafe Istria, etc. If you savor it it can be good exercise and an adventure rather than a chore, even in winter.

Originally Posted by ak934

Yes, I know about the red line way, was just hoping to do it without a transfer.

Unfortunately, since I need to go to the western part of campus, the el to the 55 is probably better than the express buses, which mostly go to the east part of campus.

I wish the green weren't so slow...

[Ramo Nash]

I take the green line about twice a week from Clark/Lake to 55th and it usually averages 20 minutes on account of it running so slowly. I don't mind it, since it's always empty and I bring a book. Together with taking the 55 bus and walking to campus, your looking at around 30 minutes from Clinton.

If your train was slow, because of stops due to "track work," then I should say that such things are occasional at most.

[Drover]

Strange it would be slow since the Green Line was just rebuilt basically from scratch about 10 years ago and the latest CTA slow zone map (http://www.transitchicago.com/news/whatsnew2.wu?action=displaynewspostingdetail&artic leid=107056 - broken link) shows zero slow zones for the Green Line. It may be that you caught it at a time when crews were doing maintenance work on the tracks. Maintenance crews are pulled off during peak commute times so if you'll be riding during normal commute times you shouldn't have that problem.

[ak934]

I must have hit it on a bad day - it took about an hour from the clinton stop.

[city414]

why dont they expand el lines into hyde park???? i thought for the size of chicago there be a few more lines than there already are! and to find out there are no lines that go into the south suburbs or the sw suburbs is kinda crazy to me.. (there were talks of expanding the red line to 118th st and the blue line into schauburg,il)

since there are lines that go into the north suburbs like evanston and to the west skokie.

[Drover]

There are 4 Green Line stops within 4 blocks of Hyde Park serving the west side of the neighborhood and three Metra stops serving the east side of the neighborhood. Of all the places to expand L service, Hyde Park is not necessarily the most sensible one.