Do you think the EL will ever be expanded or new lines added? (Chicago: employment, construction)

[Milwaukee City]

I always wondered why isn't there an el line going north and south more west of downtown? all the lines are diagonals with the exception of the red line and the purple but both of those are on the north side. Kedzie seems like it would be a good area for a line going from top to bottom. The El is fine if I want to go downtown, but what if I'm at Lawrence and Kimball and I need to get to midway I have to come downtown and go back out. A north-south line would be nice around Cicero or Ashland ave. I hear they are expanding metra unfortunately not to Milwaukee,WI. What El lines need to be expanded or added?

http://www.gapersblock.com/detour/a_cta_map_for_2055/

[coldwine]

It isn't conducive at this time to spend Chicago's money on Chicago. We need to be spending more on politicians and everything south of the I-80. Right? Right?

Am I right?

The L needs upgrades, not just expansion. If the state is determined to do everything in its power to deprive Chicago of a mass transit system, before expansion can occur maintenance on what already exists must take precedence. And that's already impossibly difficult.

[chet everett]

The cost-per-mile of transit lines in urban setting is astronomical. The only way to accomplish anything like a rapid transit system is to utilize existing rights-of-way and even then the time-to-pay-back is terrible. Unless there is some HUGE population center the ridership is just not capable of paying to support the sunk costs. Without shifting income from heavily used lines to lighter used line AND spreading out subsidies even Metra would not work...

The sad reality is that even the math of adding rapid transit lines ALONG SIDE the portions of expressway that do not have them is a losing proposition -- redevelopment of "hubs" for both residential and office use is already impossible.

Daley and Madigan have some decent plans for a "controlled access highway" that could run at about the overall of the long ago "crosstown" expressway and utilize some railroad rights of way, but the economics of THAT are a real stretch any how -- if you make it a toll based system that will drive some users to seek free parallel surface streets, if is "truck only" it would be unlikely to generate the interest among business owners that would need to get themselves and their workforce to the various employment sites...

In a big picture view the reality is that with enough use of technology and some minor reconfiguration of bus stops /lanes significant improvements could be made in the system that CTA has for tracking buses and allowing SOME to interact with SOME traffic control devices at a MUCH lower cost than expanding rapid transit. Basically buses can provide a much better level of service IF they do not cause traffic to bunch up behind them and try to race around them. Bus stops could be moved to MID_BLOCK locations with appropriate safety zones cut into or extended from sidewalks. Thus RIGHT TURNING vehicles would not be hindered at stop lights. Once the bus pulled away from a mid block stop it could 'capture' the green light (just like basically all suburban police & fire vehicles do) and with could tracking and two-links to a central computer ensure that the route moves MUCH closer to posted speed limits.

Big benefits would be seen in rush hour and even off peak commute times. Of course people would need to relearn where to wait for a bus and businesses that cater to bus riders might be upset that there corners are not as busy. The rationale is sound, and computer simulations show that freeing up the turn lanes and giving buses a "green light" can cut commute time so much that fewer people would be tempted to drive themselves, thus freeing up MORE roadway for faster travel times...

[via chicago]

Its a shame this never got legs:
Lee Bey: The Urban Observer: The CTA: What Might Have Been

[Milwaukee City]

I heard that even with all the riders in Chi area the metra/el still lose money everyday?

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

I heard that even with all the riders in Chi area the metra/el still lose money everyday?

No transportation system in the history of civilization has ever been profitable.

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

No transportation system in the history of civilization has ever been profitable.

Public trans should clearly support itself, while we should be pumping more into highway construction. That's the attitude that's gotten us into so many disastrous situations.

I didn't read the article. I couldn't. It's just too depressing, and it represents one of the major causes of my decision to leave Chicago. After a while you can only put up with the problems for so long before you, as a citizen, want to help fix them... But in Chicago nothing ever gets fixed, just taxed more heavily.

[hsw]

Mass transit tends to be a drain on economy of any region

Many low-skill, low-wage workers would be better served relocating to lower-cost, low-tax regions like Dall/Hou suburbs/exurbs anyway

Higher income workers can easily drive from Winnetka, GoldCoast, LincPk, etc to Loop far more safely, comfortably, productively than via any silly mass transit/cabs

And if one argues that, in a virtual, globalized world, it's silly to have high-income workers waste time commuting from NorthShore to Loop....offices can easily relocate to NorthShore if sufficiently hassled/taxed....much of same phenom as hedge funds leaving/ignoring Manhattan for lower-tax, more-convenient Greenwich...Darwinian economics...

[Avengerfire]

That was one of the dumbest comments I have ever read.

[supernerdgirl]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

That was one of the dumbest comments I have ever read.

i think that's all he/she's known for.