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The stats for both systems are close enough for a good comparison. The stats are certainly relevant, but getting beyond them, which system offers the best service? Does CTA not cover vast swaths of the city? Does Metro close too early? Will the addition of DC's new streetcars give it an advantage over Chicago? Does the El have fewer maintenance issues than Metro? Can both systems pretty much get you anywhere in the city you want to be or does one system do a much better job of that than the other?
The stats for both systems are close enough for a good comparison. The stats are certainly relevant, but getting beyond them, which system offers the best service? Does CTA not cover vast swaths of the city? Does Metro close too early? Will the addition of DC's new streetcars give it an advantage over Chicago? Does the El have fewer maintenance issues than Metro? Can both systems pretty much get you anywhere in the city you want to be or does one system do a much better job of that than the other?
When D.C. finishes the silver line, purple line, corridor cities transitway, D.C. street cars, and V.A. streetcars, it won't even be close. Right now it is though.
The corridor cities transitway NW of D.C.
Last edited by MDAllstar; 02-16-2011 at 03:00 PM..
Having lived the first 25 years of my life in Chicago (both city and suburbs) and currently living in DC, I think I am a pretty good judge of both systems. Generally speaking, the Metro in DC does the job that the CTA and Metra do in Chicago.
In Chicago, roughly 2/3 of residents use the CTA busses over the EL, so EL ridership is not as high as Metro, but CTA busses are far better than MetroBus. A good portion of the Metro Rail System travels through fairly suburban areas (once you get out of Arlington and Bethesda areas), so distance between stops is quite long. CTA seems to be more of an "urban system" to me, if that makes sense. One of the biggest differences to me is that the EL in Chicago is much older so the city organicly grew around the EL, whereas in DC, the city was well established before Metro existed, so it doesn't have the same organic feel to it, if that makes any sense.
Each system seems to be going in opposite directions, CTA always having funding issues, and mantainance issues, where as Metro seems to be expanding all the time. Both systems can make an argument for 2nd best in the Country, but as of now I give CTA the #2 spot, but Metro will clearly be better once their expansions are finished.
When D.C. finishes the silver line, purple line, corridor cities transitway, D.C. street cars, and V.A. streetcars, it won't even be close. Right now it is though.
A large majority of the trains are underground in the city.
Metra is a beast but its just like Amtrak diesel trains.
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