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Dude, I have no idea where you get your information, but clearly you didn't take the time to check the CTA website. Every line(Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple) run 24/7/365, except for the yellow line, which runs 20 hrs. a day and no weekends. Do your homework. Also, operating half of a system, bus or rail, anytime of the day or week is a joke! LOL I'll repeat NYC and Chicago are the only comprehesive(bus & rail), in scale and service, tranit systems running 24/7/365! STOP HATING! LOL!
I guess a guy who lives 700 miles from Chicago has better information about the CTA's operating times than a guy who lives IN Chicago!
I'll repeat something too - most cities do not run all or even most of their bus lines 24/7/365. I haven't checked the CTA website recently to examine its bus schedules, but I doubt they run all their bus routes at all times because it wouldn't make economic sense. This isn't just true in the generally transit-deficient United States, this is true in pretty much the entire world.
Torchi - NYC is the only system that operates 24 hours a day. Only the Red and the Blue lines of the CTA operate all night. What if you don't live on one of these lines? Brown/Yellow? You're stuck! So you call me when the CTA runs all night. Plus Metra is not even connected to the CTA at points across the city. DC's subway is more reliable than the CTA. It also has electronic message boards that tell you what train is coming and the time. Green Line Train: Branch Avenue 5 minutes. The CTA is not reliable at all with all the slow zones and break downs. Wood platforms??? Plus it doesn't even service large parts of Chicago Southside/Westside. I tried to catch the train to the McCormick Center. The CTA doesn't even go there. WTF? I had to wait forever for a Metra commuter rail train. Large areas of the lake don't even have EL service. Don't put the CTA (8 lines) in the same league as NYC (22 lines). It shows your insecurity.
Ben around - Read my previous post. A higher percentage of people use transit in DC than any other US city except NYC. So how is DC not on par with the above?? 800,000 boardings per day. More than SF, Chicago, Philly, Boston.......LA............. And thats only heavy rail. Boston and Philly have trolleys, lightrail, and commuter rail in their systems and they still don't add up. Heavy rail versus heavy rail they do come close to DC's numbers. Plus DC has 5 lightrail lines coming in 2009.
Like Philly and a few other places, trains in Chicago are used in tandem with buses. A train will stop near McCormick Place, you catch a bus from there.
Unlike the District, the trains are city oriented, not suburban oriented.
In D.C. the trains are obviously more for suburbanites, whereas buses are geared toward city folk. Yes, there's a station in Anacostia, but still.
Also, two lines that run 24 hours are still better than a whole system that shuts down after midnight...ok, 3 a.m. on weekends. Not to mention the fact that D.C. didn't even HAVE a system till the '70s. Chicago's goes back to 1892. No comparison, at least historically speaking.
The only reason why D.C.'s system is busier than those other cities is because it serves the "URREAH" shuttling in suburban passengers as well as city passengers, like Bay area rapid transit. it's not confined to the city limits like most subway systems. If it was, considering D.C.'s size, it wouldn't be nearly as busy.
Yeah, it's more modern than the Chicago system, but certainly not better. From 1892 to 1976, people in the District's only option was buses.
Hey, I'm not knocking DC. Mumbo sauce and Ben's Chili? Good stuff!
But WMATA is not better than CTA, it's just a newer system. Anybody can get it right if they wait till the seventies
(or eighties and nineties) to build their subway system.
Torchi - NYC is the only system that operates 24 hours a day. Only the Red and the Blue lines of the CTA operate all night. What if you don't live on one of these lines? Brown/Yellow? You're stuck! So you call me when the CTA runs all night. Plus Metra is not even connected to the CTA at points across the city. DC's subway is more reliable than the CTA. It also has electronic message boards that tell you what train is coming and the time. Green Line Train: Branch Avenue 5 minutes. The CTA is not reliable at all with all the slow zones and break downs. Wood platforms??? Plus it doesn't even service large parts of Chicago Southside/Westside. I tried to catch the train to the McCormick Center. The CTA doesn't even go there. WTF? I had to wait forever for a Metra commuter rail train. Large areas of the lake don't even have EL service. Don't put the CTA (8 lines) in the same league as NYC (22 lines). It shows your insecurity.
Ben around - Read my previous post. A higher percentage of people use transit in DC than any other US city except NYC. So how is DC not on par with the above?? 800,000 boardings per day. More than SF, Chicago, Philly, Boston.......LA............. And thats only heavy rail. Boston and Philly have trolleys, lightrail, and commuter rail in their systems and they still don't add up. Heavy rail versus heavy rail they do come close to DC's numbers. Plus DC has 5 lightrail lines coming in 2009.
DC Finest, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Go to the CTA website and look up. But since you didn't I will tell you the hrs., because I have been a little, lol, fast and loose with the numbers. LOL. The CTA train schedule is as follows:
Red line 24/7/365
Blue line 24/7/365
Purple line 22/7/365
Orange line 21/7/365(for some reason I think it runs 20 hrs. on Sun)
Green line 21/7/365
Pink line(don't laugh they let the chicago school kids pick this color) 21/7/364
Brown line 22/7/365(I think 21 hrs. on Sun)
Yellow line 18/7/365, no wkends.
This is virtually 24/7/365.
Ben Around was eloquent in explaining the purpose of a comprehensive transit system, but clearly you don't get. Your to busy being impressed with bells and whistles to even get the fact that your systems falls short in terms of scale and service. WAKE UP! I've already posted that both NYC and Chicago's systems have their problems, their both over a 100 years old, it's call 19th century vision, which DC didn't have. Now you have modern system in place because your city lack the vision and ingenuity to have a mass transit system until recently(yes, recently). Don't be a Johnny-come-lately to the game and expect credit for modern system, that's stupid. As for the CTA's slow zones and band-aid maintenance, that's legendary. They just this year seems to have hammered out a reasonable funding method. Also, as far as your comment regarding the McCormick Place, it's a stupid comment. I suppose every single destination in Chicago should have an L stop. How dumb does that sound. It's logistically impossible. DUH! Why didn't you take a bus or cab? Obviously, it wasn't about time, it was about money for you, because if it was about time you wouldn't have waited. DC's lack of foresight regarding mass transit is as ridiculous as, NYC lack of foresight, in regards to alleys for garbage pick-up and deliveries. But this is understandable since DC is a city about the past, unlike a city like Chicago who has been about the future since the 1800's. "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood..." Daniel Burnham.
houston. while i'm sure there are other cities that have worse public trans, for a city of houston's caliber, it's not helpful in the image department at all. and we have our foolish oil tycoons to thank for that
Your mambo sauce reference was funny. I agree to a certain degree but what you fail to realize is that DC's system is only 30 years old and it has already passed cities like Boston, Philly and Chicago in terms of sheer numbers regardless of who's riding it. Even though it serves the burbs there are more stops in the city. Boston's T and Philly's Septa also serve the burbs. Give credit where credit is due. I don't see how you can say it's not better? Large swaths of the city are not served by the CTA (el).
Most of the posters here have never been on any of these systems to make a honest assessment. I like the EL. It's one of the things that make Chicago great but it has flaws like every system in the country. Even NY.
I guess a guy who lives 700 miles from Chicago has better information about the CTA's operating times than a guy who lives IN Chicago!
I'll repeat something too - most cities do not run all or even most of their bus lines 24/7/365. I haven't checked the CTA website recently to examine its bus schedules, but I doubt they run all their bus routes at all times because it wouldn't make economic sense. This isn't just true in the generally transit-deficient United States, this is true in pretty much the entire world.
Check out my reply to DC's Finest, I post the CTA's actual train hours. You can verify them w/ their website. While I have played fast and loose with their train schedule it's virtually 24/7/365. This stuff about just the red and blue line is ridiculous. As far as buses go, it varies. Some routes are 24/7/365, some portions of some routes are 24/365, some routes probably don't run(who the hell knows for sure, there are so many routes). The point is at no time of day, or week, or year is the CTA's train or bus services not operating, in whatever capacity. In most cities like yours, after a certain hour service is non-existent. That's small potatoes. DEAL WITH IT! LOL!
What grade are you in? Just because you keep posting it doesn't make it so. I have probably been in Chicago more than you in the past year. Let me give you a scenario. I was staying at the Marriot right down from the Mag Mile on Michigan. Me and some friends went to a White Sox game last summer and I caught the Redline to 35th street. Walked over a couple blocks 33rd street and picked up my tickets from a stub hub location. After the game, me and a few friends decided to go sight seeing on the EL which is probably one of the best experiences a tourist should partake in. It was late, so we asked a CTA worker about train times after hours. The CTA employee informed us that the Red Line and Blue lines are the only 24 lines in the City of Chicago. He said that we should just stay on those two lines if we wanted to ride the EL into the wee hours of the morning. OK!
Here's comprehensive for you - 800,000 daily riders on our subways. BTW - As for our lack of foresight, before metro we had street cars that went everywhere. Get a clue.
24 hours is 24 hours. There is no such thing as virtually 24 hours. Can a woman be almost pregnant? Point blank - the sh*t closes, so its not 24 hours Einstein. As for your money comment. Please read my post. I stayed at the Marriot on Michigan but I can't afford a cab???
Last edited by DC's Finest; 02-28-2008 at 02:21 PM..
Your mambo sauce reference was funny. I agree to a certain degree but what you fail to realize is that DC's system is only 30 years old and it has already passed cities like Boston, Philly and Chicago in terms of sheer numbers regardless of who's riding it. Even though it serves the burbs there are more stops in the city. Boston's T and Philly's Septa also serve the burbs. Give credit where credit is due. I don't see how you can say it's not better? Large swaths of the city are not served by the CTA (el).
Most of the posters here have never been on any of these systems to make a honest assessment. I like the EL. It's one of the things that make Chicago great but it has flaws like every system in the country. Even NY.
I've been on your system and everyone in question here in the U.S., and many abroad from Rome to Beijing. I am a huge public transportation fan. I take it where possible, it's fun. But I notice you keep referring to DC's subway as your system, when referring to the numbers. What about bus? Haven't heard you mention those numbers, or DC's over-all numbers.
NCY- avg. 4.7 m riders per work day.
Chicago- 1.5 m riders per work day.
D.C./Maryland/Virginia- still only 1.1 riders per work day)
I know you don't want to compare weekend numbers, because over half the Metro riders are commuters who live outside of D.C. As far as your comment about large parts of the city not being served by the CTA. THERE IS NO PART OF THE CITY NOT SERVED BY THE CTA. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF BUSES. LOL. That statement is pretty ridiculous.
What grade are you in? Just because you keep posting it doesn't make it so. I have probably been in Chicago more than you in the past year. Let me give you a scenario. I was staying at the Marriot right down from the Mag Mile on Michigan. Me and some friends went to a White Sox game last summer and I caught the Redline to 35th street. Walked over a couple blocks 33rd street and picked up my tickets from a stub hub location. After the game, me and a few friends decided to go sight seeing on the EL which is probably one of the best experiences a tourist should partake in. It was late, so we asked a CTA worker about train times after hours. The CTA employee informed us that the Red Line and Blue lines are the only 24 lines in the City of Chicago. He said that we should just stay on those two lines if we wanted to ride the EL into the wee hours of the morning. OK!
Here's comprehensive for you - 800,000 daily riders on our subways. BTW - As for our lack of foresight, before metro we had street cars that went everywhere. Get a clue.
24 hours is 24 hours. There is no such thing as virtually 24 hours. Can a woman be almost pregnant? Point blank - the sh*t closes, so its not 24 hours Einstein. As for your money comment. Please read my post. I stayed at the Marriot on Michigan but I can't afford a cab???
You'd rather remain ignorant, than go to the CTA website! WOW! UNBELEIVABLE!
What grade are you in? Just because you keep posting it doesn't make it so. I have probably been in Chicago more than you in the past year. Let me give you a scenario. I was staying at the
Marriot
right down from the Mag Mile on Michigan. Me and some friends went to a White
Sox
game last summer and I caught the
Redline
to 35th street. Walked over a couple blocks 33rd street and picked up my tickets from a stub hub location. After the game, me and a few friends decided to go sight seeing on the EL which is probably one of the best experiences a tourist should partake in. It was late, so we asked a CTA worker about train times after hours. The CTA employee informed us that the Red Line and Blue lines are the only 24 lines in the City of Chicago. He said that we should just stay on those two lines if we wanted to ride the EL into the wee hours of the morning. OK!
Here's comprehensive for you - 800,000 daily riders on our subways. BTW - As for our lack of foresight, before metro we had street cars that went everywhere. Get a clue.
24 hours is 24 hours. There is no such thing as virtually 24 hours. Can a woman be almost pregnant? Point blank - the sh*t closes, so its not 24 hours Einstein. As for your money comment. Please read my post. I stayed at the on Michigan but I can't afford a cab???
I'll repeat at NO time of day, or week, or year is the CTA's rail and bus services not running in some capacity. Your ignorance is astounding. As for street cars, that's what Chicago used when the came up with the L IN THE 1900's. FORESIGHT! VISION! As for the money remark, I wasn't implying you couldn't afford a cab, I was implying your cheap. LOL! LOL! LOL!
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As far as buses go, it varies. Some routes are 24/7/365, some portions of some routes are 24/365, some routes probably don't run(who the hell knows for sure, there are so many routes). The point is at no time of day, or week, or year is the CTA's train or bus services not operating, in whatever capacity. In most cities like yours, after a certain hour service is non-existent. That's small potatoes. DEAL WITH IT! LOL!
