Park and Ride Capacity at Linden / Purple Line (Chicago, Evanston: rent, neighborhood)

[abqcd]

I noticed that the parking lots at the end of the commuter train lines are very small in Chicago. In Boston, the end of each subway line has a huge parking structure with literally thousands of spaces. Similarly, the commuter rail in Boston has fairly decent parking lots at each stop out in the 'burbs.

In Chicago, the end of the Purple Line only has 328 spaces. I can't imagine that this doesn't fill up by 5:00 AM. How late can one get there and still have parking available for the morning commute?

CTA Park & Ride: Park at 'L' stations

[chet everett]

First off, this is not Boston and no a single soul here cares one iota how wicked huge the parking structures there may be.

Second, Wilmette has stops for the Metra as well, the Metra UP-N line is significantly quicker for getting into the Loop and with nicer seats / layout is much prefered by commuters that like to do a bit of work on the train.

There will be many folks on the purple line that walk to the Linden station though if you need to drive you probably will want to get there early, especially on days when it is raining or snowing.

There are businesses near the Metra stop that will rent out parking to folks unable to get a permit for a space in the official lots. I have not seen as much of that near the CTA stations which leads me to beleive parking might not be as constrained...

[abqcd]

Originally Posted by chet everett

First off, this is not Boston and no a single soul here cares one iota how wicked huge the parking structures there may be.

First off, why are you such a mass hole? You would fit right in in Boston ! The point I was making is not that Boston is somehow better than Chicago because it has huge parking structures. It is simply a question of "are the parking lots sufficient for the commuter population on the Purple Line". In Boston, the huge parking structures are stuffed to the gills by 8 AM. But maybe 328 spaces in Chicago is enough. Given that both metro areas are in the same ballpark in terms of population, one would think that Chicago would need more parking. Its a reasonable question. Don't take it so personally.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by abqcd

First off, why are you such a mass hole? You would fit right in in Boston ! The point I was making is not that Boston is somehow better than Chicago because it has huge parking structures. It is simply a question of "are the parking lots sufficient for the commuter population on the Purple Line". In Boston, the huge parking structures are stuffed to the gills by 8 AM. But maybe 328 spaces in Chicago is enough. Given that both metro areas are in the same ballpark in terms of population, one would think that Chicago would need more parking. Its a reasonable question. Don't take it so personally.

The CTA is an agency controlled by the city of Chicago. The MBTA (which controls the subways and the commuter system in Boston) is a state agency and caters to the needs of the suburbanites to a much greater degree than the CTA. Here in Chicago, Metra is in charge of commuter rail service and is largely controlled by suburban interests. Metra stations generally have large parking lots/structures to cater to the downtown commuting crowd.

[reppin_the_847]

Originally Posted by abqcd

I noticed that the parking lots at the end of the commuter train lines are very small in Chicago. In Boston, the end of each subway line has a huge parking structure with literally thousands of spaces. Similarly, the commuter rail in Boston has fairly decent parking lots at each stop out in the 'burbs.

In Chicago, the end of the Purple Line only has 328 spaces. I can't imagine that this doesn't fill up by 5:00 AM. How late can one get there and still have parking available for the morning commute?

CTA Park & Ride: Park at 'L' stations

Actually I've noticed that the Wilmette stop along the METRA (Union Pacific-North line) definitely fills up by around 8 AM or so. The CTA stop not so much. The CTA ride is actually much slower & lengthier to get into downtown compared to the Metra. Even a Purple Line Express train can't compare to the speed of the METRA.

The Linden stop is useful for taking a shorter hop to the north side of Chicago (say Loyola University in Rogers Park, Wrigley Field in Lakeview, or the neighborhood of Lincoln Park). Ridership is relatively low out of Linden, but really its main purpose is to allow the residents of Evanston (all the stops south of Linden in Wilmette) to be able to directly access the CTA system. You'll notice that ridership is much higher out of the Evanston - Davis Street (downtown Evanston) & Evanston - Main Street stops. Linden is just where the trains are docked and turn around, and historically this goes back a long time I believe. I doubt that Wilmette with its wealthier NIMBY types would have CTA trains if this system was newly created today.

[Avondalist]

Originally Posted by reppin_the_847

Actually I've noticed that the Wilmette stop along the METRA (Union Pacific-North line) definitely fills up by around 8 AM or so. The CTA stop not so much. The CTA ride is actually much slower & lengthier to get into downtown compared to the Metra. Even a Purple Line Express train can't compare to the speed of the METRA.

The Linden stop is useful for taking a shorter hop to the north side of Chicago (say Loyola University in Rogers Park, Wrigley Field in Lakeview, or the neighborhood of Lincoln Park). Ridership is relatively low out of Linden, but really its main purpose is to allow the residents of Evanston (all the stops south of Linden in Wilmette) to be able to directly access the CTA system. You'll notice that ridership is much higher out of the Evanston - Davis Street (downtown Evanston) & Evanston - Main Street stops. Linden is just where the trains are docked and turn around, and historically this goes back a long time I believe. I doubt that Wilmette with its wealthier NIMBY types would have CTA trains if this system was newly created today.

Interesting...it's just there because they needed open space to turn the trains around. That makes sense. I always wondered why Wilmette had a CTA stop - it seems incongruous.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Avondalist

Interesting...it's just there because they needed open space to turn the trains around. That makes sense. I always wondered why Wilmette had a CTA stop - it seems incongruous.

The history is weird.

Chicago ''L''.org: Stations - Linden-Wilmette

By 1912, the Northwestern Elevated had outgrown its terminal at Central Street, Evanston. There were also new riders to be had in the nearby suburb to the north, Wilmette. In February 1912, Northwestern President Britton I. Budd notified Wilmette officials of his intentions to extend the line into Wilmette, but opposition quickly developed. On the night of April 1, a construction crew entered the site under the cover of darkness and built a half car-long platform east of 4th Avenue. Wilmette residents awoke to rapid transit service -- the first train arrived at the tiny, hastily-built platform at Linden Avenue, Wilmette at 6:54am, April 2, 1912.

Can you imagine waking up to that April Fool's joke? They celebrated the 100th anniversary of the service in 2012.