Red line extension

[chirack]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

It can be sure, but in the way you’ve yielded it in this thread, simply as a “if you don’t agree with me, you are racist”, no it’s not.

You claimed that this won’t require any local tax dollars. It will take at least $1,000,000,000 of local tax dollars. That’s beyond the opportunity cost of not using federal money for other, more impactful transit projects.

For a fraction of that billion dollars of local tax dollars, all of the ME could be converted to rapid transit with 10 minute headways. That’s a win for the entire south side. But it requires coordination from two separate transit agencies who barely acknowledge the other, and so instead we must spend 4 billion+ (these things always go over budget) for 4 new stops on the end of a line.

If there were a similar metra line in the north side that could be converted to rapid transit, I would argue that’s the path to go down till I’m blue in the face. But there’s not. There’s only this. And since we live in a poorly run, cash constrained city, there are trade offs to be made. My vote is for the cheaper option which unlocks greater transit improvements for a much wider population. Your vote is the significantly more expensive option serving only a very narrow population.

The current Red Line can actual have trains arriving or departing every 5-6 mins in Rush and the only time it runs at 10 mins between trains is after 7pm on a weekend. So off the bat it is inferior and it likely isn't the cheaper option. Metra would have to hire drivers to increase frequency, CTA not really as the same driver could just drive the train to it's new terminus. Also the Metra line is spit between 3 different branches that converge at some point; One to Blue Island, one to University Park, one to Kingston as well as being shared by the south shore line. This is a lot of traffic heading up the main line to the terminal downtown. The line runs at ground level in places and is single tracked in places and does not connect with the rest of the EL system. Increasing frequency up this line might not be so easy.

[wanderer34]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTJ2m1_ccFM

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2022...n-tif-advances

https://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...togallery.html

https://chicago.suntimes.com/afterno...o-news-roundup

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...sion-approved/

This should finally get the proverbial ball rolling for the Red Line extension!

[CyclingChemist]

Originally Posted by chirack

The current Red Line can actual have trains arriving or departing every 5-6 mins in Rush and the only time it runs at 10 mins between trains is after 7pm on a weekend. So off the bat it is inferior and it likely isn't the cheaper option. Metra would have to hire drivers to increase frequency, CTA not really as the same driver could just drive the train to it's new terminus. Also the Metra line is spit between 3 different branches that converge at some point; One to Blue Island, one to University Park, one to Kingston as well as being shared by the south shore line. This is a lot of traffic heading up the main line to the terminal downtown. The line runs at ground level in places and is single tracked in places and does not connect with the rest of the EL system. Increasing frequency up this line might not be so easy.

Which by lengthening the line means to keep the same interval the CTA will need more rolling stock to run mostly empty trains through the south side which has low ridership. Waste of money. I can't imagine running 8 car trains every 5 minutes through as I said a depopulating ghetto with no attractions nor business centers to draw people to those areas.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by CyclingChemist

Which by lengthening the line means to keep the same interval the CTA will need more rolling stock to run mostly empty trains through the south side which has low ridership. Waste of money. I can't imagine running 8 car trains every 5 minutes through as I said a depopulating ghetto with no attractions nor business centers to draw people to those areas.

Ah the red line is the busiest line on both sides of town. The southside does not have low ridership along this line. The the ridership total from Cermak to 95th(The south side) was 19,472 in October of this year. Which is greater than each of the following lines total ridership: the Purple line, Yellow line, Pink line, Green line. It is also greater than segment of the Blue line in the Dearborn subway or The Blue line from the subway to forest park. And you wont need that many new drivers the train can make that distance in about 20 mins or so.

[DaBears02]

FTA’s 2024 budget includes $350 million for Red Line extension

https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/ft...mendations.pdf

[personone]

Originally Posted by DaBears02

FTA’s 2024 budget includes $350 million for Red Line extension

https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/ft...mendations.pdf

Rather than an "extension," I would rather them renovate the CTA, increase security, improve tracks, and make the CTA an overall higher quality experience. A few years ago, there seemed to be a lot more care put into the CTA. Post-pandemic it has gone downhill.