Go Lanes and Chicago Cards

Reader jrock sent in an email asking to clarify how to use the "Go Lanes" on CTA buses. The Go Lane pilot project is designed to speed up the boarding process with a dedicated lane for Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus customers. And Go Lanes are one more reason (as if you needed any more) to switch to the Chicago Card, since most fares for non-Chicago Card users go up January 1.

You can see photos of both rail and bus Go Lanes here. On the rail system Go Lanes are dedicated fare turnstiles, currently located at selected stations with a large number of fare lanes. As Jrock has discovered, it's a little more complicated on the bus system. We moved the Chicago Card "target" on over 600 of our newer buses to the left side of the entrance passage. Chicago Card customers can bypass the line for cash and transit card customers by slipping to the left and touching their Card to the target. Go Lane buses are marked with a tall yellow sign to the left of the bus door and yellow Go Lane stickers on the door windows. Currently 100% of buses on the #20, #3, and #56 routes are Go Lane equipped, with the remaining buses spread throughout the system.

How does this help? How many times have you seen a bus just miss a green light because a long line of customers was boarding? It turns out that cash transactions take more than twice as long to process as Chicago Card transactions, or almost 3 seconds more per boarding. That doesn't sound like a lot, but multiply 3 seconds by a million daily bus boardings and we could save 800 hours of travel each day. On our busiest routes, 3 seconds per boarding amounts to a potential increase in trip speed by 5%. That improves service through shorter travel times and reduced bus bunching, and it saves money through more productive service.

Note: One technical challenge is that the farebox can't read a Chicago Card in the middle of an existing cash transaction (e.g., if coins are being dropped in slowly). That's one more reason to switch away from cash, but please be aware of this issue as you are boarding -- it's best to touch the Chicago Card target just after or just before a cash transaction takes place. We continue to explore ways to improve the Go Lane concept, so please try it and let me know what you think.

Brown Line Expansion Update

As many of you know, the Brown Line Capacity Expansion project is underway, with construction in progress for the signals upgrade, and construction imminent at Kimball, Kedzie, Francisco, Rockwell, Fullerton, Belmont, Armitage, Sedgwick, and Chicago. The Brown Line project will expand capacity by 33%, rehabilitate 18 stations with elevators and other ADA -accessible features, and upgrade the traction power, signal, and communications infrastructure.

A detailed 3-month schedule is available HERE. Contract announcements are here and here.

For customers, the major impact will be as follows:

• Kedzie and Rockwell will be closed beginning in the latter part of February, no sooner than February 20th. CTA's construction contract requires those closures to last no more than six months. Customers are encouraged to use the Kimball, Francisco, and Western stations during this period. The area is also served by the #78 Montrose and #81 Lawrence buses, providing connections to the Brown and Red Lines.
  
• Armitage, Sedgwick, and Chicago will all be closed for one weekend in early March. The construction contract permits five additional weekend closures to be scheduled at a later date. Alternative service will be available via the #73 Armitage, #72 North, and #66 Chicago bus routes, as well as the Fullerton, North/Clybourn, and Chicago Red Line stations.
  

I have asked CTA staff to prepare a detailed customer communication plan to ensure that those affected by these station closures receive information about alternative service options. Businesses near those stations are encouraged to contact their local chambers of commerce and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center for information about specific business assistance programs.

CTA Holiday Train

One of my favorite parts of CTA is the Holiday Train, a fully decorated train that includes music, colored lights, special holiday-themed advertising and Santa's sleigh on a flatcar. Each year CTA employees volunteer their time to decorate the train and deliver holiday gift baskets to community organizations throughout our service area. Two weeks ago I had the privilege of helping Santa deliver gifts in Pilsen, and this weekend the Train will be traveling the Green Line. Check out the schedule here to see when Santa is coming to your neighborhood.