Three-tracking to begin Monday, April 2nd

After an extensive discussion of operational testing and preparation, service options, and safety and security factors, the Chicago Transit Board authorized proceeding with three-track operations this Monday, April 2nd. After 3 months of input from you (I do share all of your comments with my board members and management), I believe CTA has developed service alternatives that will help mitigate the impact of 3-tracking, including doubling rush hour service on key routes. The complete presentation is here (PDF), with additional details here (PDF). The board also asked staff to be flexible in responding to changing customer demand based on ridership and customer feedback.

However, none of that will matter if our customers don't change their commuting patterns -- especially between 7:30am and 8:30am, and between 4:45 and 6:00 pm. Kevin at CTA Tattler, who was at the meeting, said "Hell commences Monday," and I can't say I disagree. But the sooner we start, the sooner this project will be over, and I want it done.

Auditor General Report

I am delighted to report that Illinois Auditor General Bill Holland has concluded his audits of RTA, Pace, Metra, and CTA. Finally, we have independent verification of what we have been saying all along. The report highlights the need for increased transit investment, and it supports CTA's efforts to secure additional reforms and efficiencies in labor operations and pension financing.

The audit report supports arguments CTA has highlighted for several years:

1. The clean financial audit confirms the integrity of CTA's accounting, and the performance audit verifies that CTA's efficiency is generally consistent with industry standards.
2. Regional transit faces a "serious financial shortfall" that must be addressed to provide sustainable service and to secure new federal funds.
3. The joint labor-management pension plan for CTA employees is seriously underfunded, and reforms are needed to employee pensions and the collective bargaining process.

I look forward to working with state lawmakers to help get public transit funding back on track.

CTA's full statement can be found here, the summary and full report are here, and CTA's detailed responses can be found beginning on page 45 of this PDF document.

Three-track service update

CTA staff has prepared "frequently asked questions and answers" about three-track service, which you can find here.

The answer to the question "is CTA working with Metra to provide additional service in this corridor?" is "yes" -- and the results of that work can be found here.

UPDATE: Metra's press release on their service changes can be found here, and it has some more detail than the Tribune story. Please also check out CTA's work-in-progress three-track site for future information about the construction project.

UPDATE #2: First, let me say again that I insisted on community meetings and extensive public dialogue on three-tracking so that all of our customers could raise these types of concerns. Nothing will be implemented until the board is comfortable that these questions have been answered and until the signals and switches have been tested and tested again.

Transit guy, CTA worked with Metra on the additional service. In fact, I spoke personally with Metra’s Chairman, Carole Doris, about it. Regarding board ridership, the internal CTA system tracks free trips provided to employees. It does not reflect paid trips, which other board members and I told the Tribune we do on a regular basis. As Director Zagotta said, "the bus drivers act differently--they're on their best behavior--if they know you are observing them." I use the system several times a week, depending on my travel schedule.

Regarding the suggestion to replace the Belmont Purple Line stop with one at Sheridan, I raised this question at the last board meeting, and I'm sorry it did not make it into the FAQs posted on the website. CTA’s Planning staff responded: “Planning's analysis has shown that, although it makes sense to reduce congestion in the three-track corridor, we also need as much capacity at Belmont as possible. Belmont is one of our busiest stations outside of the Loop, with over 1000 people entering that station in the busiest half-hour. Belmont customers tend not to live in locations where Sheridan would be an easy alternative. If the Purple Line did not stop at Belmont, its Belmont customers would shift to Brown Line trains (and not to the Red Line Sheridan station), reducing overall capacity where you really need it. This would lead to increased platform crowding at Belmont for southbound trips, crowding in the Loop for northbound trips, and crowding at Fullerton in both directions. The result would be increased boarding times and delays for all three rail lines in the corridor – outweighing any benefit from providing cross-platform transfers at Sheridan.”

And Jared, there were many different nuances to the dozens of suggestions we received here and elsewhere about night/weekend/short-term service closures. I don’t think the FAQ was responding to you personally. Your particular take has some appeal, but the neighborhood disruption and additional costs (bus operating costs are higher, night construction work typically comes at a premium) would have to be weighed against any additional speed. The decision to keep the line open (as opposed to reducing/eliminating service during construction, like the Green Line) was made when CTA applied for federal funding for this project. I have not yet seen any evidence to indicate that the types of changes you describe could be accomplished within the federal cap on costs, but I will continue to look for ways to ease the impact of this project on our customers.