The southern half of Chicago’s Red Line is falling apart.
Originally constructed in 1969, much of the tracks and stations are in dire
need of repair. Starting today, the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) is going to
work to fix those problems. For five months, the southern half of the Red Line
will be shut down. Tracks will be ripped up and replaced and every Red Line
station from Cermak-Chinatown to 87th is going to be modernized.
There has been a lot of pushback from South Side residents who
are upset for the long-term closure of their train line. In order to ensure
South Siders are still able to get where they need to go quickly, the CTA is
offering a number of services. The services CTA will offer include free shuttle
buses with 24-hour service from a number of Red Line stops to the Garfield
Station on the Green Line, free rail entry for shuttle buses leaving from
Garfield, many bus routes with 50 cent discounted rides, 24-hour Red Line
service on Green Line tracks to Ashland/63rd, and expanded bus service on
existing bus routes.
The CTA considered keeping service running on the southern
half of the Red Line during the rehabilitation process; however, if they had
done so the project would have taken four years and would have cost millions of
dollars more. Instead the CTA has chosen to accelerate the process and use the
savings to make the South Side stations all handicapped-accessible. I think
this is the right move as long as the shuttle bus service is quick and people
do not have major issues moving around the South Side. Tomorrow will be the
first workday since the shutdown, so we’ll have a better idea at that point
what impact this will have on the city. Hopefully at the end of the project the
Red Line will offer much improved, faster, and smoother service.
Below is a map of the temporary train reroutes and the new bus
shuttles:
Sources:
Edited by: Darwin M
Having ridden the Red Line while at the American Planning Association Conference, I can say without a doubt that this rehibilitation is needed for this line. There is multile sections of this line that requires the trains to craw along which makes it all the worse when you can see cars flying by next to you.
ReplyDeleteIt was not that many years ago that CTA shut down the Green Line to do a similar rehibiltation of that line.
While it is difficult for riders to deal with having their line shut down, in the long run it gives them a better performing transit system.
The tension between maintaining some level of service and the length of the project is never easy to balance. The CTA is clearly making a strong effort to provide alternative methods of transportation while the Red Line is closed. I especially like that the savings from expediting the project are being reinvested to improve ADA access. Overall, it seems to me that the CTA has made the best of a difficult situation.
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