Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
Chicago needs its own version of Grand Central Terminal/Penn Station.
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Actually, the situations are pretty similar.
- Union Station=Penn Station
- Ogilvie=Grand Central
- Millennium=Flatbush Ave
- LaSalle=Hoboken
But as for One Central, Soldier Field and the Museum Campus are pretty minor destinations for suburban rail. The stadium is only full a few days each year, while the museum patrons arrive either by school bus or from Mag Mile hotels. How many total BNSF patrons each year are headed to this area? 5,000?
There's a case to be made for a C-shaped line that connects the West Loop stations to Streeterville/Navy Pier and the Museum Campus. You could do it merely by combining and reconfiguring the current 124 and 130 bus lines and using distinctive livery and marked bus lanes, or with a light rail or AGT line. But spending $2.3 billion to refocus a chunk of the region's transit on 16th & Indiana? How does that make any sense at all?