Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioGuy
Very random question, but has there ever been any legitimate discussion of extending the pink line back to Berwyn considering the original right-of-way still exists all the way to Oak Park Avenue? I suppose there would probably be a fair amount of NIMBY angst from those with homes adjacent to the right-of-way but I was curious if either the CTA or the city of Berwyn have ever indicated any potential interest? (granted there are other areas where rail expansion probably makes more sense from a cost/benefit perspective)
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Coming from someone who grew up in the Berwyn area, I would absolutely love that. Unfortunately, I believe it's a non starter. Much of that right of way has been converted to parking (which in a very dense yet still somewhat car centric area like Berwyn, people would fight tooth and nail to keep) as well as public parks. No politician would want to stick their necks out for this project and risk being run out of office.
Like much of the decommissioning of CTA transit lines in the 50s-60s, shortening the Pink Line was unfortunately sad and very short sighted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee
^I don't know, but the fact that both Cicero and Berwyn have purposefully managed to preserve it is a good sign that those two town's planning dept's have made serious efforts in case some day a serious extension proposal is contemplated.
It's important to remember that even when the Douglas branch ran all the way to Oak Park Ave, until 1952 I believe, the right of way was pretty primitive with shack style "stations" and irregular partial service patterns. That doesn't really mean anything for the future though, but it is undeniable it is not ideal to extend an at-grade 600v rapid transit line in 2024. It would be pretty contentious with vocal advocates and opponents. And the opponents would have good reason to be concerned as the extension would effectively create a north-south barrier to/from Cermak Road.
Ideally a trenched alignment could be constructed which would solve vehicular and pedestrian circulation, major aesthetic as well as safety concerns but would likely come at 2+ times the cost. I would imagine most residents, property owners and stakeholders would be vehemitely opposed to an elevated structure on visual grounds alone.
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I too admit that having ground level transit isn't the best situation. The Pink Line runs on surface level after Keeler, and if we somehow got federal funds to extend the Pink Line, I would imagine elevating it all the way would be a part of that. However, I think elevated would be more feasible than trenching, both from a cost perspective as well as physical logistics. The Pink Line ROW is a fairly tight squeeze, so the sort of trench you need would basically be an uncovered tunnel (as opposed to the Yellow Line trench for instance, which is much wider and allows for a gradual slop up to ground level). That said, your concerns about the locals objecting are very valid, although I think they would be against it regardless of the path you chose. No one wants to suddenly find out they will be living adjacent to an active train line, and deal with the noise pollution and potentially lower property values as a result.
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