CHICAGO: Transit Developments

[Kngkyle]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

I predict up to 10 riders per trip.

So more than the red line extension?

[JMBasquiat]

5-7 minute headways on the Blue Line (or anywhere else on the CTA) haven't been a thing for years.

More like 20-30 minutes, at best.

[Klippenstein]

When I commute using the red line it’s usually 5-7 minute headways and 7-10 minutes for the brown line. I don’t have regular trips with the other lines recently.

[sammyg]

The Metra stop at O'hare is convenient for suburbanites who would like to take transit to the airport but the blue line doesn't go past O'hare. the Metra NCS line is a very busy line that goes all the way to Antioch, some of those commuters would be happy to ride to O'hare if they could conveniently change to the ATS close to the transfer station.

[ardecila]

Sure, that was the reason they built the station in the first place in 1996 - it was focused more on suburban air travelers. Originally it was a pain to use - drive to a NCS station, ride Metra to O'Hare Transfer, get on a bus to the people mover, ride the people mover to your terminal. That's (4) modes of transportation before you even get to your plane.

But since then, support has also grown to provide a faster express alternative to the Blue Line. Various studies have shown that adding express tracks to the Blue Line is too difficult and costly, and Elon Musk's underground Loop tunnel was a pipe dream. So that leaves Metra as the best option for an express train. Upgrading the tracks is not a small project but seems feasible, they have room to expand from 3 to 4 tracks and add a flyover bridge or two to decongest the rail junctions.

[Bonsai Tree]

To me a real golden opportunity is building a connecting track from the NCS to the UPNW. You could run trains from the NW suburbs directly to Ohare and then into downtown.