Tribune Getting Around columnist Jon Hilkevitch on Monday suggested bringing back the "A" and "B" trains that skipped certain stops as a way to speed up Red Line service. As Jon explains:
"The CTA used to run semiexpress trains that did not make stops at all stations. "A" trains were alternated with "B" trains, each serving their own stations. Heavily used stops and transfer points were designated "A/B" stations."
But I'm not convinced it's such a good idea.
1. There's still a "slow zone" covering much of the Red Line. So you're skipping a stop at 15 miles an hour. It's still slow. I say, fix the slow zones, which the CTA is doing -- though it will take a long time. (Check out this funky CTA slow zone map.)
2. "Alternating train stops between nearby stations would also help deal with over-crowded rail platforms and trains during mornings and evenings," Jon quotes "experts" as saying. But it seems to me that it just adds to overcrowding on the "A" and "B" station platforms since a train might pass you instead of stopping.
3. "During the morning rush, all the seats usually are taken by the time southbound Red Line trains have traveled from the Howard Street terminal to the Loyola stop in Rogers Park," Jon suggests, in support of the "experts" opinion in No. 2 above. But that's not my experience when I ride between 7 and 8 am daily. There are usually at least a few seats open down to Wilson or Sheridan (on average, when trains are not delayed). But admittedly, I go to work early-ish and don't know what it's like after 8 am.
4. While there's no doubt it takes longer to get downtown from the North Side via the Red Line, in my general experience it's not as bad as the hourlong trip Jon notes: "A reasonably healthy person can get to downtown Chicago from the North Side more quickly riding a bicycle than taking the Red Line, which often takes more than an hour.
During rush hour it takes me about 40 minutes now from Morse to Grand, whereas it used to take about 35 minutes a year ago. On my weekend trips to Sox Park -- when we know things are much slower -- it usually takes 55-60 minutes to get from Morse to the Cell -- which is 35 blocks south of the Loop. So I do have to dispute his statement above.
Here's a good chicago-l.org discussion of the ramifications of eliminating skip-stop service:
"Elimination of skip-stop service met with fairly positive results, according to the CTA. After the Dan Ryan segment of the Red Line became all-stop in 1993, some stations that had been designated "A's" or "B's" saw ridership gains of 34 to 50 percent, in part because they suddenly were served by twice the number of trains than before, officials said. Phaseout of the system also ended the inconvenience for people who boarded at "A" stations and must transfer trains to reach a "B" stop, they said.
"But running times were also lengthened slightly after the elimination of A/B service due to increased running and dwell times. On the Howard leg of the Red Line, for example, it took trains up to two minutes and 30 seconds longer to complete the trip between downtown and the Howard terminal after all-stop service was instituted."
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