CTA Tattler

Bus Tracker enhancement: Link to route service alerts

A new Bus Tracker feature linking to service alerts for your selected bus routes will debut Monday when 24 new routes are added.

When a rider selects a bus route to track, the alerts feature will provide information on service disruptions or reroutes in place for that route. The alerts will be both route and location specific and will appear at the top of the estimated arrival times and map display pages.

The alert headline will provide a brief summary of what service is currently affected. By clicking on the headline, customers can access further info regarding routes affected, status and service details.

For instance, if you're tracking the infamous #36 Broadway, a link to this service alert page will appear at the top of the arrival time and map pages.

Kudos to the CTA for giving riders more information about their commute, as promised by former CTA Prez Ron Huberman last year at a Coffee with Ron.

Daley reshuffles management lineup with new CTA president

As was widely rumored, Richard Rodriguez was named Thursday to head the CTA.

As usual, Mayor Daley tapped one of his top "cabinet" member in moving Rodriguez from aviation commissioner to lead the nation's second-largest transit system, which faces deficit spending this year and equipment headaches.

At least naysayers can't whine that the 38-year-old Rodriguez doesn't have transportation experience!

Rodriguez spent less than a year as aviation chief. Before that he managed all construction projects for O'Hare and Midway, and the city building department prior to the airport gig. That was a tough job because he worked to bring the construction and permits department back together again.

Rodriguez will need to stay tough under the weight of the budget and equipment problems already looming as the 800-pound gorilla in the corner of his office at Lake and Clinton.

Plus, Daley expects him to prepare the CTA for the hoped-for 2016 Olympics bid.

So Rich, here's wishing you the best of luck in a pressure-cooker job. We look forward to you continuing a great dialog and open communication with your customers.

Perhaps "Coffee with Rich" is on the near horizon.

A most vicious and explicit rant

As my southbound Red Line train rolled to a rest at Chicago, I sensed -- ie. heard -- trouble brewing. Waiting to board my car was a couple who were screaming at each other.

As the door opened, the cacophony grew exponentially, especially as she entered the car and took her seat across the aisle from me

She was cursing and hollering and generally giving her companion the what-for and the you damn better not.

She was squat and roundly built, just under 5 feet tall. Her compadre was lean, lanky and at least 6 feet 2 inches tall. He was wearing a mechanic's dark blue jumpsuit.

And it continued: "mother f***er" this and "son of a bitch" that.

She already had the undivided attention of the entire car on the way to Grand. But then she spewed out the real jaw-dropper. (And please do forgive the explicitness here):

"And stop eating my pussy! Stop eating my pussy! Stop eating my pussy!"

Um, yes, three times, for emphasis I suppose.

"You come home after 10 hours of work all dirty and smelly and you won't even wash your hands! And you want to eat my pussy?"

Unfortunately, I had to disembark at Grand and missed the rest of that precious rant.

Polite and prayerful CTA passengers

I've been reporting on CTA rider behavior now for nearly five years, and observing it for more than 20 years. And of course, certain patterns repeat themselves at certain times of the year.

There's the guy in early April who goes coatless in short sleeves on a 50 degree day.

And at the beginning of every school year we deal with the influx of students after a placid summer.

And then there's the pious pray-ers, who seem to come out in full force during Lent for Catholics.

In the last week I saw two women in the 50s -- and they are always women over 50 -- fervently clutching and working their rosary beads in advance of the Lenten season that starts tomorrow today (thanks Paul).

One of the women actually took a break to make a call. She politely placed her hand over the mouthpiece so as not to be heard by fellow passengers. Or maybe she just didn't want us to hear? Either way I appreciate it.

And throw in a prayer for the RTA and CTA to solve its funding deficit problems, among others..

Details of the transit provisions of stimulus bill -- $283 million for CTA?

It's time to get back to the final transit details of Obama's stimulus. Last week was such a big news week for the CTA -- from the Olympics to the budget deficit to the articulated bus problems -- that I didn't get to it. So here's a follow-up, now that the bill has been signed into law. 

Bottom line: great news for high speed rail, not as great for mass transit funding. Following is from an email sent by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association:

"Here is a break down of the transportation funds:

• $27.5 billion for highway investments
•  $8.4 billion for public transportation.
• $1.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments.
• $1.3 billion for the air transportation system.
• $9.3 billion for rail transportation, including Amtrak, High Speed and Intercity Rail.

"This is the breakdown for intercity passenger rail:

• $8 billion for capital assistance for HSR Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail Service. "The conferees have provided the Secretary flexibility in allocating resources between the programs to advance the goal of deploying intercity high speed rail systems in the U.S."

• $1.3 billion for Amtrak.  Of this, $450 million is earmarked for security and life safety improvements.  The remaining $850 million is intended for projects that will increase capacity, including rolling stock rehabilitation.  No more than 60% of these funds can be spent in the Northeast Corridor."

As for the CTA, Board Chairman Carole Brown told Congress last month the CTA had $500 million in "shovel ready" projects to be funded. But it looks like it will get just more than half of that amount. On Chicago Tonight last week, Brown said the CTA was slated to get $283 million from stimulus plan for buses and rail cars. "That will reduce maintenance costs, thus helping the operating budget," she said.

Interestingly, a commenter yesterday opined here about the "coincidence that all of these buses were pulled from service the same week that the stimulus bill passed. A lot of agencies will be trying to get as much as they can from it, and this puts a large CTA need in the spotlight just as the money is being divvied up."

I do think it was a coincidence, and I certainly hope they get that money and more to get new buses and trains in service, and reduce their repair budget.

The back story on NABI articulated buses pulled off CTA routes

The 7500 series articulated buses from North American Bus Industries have had a checkered "career" at the CTA. And now all 226 of the 60-foot buses first introduced in 2003 to serve high-volume express routes have been pulled from service pending inspection for cracks in the articulation joints and bus axles.

Mayor Daley and other CTA officials in a 2003 press release heaped much praise on these NABI buses, remarking on their "increased reliability and comfort." But as ChicagoBus.org reports, it didn't take long to see signs of trouble in the buses:

"Shortly after the 7500-series went into service, the CTA noticed several manufactural defects in the buses. Poor suspension systems often caused bumpy rides, the rear doors often malfunctioned, and cracks appeared in the articulation joint. This led the CTA to momentarily stop payment to NABI in 2004. In May 2007, CTA Chairman Carole Brown stated on her blog that the CTA was still working with NABI to correct ongoing suspension problems, calling it a “serious issue” that “must be fixed.”

ChicagoBus.org also reminds us that the CTA has started to receive up to 150 hybrid articulated buses from New Flyer, with almost 100 in service. But that's not enough to take the pressure off losing these 226 buses.

If you use one of the routes affected, let us know your commute stories.

226 buses off the road for inspection -- now what?

You probably heard that the CTA pulled 226 60-foot-long articulated buses off the road for inspection after finding a crack in the chassis of one.

Well, good for the CTA for its quick action. It has reported previous problems with these particular buses, and in fact had stopped payment on an order with them and sued the manufacturer, North American Bus Industries.

But what does that mean for us riders? The buses make up about 6% of the total fleet. The routes most affected are:

• No. 6 Jackson Park Express
• No. 14 Jeffery Express
• No. 134 Stockton/LaSalle Express
• No. 135 Clarendon/LaSalle Express
• No. 136 Sheridan/LaSalle Express
• No. 145 Wilson/Michigan Express
• No. 146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express
• No. 147 Outer Drive Express
• No. 156 LaSalle

More than half of these routes are on bus tracker. But with so many fewer buses, good luck trying to board tem closer to the Loop. Certainly all you lakefront riders will be looking for alternatives as the CTA inspects and certifies these buses as safe.

The CTA promises to put more train cars on lines covering these areas. We'll hope the inspections are fast, thorough and find no more defective buses.

Oops! Sorry DePaul students! CTA mistakenly kills 5,000 U-Passes

A mistake by a CTA employee this week led to the cancellation of U-Pass privileges for about 5,000 DePaul students -- a third of the student population. But quick teamwork by the CTA and DePaul helped minimize the pain for students.

Here's what happened, according to Noelle Gaffney, CTA spokesperson:

The U-Pass card vendor sent DePaul its list of current students. DePaul updated the list with those who had left. The vendor then started working with the CTA to deactivate the list of students no longer attending DePaul. The problem came when a CTA staffer copied on an email mistook the original list with all student names for the edited listed of those who left, and proceeded to deactivate ALL the cards.

"It was human error and the employee faces disciplinary action," said Gaffney.

OK, mistake made, now what?

"We were in touch with DePaul immediately and they have been very helpful," said Gaffney. "They immediately sent emails to all students notifying them. We have informational signs at stations heavily used by DePaul riders and have notified the staff at stations that DePaul students who show a U-Pass card should be allowed entry. They don’t need to dip the card. We expect to have the cards reactivated by the weekend."

DePaul spokesman John Holden agrees: "After the initial incident, the CTA worked pretty expeditiously to get the problem resolved and by mid-morning they had gotten word out to all bus drivers and station agents that the passes were to be honored. It seems like it only created a minor headache for students - some of whom may have been forced to pay a cash fare for their morning ride."

Hopefully, for all students' sake, this will never happen again. And the CTA thinks it won't, juding from experience: "There are 45 schools that participate in U-Pass and the CTA goes through this verification process with each of them multiple times a year. The program started in 1998. This type of error has never happened before."

Big CTA deficit prompts finger pointing

An incredulous CTA board shook their collective heads at Wednesday's board meeting and pointed their index fingers squarely at the RTA. And the RTA returned the favor, as internecine squabbling over the projected $87 million deficit for 2008 ensued.

The Tribune reports that CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown expressed " 'disbelief' that the RTA is acting so late in the budgetary process to tell the CTA about 2008 shortfalls."

Meanwhile, RTA's Executive Director Steve Schlickman said, "I believe myself and my staff have been working with the CTA as cooperatively as possible."

As I wrote Tuesday, I'm not surprised that the tax revenues are down, thus creating the shortfall. Nor should the CTA be surprised -- at least about the projected $141 million 2009 deficit. But I do see Brown's point when she says: ""I'm confused. How can we amend 2008 budget marks in February 2009?"

After all, it is the RTA's responsibility "to ensure financially sound, comprehensive and coordinated public transportation for northeastern Illinois."

But it does sound like the RTA is taking that responsibility seriously. "We are scraping every cash source that we can," Schlickman said, including trying to borrow $120 million.

We'll have to hold our breath and fare cards to see how successful that effort is in this tight credit market.

Grand Red Line station, Monroe escalator rehab updates

Two big projects affecting CTA Red Line stations are the Grand-State station reconstruction and escalator replacement at the Adams entrance of the Monroe Street station. Here are updates on both projects.

At the Grand station, workers keep plugging away, though they lost some ground during the cold, harsh month of January. The plan was to move the work and land closures to the north side of Grand by March. But bad weather has forced a month delay.

So, by April the Rock Bottom Brewery can get back to normal, while the Bed Bath and Beyond, the Jewel and Weber Grill may see some drop in business and temporary entrances.

This is a project of the Chicago Dept. of Transportation, not the CTA.

Meanwhile, at the Monroe subway station, the escalator replacement work is part of a bigger subway escalator replacement project in the Red and Blue Line subways. A total of nine escalators will be replaced -- three of them at Monroe-Adams.

The escalator from the Monroe platform to the mezzanine is out of service for replacement. That project should be finished by spring. Then work moves to the northeast street to mezzanine escalator, which will be out of service spring through summer. Finally, the southwest street to mezzanine escalator will be taken out of service for full replacement.