CTA Tattler

Small progress unveiled in Grand Red Line rehab; check for expiring Chicago Cards

A glimmer of hope shined through the dank, dark platforms at the Grand and State Red Line station, which has been undergoing renovation since April of last year: the unearthing of a small section of the new tile wall.

At the north end of both platforms, bright new wall tiles popped out from behind the gray plywood wall constructed earlier to shield the tie wall installation. (Thanks to Jason for sharing these photos.)

The $67 million CDOT project is slated for completion in early 2010. Construction activity is expected to move to the north side of the State and Grand intesection sometime in April.

Fare card expiring? If you bought your Chicago Card/Card Plus, the CTA urges you to get a replacement card pronto.

Almost 5,000 regular Chicago Cards are set expire between April 6 and July 29, while more than 50,000 Chicago Card Plus cards will expire this year -- most of them in July. Chicago Card Plus customers will get an email 45 days prior to expiration. But Chicago Card users have check their expiration date themselves. Here's how:

• Check online.
• Scan your card at the passenger information units in most CTA rail stations.
• Call 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Or visit the CTA Sales Center at 567 W. Lake St., Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m..

Read this press release for more information on how to transfer the balance on your Chicago Card

Outtakes from Howard station opening on Saturday

Saturday was the "official" ribbon-cutting to mark the completion of the Howard Street station, a rehab of roughly $60 million. The usual dignitaries were present, including Mayor Richard Daley, CTA President Richard Rodriguez, Board Chairwoman Carole Brown, 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, State Sen. Heather Steans, City County Clerk David Orr and 49th Ward Democratic Committeeman David Fagus.

Daley stressed that anytime he meets with Brown and Rodriguez, he reminds them that the CTA "has to be clean, it has to be safe, it has to be on time and it has to be friendly -- because that's what drives customer satisfaction." Brown confirmed that: "He wasn't really making that up -- he brings that up all the time." Good to know.

Daley also lamented that the state has passed no capital spending bill, which means "we have been denied federal money in matching grants. We have to be at the table -- we've given up so much in the last six years."

Amid the accolades from the assembled crowd for a job well done on the station renovation, there were some funny moments.

In mentioning that the Red, Yellow and Purple lines converge at Howard, Daley added with dry Irish wit: "I wonder who made up those names. I'd like to find out. Those are some unique names." He noted there were bike racks In listing some of the station amenities. "I like those."

A little later, Ald. Moore wondered facetiously during his introduction of the CTA board chairwoman whether the Brown Line were named after her. Everyone laughed, and then Brown said, "I hope I don't look old enough to have the Brown Line named after me."

Brown also said the CTA is "committed to eradicating slow zones." Later, she added: "I promise we'll try to be good stewards of (funding) dollars."

President Rodriguez reiterated the theme for the day: the need for more capital dollars. “Modernizing the station and making it accessible to customers with disabilities helps to meet the transit needs of CTA customers who ride the system today and for many years to come, and when additional capital funding is identified we will be able to continue these types of improvements," he said.

Before the event I briefly introduced myself to Rodriguez. I'm hoping he continues the informal chats with everyday riders and readers of CTA Tattler that we started with former President Ron Huberman.

Finally, State Sen. Steans told me as we were leaving that the state legislature is trying to pass a quick capital bill for this construction season, and then tackle a bill for the longer term. In general, she said she hopes to see the funding ratio of road to transit projects drop from 3-to-1 to 2-to-1.

I applaud that thinking.

Carole's budget fix: reduce pension funding, get RTA loan, make internal cuts, shift stimulus funds

CTA Board Chairwoman Carole Brown hopes to avoid service cuts and fare increases with a smorgasborg plan that "faces a very tough sales job in Springfield," Greg Hinz reports on his Crain's Chicago Business blog:

"Under the proposal from CTA Board Chairwoman Carole Brown, about half of the projected $155-million hole in the CTA's $1.3 billion annual budget would be filled by using federal economic-stimulus funds. Some of that money would be switched from capital to maintenance, a switch allowed under federal law, and some is anticipated savings as the agency reaps the benefits of new buses, track work and other projects that stimulus funds are providing.

 "Another $18 million would come from internal savings, with about $30 million borrowed from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), which has talked about temporary loans to the CTA, Pace and Metra to tide them through a deep recession.

"But the key to the plan is $40 million Ms. Brown would like to save by reducing mandatory CTA contributions to its pension fund."

Crain's reports the House Speaker Mike Madigan and Mass Transit Committee Chairwoman were less than thrilled about the ideas, especially after all the wrangling to get a pension deal (page 3) in place early in 2008.

The RTA "generally supports the proposal," which Brown said she will present at the April 7 CTA board meeting.

So, ummm, good luck with that!

Paulina Brown Line station reopens April 3. Yeah!

Weekend service changes. Find them here. Sign up here to get them in email alerts.

Some clever bus ad wrap ideas for the CTA

Since the CTA signed a deal with Titan Worldwide to sell advertising space on trains, buses, platforms and now digital advertising, I think Titan's been doing a good job with some innovative campaigns.

But it can always do better. And Toxel.com has some great ideas from around the globe. (Thanks to Bob for the tip.)

For instance, the CTA, like this Holland bus company, needs to keep tellng its riders to keep buses (and trains) clean:

Laid-off job-seekers in this rough economy may need this reminder:

 

And here's a harsh reminder that you will never win a battle against a bus:

Finally, proof that you can put an ad just about anywhere:

 

Women El riders read more books than men

Women are four times more likely to read a book on their El ride than men.

That stunning conclusion is the result of a highly UNscientific study I've conducted over the last few months. It's based solely on what I observed during my daily Red Line commute. Must be right then, eh? (Hey! No nasty-grams from market research specialists!)

Since December, I've been recording what books people have been reading, and 17 out of 21 El readers were female. Of those 17 women, 13 were in their 20s or 30s, based on my "best guess." (You should see me guess weights at the State Fair.)

So, what's up with that guys? Is the RedEye really that interesting that books just bore you so? (As for me, I'm way too busy craning my neck to write down the titles of books to actually read one. I give my all for you!)

Below is the list of the books I noticed and who was reading them. I didn't get all the author names, and frankly I didn't have the time to double-check spellings, etc. Sorry. But check out these books. Other El riders have. And come on guys -- let's get reading!

A Catered Christmas - woman in her 20s
Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult - woman in her 30s
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebolt - woman, mid-20s
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers- woman, mid-30s
Ladies Reading Library - 50ish woman
Loving Frank, Nancy Horan - 40ish woman
Outliers - guy in his late 20s
Voodoo Heart - woman in mid-20s
Interpreter of Maladies - woman in mid-20s
Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame, Charles Bukowski - woman in her early 20s
Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris - woman, mid 20s
Semiconductor Device Fundamentals - sleepy hipster teen, female
The Awakening and Other Selected Stories, Kate Chopin - woman in her late 20s
Mystery novels (by Stuart Woods) - two different guys in their late 30s
The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy - 30ish woman
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - woman in her late 20s
Prior Bad Acts, Tami Hoag - woman in her 50s
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - woman in her early 30s
The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier And Clay - woman in her late 30s
The Book and the Sisterhood, Iris Murdoch - woman in her early 30s
The Woman, TC Boyle - man in his mid-50s

Amusing comparisons: CTA beats Metra by miles

I am greatly amused that the Tribune's Page 1 story on Monday took Metra to task for being stuck in the 20th century -- and in many cases used the CTA as an example of how a transit agency should be run. Some of that amusement comes from the fact that many Metra riders look at the CTA with such great disdain.

Here were some areas of comparisons:

• Use of paper tickets.

Metra conductors still sell and check paper tickets, though regulars can buy monthly and weekly ride passes and 10-ride tickets. The CTA employs smart cards and makes rail customers buy transit cards. It stopped selling paper transfers years ago, and riders can only pay cash directly on buses. There are no train conductors, other than the motorman.

• Credit cards.

Metra only allows riders to pay with cash or check. The CTA accepts credit and debit cards, and recently added special vending machines accepting both cards. It also allows the smart cards to be tied to debit and credit cards.

• GPS tracking.

Metra uses GPS systems to track trains, and puts service alerts on its Web site. It's slated to put a train tracker on its Web site later this year. The CTA has Bus Tracker on more than half its buses, and is rolling out ad-sponsored big screen technology at rail stations this year.

• Web site.

"The Metra Web site looks like an old paper [railroad] schedule posted on the Web," one transit expert told the Trib. The CTA debuted a much-improved Web site in December. It includes RSS feeds for status alerts continues to add new services, such as Bus Tracker route service alerts.

Finally, the story mentions Metra seat hogs, lack free wireless access, the demise of the bar cars and fewer on-board bathrooms.

Well, no one ever said the CTA was perfect!

Transit trolling: RTA chief on fare hikes; parking contract going out for bid; beware Red Line bandit

As usual these days, there is plenty to report in CTA news and only so many posts to contain them. Regular readers know I generally post once a day and take weekends off. In an effort to catch up some more, here are more news of notes gleaned from other media and the CTA's Web site.

RTA chief shies away from fare hike, service cuts. RTA Executive Director Stephen Schlickman told the Chi-Town Daily News last week that the RTA would do all it could to avoid fare hikes and service cuts in filling the $155 million budget deficit the CTA faces. "The objective is to get through this year without any serious fare increases or service cuts. A significant increase in fares with a serious cut in service would result in a serious fall in ridership," Schlickman said in an interview with Chi-Town. "We're looking really hard at everything: short-term borrowing, shifts from operating revenue to capital, stimulus money."

Schlickman also provided historical perspective on how "there was a massive drop-off in ridership that we didn't recover from for many, many years" after service cuts in the early 1980s. We hope history doesn't repeat itself.

CTA prepares to put parking contract out for bid. Just a few months after a hefty increase in its rates at Park & Ride lots, the CTA is readying a Request for Proposals soliciting companies to operate, manage and maintain the CTA's parking facilities. I learned this by looking at the details behind the many ordinances passed at the March 11 board meeting.

Ordinance No. 009-31 calls for extending the current contract of Standard Parking Corp. "on a month-to-month basis for up to nine months to keep this source of revenue flowing while a new RFP soliciting companies for a replacement parking facilities agreement is put in place." Of course, this doesn't mean Standard is out of luck. They could still bid and win. But the CTA is certainly doing the right thing -- as they are legally mandated to do -- in finding the best price -- especially in these tight financial times.

Be on the lookout for the Red Line robber. No, no. He's not some guy doing stick-ups on the Howard-Dan Ryan. The FBI suspects him in the robberies of at least six Chicago banks located near stops on the Red Line. The latest alleged heist occurred last Friday at the Chase Bank branch at 850 S. Wabash St.

The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, considered armed and dangerous. An FBI press release describes him as a black male, age 30 to 35, between 6-foot and 6-foot-2-inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, with a medium build and beard. He has worn sunglasses, a dark colored baseball cap and a black bomber jacket during all of his robberies

From the WBBM radio story: 

"He is also suspected of five other robberies including the:

• Chase Bank branch at 340 N. State St. on Dec. 5 and March 10.
• North Community Bank branch at 5342 N. Broadway.
• Bank of America branch at 7900 S. Halsted on Jan. 23.
• MB Financial Bank branch at 6443 N. Sheridan Rd., also on March 10."

Howard north entrance opens today; weekend service changes

A two-and-a-half-year construction project to rebuild the Howard Street station effectively ends today with the opening of the north "auxiliary" entrance at 1649 W. Howard.

The roughly $60 million project included the construction -- completed last summer -- of a new south entrance near a new bus staging area. Meanwhile, viaduct repairs on Howard will continue into the summer, putting the final touches on the overall project. (Cue KevinB to tell us about leaky roofs.)

Flickr user repowers has some cool photos of the new entrance under construction:

Weekend service changes: It's a light weekend for work. Boarding changes at Sheridan, and between North/Clybourn and Grand on the Red. Brown Line boarding change, delays between Sedgwick and Merchandise Mart. Bus route changes on the #145 and #148. Details here.

Circle Line work, new and repaired rail cars included in state capital budget

About $1.5 billion in new state mass transit projects would fund preliminary engineering for the CTA's Circle Line and replace and modernize rail cars.

Those transit projects are part of the "Illinois Jobs Now" capital spending plan that Gov. Pat Quinn proposed Wednesday in his 2010 budget. The overall plan for highway, school, transit and other capital projects is priced at $26 billion, to be paid for with increased fees for driver's licenses, license plate stickers and vehicle titles. Statewide transit projects specifically would be funded by the increase title fees. See the budget document here.

This bold and forward-thinking plan would be the first big capital spending project since the Illinois First project ended in 2004.

That's if the Legislature passes it, which is no done deal by any means.

The CTA's own capital budget calls for just $300 million annually in state capital funding. Here's hoping the state comes through with that much. I haven't find those details. But I'll keep digging, so stay tuned.

Western, Irving Park and Garfield bus routes to get more express service

The CTA on Monday, March 23, will add more express service to three of its nine express bus routes that also have local service. The routes are the X49 Western Express -- the third busiest in the system -- the X80 Irving Park Express and the X55 Garfield Express.

The CTA board first approved these "experimental service enhancements" at the January board meeting this year. Then CTA President Ron Huberman said: "Express routes were originally implemented to provide greater speed and reduce travel times for customers, the addition of buses on these routes will increase the number of customers that we are able to accommodate with express service." (And I thought I was done quoting Huberman!)

A number of folks here have advocated for more distance between bus stops. With the continuing fast expansion of Bus Tracker as a tool to reduce gaps between buses, the CTA can better assure the promised 15-minute frequency on local service. And customers who don't mind walking up to two blocks in most cases can get where they need to go much faster. My wife said the Irving Park Express often shaves15-20 minutes off her commute from Milwaukee-Irving-Cicero to the Sheridan Red Line stop.

On the nine routes with both express and local service, the CTA reports a 16.3% increase in total ridership. This is good stuff. Here's hoping this experiment becomes a permanent success, and more routes get express service.