Between the widespread service changes, the opening of two new rail stations and the foray into express bus service, 2012 was an "L" of a year. Now Going Public looks at what's coming (and going) for the CTA in 2013.
>> Fare weather: Starting Jan. 14, riders who use a daily, weekly or monthly unlimited pass will pay more for their cards. Base fares, $2 for a bus and $2.25 for a train, will not increase. A plan that would charge riders with a pay-per-ride Chicago Card $5 if they took the Blue Line from the O'Hare station has been put on ice for six months as the CTA works out logistics with O'Hare workers.
>> In the zone: North Side Red Line and Purple Line riders may soon see a faster commute. The CTA should be wrapping up its fix for slow zones in the city north of Belmont as part of its 2012 project to repair and beautify seven North Red Line stations.
>> Brown upside down: The CTA in the spring is slated to begin work on easing the Brown and Purple Line slow zones by the Loop. Meanwhile, work on the Purple Line north of the Howard station, which involved replacement of viaducts, is scheduled to be completed in May.
>> Red plan it: From May through September, the CTA is shutting down the Red Line south of Roosevelt to overhaul track and make every station accessible for riders with disabilities. Shuttle buses to the Green Line will replace Red Line service. The CTA already has started upgrading Green Line stations to handle the additional riders.
>> Stations stat: An overhaul of the Loyola Red Line stop is expected to be complete midway through the year. Look for work to begin on a Green Line station at Cermak Road and a stop at Washington Street and Wabash Avenue. Plans also should be moving forward for an overhaul of the Wilson Red Line stop.
>> Card to follow: Starting this summer, CTA will introduce Ventra, a system that allows riders to link their transit accounts to a contactless card that can be used where debit cards are accepted. Last year, the CTA began outfitting buses and train stations with Ventra readers but the agency will still accept cash on its buses.
>> On track: CTA President Forrest Claypool promised in August 2012 that each of the 145 CTA train stations would see a train tracker display within a year. The CTA also is supposed to install 250 bus tracker signs at bus stops across the system, a 2012 project that was pushed back for equipment changes.
>> Wild, wild Western: This year and next, the CTA is slated to create detailed design plans and study the impact of these plans on the environment as the agency attempts to implement express bus service on Western and Ashland Avenues. This service will be similar to the one that began last year on Jeffery Boulevard.
Riders Block
My pledge to ride every CTA bus line continues. I rode the No. 115-Pullman/115th last week and boiled my review down to a tweet.
@tracyswartz 35 min from 95th Red to Marshfield Plaza. Riders seemed confused because some signs have not been changed to reflect the split from No. 111.
Stationary
A weekly dispatch from a CTA station of note
This week: Jackson Red Line
The Jackson stop is not typically a station where riders want to make a connection. The pathway between the Blue and Red line stops is sometimes smelly and riddled with puddles. But for now, that space has become the tunnel of love-and care. GP spotted a worker Friday mopping the walkway between the two stops. And it's not all for show. But since entertainers are allowed to perform at both Jackson platforms, feel free to hop between concerts. At least for this week, maybe love-not mold-will be in the air.
Next up: 95th Red Line.
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