Cermak Branch (Pink &{Blue} Lines)

Today's Chicago Tribune has a story in the metro section that this summer the CTA will begin running most Cermak branch Blue Line trains over the recently rebuilt Paulina connector, completing their trips on the Green Line to the Loop elevated. Some trains will continue running using the existing route via the Dearborn St. subway and Kennedy Expy to O'Hare. Initially CTA will operate this way as a 100-day "experiment" with new express bus routes replacing lost service along existing routes.

I guess this is the first step in opening the new Silver, Gold, or whatever line!

orangeline wrote:Today's Chicago Tribune has a story in the metro section that this summer the CTA will begin running most Cermak branch Blue Line trains over the recently rebuilt Paulina connector, completing their trips on the Green Line to the Loop elevated. Some trains will continue running using the existing route via the Dearborn St. subway and Kennedy Expy to O'Hare. Initially CTA will operate this way as a 100-day "experiment" with new express bus routes replacing lost service along existing routes.

I guess this is the first step in opening the new Silver, Gold, or whatever line!

It will start in june 2006(according to the CTA's web site).

This link is the press release from the CTA web site.
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/ctaa ... eid=127700

This link tells shows the maps of the propose changes to routes on the west side(including the blue line). PDF form!
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/moti ... 1wburb.pdf

JamesT4,

Thanks for the links. I recall seeing the one from 2003 some time ago. I always thought when the Paulina connector would open there'd be a new L station at Madison. I didn't see a reference to one in either link. Also I'm wondering with new service and expanded service to Forest Park, where will they find additional rail cars? I think CTA doesn't have too many spares sitting around.

In its current configuration, the Blue line has about 330 cars assigned there. Even with the planned increased service levels once the 54/Cermak trains are re-routed to the loop, I don't see this line needing more than a 100 cars or so, which will most likely come from the same pool of cars running on the Blue line now. And since certain trains will still use the current route via the subway during rush hours, cars will be shuffled back and forth on both the Forest Park and Cermak branches in much the same way as today.

This is an interesting idea, but it sounds like a great way to confuse the heck out of the ridership. Does this mean loop-route el trains are going from the branch, up the connector, east on lake, turn around at loop and do the whole thing in reverse?

Given the track configurations as they exist today, the new line will travel north on the Paulina connector from Polk to merge with the Green line just west of Ashland. The trains will then travel east on the Lake St. L until Canal, then merge onto the outer Loop tracks at Wells, following the Brown Line route around the Loop, then west on Lake St until Ashland, turning south on the connector heading back to 54/Cermak.

What I'd like to know is how they're going to fit new trains on the outer Loop, especially at rush hour, when Brown Line trains run at 3 minute headways and on the Wabash and Lake sides there are Green Line trains added to the mix!

The Trib article says that the Cermak trains will travel clockwise around the Loop. This would mean they would continue straight across Tower 18 and use the Inner Loop, right? Of course the Trib could always just be wrong.

EricL notes:

The Trib article says that the Cermak trains will travel clockwise around the Loop. This would mean they would continue straight across Tower 18 and use the Inner Loop, right?

The Trib has it wrong. Unless the trackwork is altered, there's no way to get from N/B Wells to W/B Lake on the inner Loop. It has to be the outer Loop because you CAN turn from E/B Lake onto S/B Wells.

The CTA® continued adding tracks to Tower 18, making the junction more versatile and flexible for Loop operations. In mid-2004, the CTA® began installing a northbound Wells-to-westbound Lake Street track. In Summer, new cross-timbers to support the track were installed and in early Fall a new switch was added on Lake Street west of the junction to connect to the new track. In the near future, the new track is scheduled to be installed. Although no current service will use this track, it potentially allows Lake Street Green Line trains to be short-turned around the Inner Loop or operate via Wells and Van Buren rather than Lake and Wabash. It could also be used for the CTA's® proposed 54th Avenue-Loop service.
http://www.chicago-l.org/operations/towers/tower18.html

Not sure if it's done yet, though, since I don't ride the L often, and wasn't paying attention the last few times I passed through that junction.

The new trackwork has been in place for a while.

The cta is asking school students to pick a new color line for the cermak branch of the blue line when it's starts to go into the loop this summer.
In a 200 or less word essay.
Link:
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/ctaa ... eid=101624

New service change report for the west side service Feb. 2006:
(it is mostally the same things as the Nov. 2005 report, but with a few changes, and in more details).
Link:
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/moti ... hanges.pdf

As far as ideas for new colors, we're running out of common colors, so I've linked to the Aston-Martin website (high-end sportscars) and they've got some creative colors listed.

http://www.astonmartin.com/configurator ... UL&x=9&y=5#

How about the Turquoise line? A blending of blue and green.

This is exactly why they should have avoided colors for lines. What do you do when you run out of common colors with simple names; yellow red, etc.?

This topic will be changed from

Blue line Cermak Branch

to

Cermak Branch (Blue & New Color)

Why!

After June 06, it will be blue line & some other color.

Everyone: This news is interesting! Was the Paulina Connection double tracked? I recall it was a single track. Will there be any stops between Lake Street and the bridge leading to the Congress line in the Eisenhower Expressway? Isn't the United Center close by? As for the new colors-you all know how I feel about them but in this PC age-maybe it is time for the Silver Line. Will all Douglas(Cermak,sorry)trains go around the Loop via the Lake Street L? Will some continue to operate to O'Hare? MACTRAXX