CTA Connections YouTube Channel

Hey everyone,

I came across the "CTAConnections" YouTube channel last night and found they have a full series of real-time cab ride/driver's-eye-view videos of the various 'L' lines, with the ability to switch trains at transfer points along the network. I watched the Blue Line and a little bit of the Brown last night and they're excellently done; the quality's comparable to the UK's Video125 films and the German Bahn TV in Fahrt channel. I kinda wish the MTA had something like this, haha.

A couple things I noticed during the Blue Line video that seemed a bit strange were what appeared to be multiple stations with the same name at different ends of the line (that must get confusing), and one very long underground station with three different stops on one platform (what is the purpose of this?).

Anyways, thought I'd share...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... G8nB4nz8FU

I did a quick search to see if this was posted before, but nothing immediate came up. Hopefully this isn't a rehash of old info, lol.

Enjoy!

The U shape of the Blue Line shows up in the station names because it crosses the same north-south streets twice going from Forest Park to O' Hare. The long platform is one of two in Chicago, under Dearborn (Blue) and State (Red) streets. The design dates back to the 1930s, long before the subways opened in 1950 and 1943.

Duplicate stations:
Harlem
Pulaski
Western

There was one more duplicate in the old West-Northwest days:
California

That makes more sense with the station names now; it's similar to NYCTA in Manhattan having multiple stations with the same name (street), with the exception that they're served by separate lines and not on the same route.

How does fare control work on the long platform? What's to keep passengers from walking from one end of the platform to the other?

I believe that passengers are allowed to walk from one end of the platform to the other and that's the point of it. Fare control is in the mezzanines.

This is correct. Theoretically you can walk from end to end in both the Blue and Red line subways, although there's one closed former stop in the Red line subway (Washington) which I think has "do not enter" signs posted on both ends of its platform area. If you snuck around them and a CTA employee saw you back there you'd probably be asked to leave that area.

The fare control is irrelevant since one pays the same fare to enter the platform, walk to the far end, and exit as one pays to ride the train. CTA is flat fare within the system (with a surcharge for boarding at O'Hare when paying single ride fares).

(I suppose a trivia question would be how far can one walk within the paid fare area of CTA and exit without boarding a train. The answer would involve both long multi-station platforms and the connecting walking tunnel between them.)

I have seen the CTA videos and appreciate them being posted. I wish all train transit would post similar videos of their lines.

The answer seems to be to make sure there are railfans in strategic management positions; they understand what the public wants to see. I particularly like having the option of viewing a real-time or condensed time-lapse version.

Byte and JT: I'll second this...CTA fares have always been a flat fare upon entry to the Downtown State Street and Dearborn Subways...

I will add that pedestrians will use these continuous walkways especially during periods of inclement weather along with the two passageways
connecting both Subway routes...I have used these myself in the past in this manner...

MACTRAXX

For a New York railfan like me who has never been to Chicago, these are great videos. For years I had seen references to the State St. Subway and never understood 'til I saw it here. One thing that surprised me about the Chicago els is how narrow they are compared to New York City. Chicago just has the one employee walkway between the two tracks with no guard-rails on the sides. New York has the middle walkway and one on either side with guard-rails making the whole structure a little wider. Interesting. I especially like the Blue Line to O'Hare.

These videos are, indeed, excellent. The speed is increased during stops at stations in order to shorten them. However, the one of the Blue Line to O'Hare and of the Brown Line from and to Kimball both have significant delays because of work on the elevated structures. One would think that these would be shot again on days when there is no work to delay the trains.

byte wrote:This is correct. Theoretically you can walk from end to end in both the Blue and Red line subways, although there's one closed former stop in the Red line subway (Washington) which I think has "do not enter" signs posted on both ends of its platform area. If you snuck around them and a CTA employee saw you back there you'd probably be asked to leave that area.

Update:

Ever since they decided to set aside having a new station under Block 37, they restored the platform and it is allowed (or at any rate not signed as prohibited) to walk through there.

In fact, some former Washington Street station entrances are still working entrances assigned to the adjacent stations on either end.

I suppose in principle the number of stations on that platform is arbitrary.