How would they link the Cermak branch to the loop? Via Paulina? I don't see the point in doing that.
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Scotty Burkhardt wrote:How would they link the Cermak branch to the loop? Via Paulina? I don't see the point in doing that.Yes, that is how it is going to be done. In addition to the reason byte cited for the new routing, the CTA's reasoning is also that the Blue Line in its current configuration is unbalanced -- that is, ridership on the O'Hare and Congress branches is approximately equal, but ridership on the Douglas branch is lower. That means inefficient operation as trains are significantly below capacity on the Douglas branch only. When the Douglas branch is removed from the Blue Line and routed onto the Loop, shorter or less frequent trains can be run, improving efficiency.
doepack wrote:That said, I do agree that removing the Purple line expresses' local segment south of Belmont would make the service more attractive. Indeed, it should be restored to being a mostly non-stop run from Howard to Merchandise Mart, with perhaps a transfer stop at Belmont and/or Fullerton...It makes sense from the "express" standpoint, but considering that the Brown Line now runs on shorter intervals than it did the last time the Evanston Express was actually express, would this be realistic today? Brown Line trains currently run on 3-5 minute intervals during rush. It seems like you might see a lot of Purple Expresses just getting stuck behind Brown trains if they try to skip all those stops.
EricL wrote:It makes sense from the "express" standpoint, but considering that the Brown Line now runs on shorter intervals than it did the last time the Evanston Express was actually express, would this be realistic today? Brown Line trains currently run on 3-5 minute intervals during rush. It seems like you might see a lot of Purple Expresses just getting stuck behind Brown trains if they try to skip all those stops.Since CTA is committed to providing maximum levels of Brown line service at the expense of turning the Purple line "express" trains into a local south of Belmont to provide even more service, they may as well route the Purple line express trains to the subway via the Red line. They'd terminate at Roosevelt, then use the old 14th St. portal (which was in revenue use until the 1993 realignment) to flip back north again. Granted, it'll tax the capacity of the subway, especially during rush hours, but at least it'll free up capacity on the Brown line and the Loop. I recall the idea having been kicked around awhile back, but it was never taken seriously...
doepack wrote:That answers the next question I was going to ask...would there be a way to run into the subway south of Belmont and then reverse somewhere south of the Loop. Would running into the subway versus around the loop be considered better or worse in terms of distributing riders downtown? To me it seems like that would provide a better option for people working further north who could use Grand or Chicago to get to Michigan Ave. Perhaps at rush hour they could run Purple Evanston Expresses to the Loop, Yellow Expresses via the subway, and then combine the Purple/Yellow express via the subway at off-peak hours.EricL wrote:It makes sense from the "express" standpoint, but considering that the Brown Line now runs on shorter intervals than it did the last time the Evanston Express was actually express, would this be realistic today? Brown Line trains currently run on 3-5 minute intervals during rush. It seems like you might see a lot of Purple Expresses just getting stuck behind Brown trains if they try to skip all those stops.Since CTA is committed to providing maximum levels of Brown line service at the expense of turning the Purple line "express" trains into a local south of Belmont to provide even more service, they may as well route the Purple line express trains to the subway via the Red line. They'd terminate at Roosevelt, then use the old 14th St. portal (which was in revenue use until the 1993 realignment) to flip back north again. Granted, it'll tax the capacity of the subway, especially during rush hours, but at least it'll free up capacity on the Brown line and the Loop. I recall the idea having been kicked around awhile back, but it was never taken seriously...
MikeF wrote:For the blue line Cermak connection to the loop via the Paulina connector, and either build a new route or run it from the loop via the Lake St. branch on the green line. The link read about on the CTA's web site tells it that the Cermak branch will have off peak trains going to the loop, and that during rush hour half go to downtown via loop, and the other to O'Hare during the a.m., and p.m. rush hour.Scotty Burkhardt wrote:How would they link the Cermak branch to the loop? Via Paulina? I don't see the point in doing that.Yes, that is how it is going to be done. In addition to the reason byte cited for the new routing, the CTA's reasoning is also that the Blue Line in its current configuration is unbalanced -- that is, ridership on the O'Hare and Congress branches is approximately equal, but ridership on the Douglas branch is lower. That means inefficient operation as trains are significantly below capacity on the Douglas branch only. When the Douglas branch is removed from the Blue Line and routed onto the Loop, shorter or less frequent trains can be run, improving efficiency.
It makes sense from the "express" standpoint, but considering that the Brown Line now runs on shorter intervals than it did the last time the Evanston Express was actually express, would this be realistic today? Brown Line trains currently run on 3-5 minute intervals during rush. It seems like you might see a lot of Purple Expresses just getting stuck behind Brown trains if they try to skip all those stops.Naw, You could run Purple down tracks 2 and 3 between Belmont and Armitage - I don't know about the connection at Belmont, but just south of Armitage there is a crossover between the elevated and subway tracks. That way Purple would run express as Red does in that area.