Ironically (or maybe because of machine logic) this thread was suggested for me: Ogilvie - Union Station Passenger Walkway?
electricron wrote: ↑Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:59 amIf 1600 feet is too far to walk in downtown Chicago, it is too far to walk out in residential neighborhoods as well. No one expects door to door service with public transit in residential neighborhoods, why do they expect it downtown?My threshold is how many people walk through the building door where the bus stops. In a residential area a bus would stop at the corner instead of at each house. It might stop at the door of a large apartment complex if the number of passengers was sufficient. CUS has bus service a lot closer than 1600ft and it should since the location has a lot of passengers.
The threshold for a rail station would be higher. The first challenge is getting the rails past the point where one wants the station. No rails makes the connection more expensive. If rails are present one only has to deal with the cost of the station ... including the cost to the service level by slowing trains for the new station. A major train station (such as CUS) would be worth having a station at if CTA rail passed the location. Probably not worth the expense of relocating a CTA rail line.
So what can be done? When the connection is close one can make the connection more pleasant. It isn't a 1600ft walk to Clinton (Blue) and that is the station listed on the CUS website (the other Clinton and Wells are listed as alternatives). The buses are also listed and they stop much closer to the station.
The current setup is probably "good enough" - especially considering the cost of doing better. At least a CTA rail station at CUS would be an improvement not a detriment to current service. Lets spend millions (billions) to make service worse is a non-starter.