Today the Chicago Transit Authority proudly announced that it is putting out new timetables to reflect more scheduled 'L' runs, which it says are a result of hiring more rail operators. But the grassroots transit advocacy group Commuters Take Action (CTAction) responded that it makes no sense to put out an expanded train schedule, when the agency isn't even delivering all of its currently scheduled trips.
The CTA's claims
First, let's look at what the CTA is saying. The agency reported that it has increased the total number of scheduled 'L' runs by 8.5 percent in recent weeks, which comes to 9 percent additional scheduled trips since last April. It credited "aggressive recruiting, hiring, and training efforts" for the timetable bump.
According to the CTA, it has added 788 weekly train runs since early April, compared to last year's autumn schedule. They hope to get back to pre-COVID-19 'L' service levels by the end of 2024.
"CTA is putting reliability at the forefront of what we are doing,” stated embattled agency President Dorval Carter. "We will not announce new rail service being added until we are confident in our ability to deliver those additional rail trips with consistency."
The CTA news release touted plans to – no pun intended – train up to 200 new 'L' drivers, twice last year's level. 79 workers have graduated from CTA rail operator school so far this year. The next batch of 20 will start classes on Monday, and which point there will be over 80 workers in training, who will likely start qualifying to drive trains during the next several months.
Meanwhile, the agency says bus riders won't be left behind, since it is also hoping to get bus service up to pre-pandemic numbers before the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve. In June, service on 48 lines all over the service reportedly returned to pre-COVID levels. And the plan is for another 28 routes to get upgrades this autumn and winter, with the same goal.
Of course, improving service a great way to boost ridership, and the CTA says the bus upgrades are making that happen. The bus lines that got more runs last spring enjoyed a 21 percent ridership increase in June 2024 compared to June 2023. Other routes that didn't get improvements only saw an 11 percent ridership gain.
You can check out the updated timetables online. The CTA says in the next day or two, the schedules should also be reflected in most mobile apps tracking CTA service, such as the Ventra app.
CTAction's reaction
Nonetheless, in a statement today, the transit data whizzes at Commuters Take Action insisted the new timetable is just lipstick on a pig. "We remain disappointed with the CTA's latest rail timetables, which are still reduced 16 percent compared to before the pandemic," they said. "The updated timetables... show an increase of less than one additional train per hour across each rail line — a barely noticeable change to those actually riding the system."
CTAction noted that seven of the 'L' lines had minor service increases, but they're particularly worried about Blue Line increases. "This route has only achieved 100 percent service delivery once in the last 30 days," they stated. "On Father's Day, the Blue Line only delivered a dismal 58 percent of its scheduled service."
The transit advocates also criticized the Purple Line's new timetable. They noted that route got a minor schedule bump, despite the fact that it hasn't consistently met its timetable goals since July of last year.
"It is foolish to be adding more scheduled service when CTA can't even meet the current schedule," Commuters Take Action concluded. "This seems like a desperate attempt by the CTA to improve its public perception with hopes that riders will not fact check it. The reality is that this will make service less reliable, since recent data shows CTA will be very unlikely to deliver on these schedules."
Assuming that CTAction's numbers are correct, it appears they've shown that the CTA is mostly just improving rail service on paper.
Read today's CTA announcement here.
Read the Commuters Take Action response here.
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