Brian Steele

We've accurately diagnosed the cause of current CTA weirdness. Now we need to hold the agency accountable for keeping its promise of "actively recruiting workers to fill existing vacant positions."

Here's the skinny about the CTA's weird Orange Line runs that become Brown Line trains when they reach the Loop, and then turn back into Orange trains.

Rail suicides are devastating tragedies for loved ones that also traumatize the workers and passengers who witness them.

Last Wednesday, when I walked the length of Chicago’s Cermak Road, I noticed that the Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line station, currently under construction and scheduled for completion this year, will be only two blocks east of the Cermak-Chinatown Red Line stop. Since that’s only a five-minute walk for most people, the new station, currently under construction, seemed a bit redundant.

A recent discussion of Ventra, the new fare payment system for the CTA and Pace, with CTA spokesman Brian Steele, has allayed some, if not all, of my concerns about the impact on low-income Chicagoans. The cost of a single-ride ticket will rise from $2.25 to $3. This price hike can be avoided by purchasing a reusable Ventra card for $5, which is refunded as a transit credit when you register the card. However, registering the card requires access to a phone, the Internet, or the CTA headquarters, which might be a barrier for very low-income individuals.

It was exciting to wake up to the news that the CTA and Chicago Department of Transportation are planning to build center-running bus rapid transit with travel lane removals, since this is the most efficient and pedestrian-friendly of the four layouts they considered. Both Ashland and Western were possibilities for the route. They have decided to go with 16 miles of Ashland from Irving Park to 95th, starting with an initial segment running from the Orange Line at 31st to Metra’s Clybourn station at Cortland. You can read the basics of the proposal in Ben Fried’s earlier post about the announcement.