ORD Blue Line Update
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SFO/MSP
Programs: 1K, Diamond
Posts: 171
ORD Blue Line Update
Saw this news story online.. while some stuff is generic other parts (like the even faster speed limit) are interesting...
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...nts&id=5814734
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...nts&id=5814734
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, HH Diamond, Delta Base, AA Base
Posts: 514
I just took the Blue Line yesterday back from ORD to Chicago/Milwaukee. For a Sunday, not bad - about 15-20 minute delay with the shuttle bus transfer from Harlem to Jeff Park. But, add the normal slow zones and I think the word of the day is patience.
#3
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: United States
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Amtrak
Posts: 4,647
Saw this news story online.. while some stuff is generic other parts (like the even faster speed limit) are interesting...
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...nts&id=5814734
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...nts&id=5814734
#4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Primary: “Its largest airport was named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle.”, Secondary: 88NV via RNO
Programs: Hilton Diamond*, UA ex-2P, Chase
Posts: 354
Yeah, that's the first I'd heard that the Blue Line could be going 65-70 mph when the project is done. That's pretty impressive for urban transit, though I'd imagine there will be only a few stretches where it will get that fast, considering the ferquent stops. The real shame is that there will still be no express service between ORD and the Loop.
While the 65-70 will be interrupted by stops, the fastest segment will the the one most important to FTers, the now glacial segment from Jeff Park to O'Hare, with only three stops and a lot of straightaways. I say most important, because those inbound waits while your check-in or baggage check deadline nears (or passes) are the most agonizing.
But if it can get it Clark to ORD down to the original 35-40 min travel time, that'll feel like an express...
#6
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DCA ZWU
Programs: AGR WOH
Posts: 1,785
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8100/4.2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)
On my ride out this morning (on the tarmac) the section between Jeff and Harlem seemed... fast and smooth. Sure, we were back to the usual bumps and creaks soon thereafter, but it was lovely while it lasted.
On my ride out this morning (on the tarmac) the section between Jeff and Harlem seemed... fast and smooth. Sure, we were back to the usual bumps and creaks soon thereafter, but it was lovely while it lasted.
#8
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, US
Posts: 2,210
http://yourcta.com/news/whatsnewA.wu
a day or two before your trip and it should have details. If you're coming in during the day, you have nothing to worry about.
#11
#12
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Primary: “Its largest airport was named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle.”, Secondary: 88NV via RNO
Programs: Hilton Diamond*, UA ex-2P, Chase
Posts: 354
New CTA cars coming in 2011. (Artist conception makes it look a little like what the BART cars must have looked like when they were clean.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...i_tab01_layout
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transpo...012308.article
Of more immediate FT interest in the Trib item:
The new trains will reach speeds of up to 70 m.p.h., up from the current CTA limit of 55 m.p.h. But the actual running time is often much slower due to slow zones put in place to maintain safety over rickety tracks.
Currently, slow zones affect about 17 percent of CTA track, down from 22 percent last October.
Track and railroad tie repairs are scheduled for completion by year's end on the Blue Line between the Addison Street stop and O'Hare International Airport....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...i_tab01_layout
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transpo...012308.article
Of more immediate FT interest in the Trib item:
The new trains will reach speeds of up to 70 m.p.h., up from the current CTA limit of 55 m.p.h. But the actual running time is often much slower due to slow zones put in place to maintain safety over rickety tracks.
Currently, slow zones affect about 17 percent of CTA track, down from 22 percent last October.
Track and railroad tie repairs are scheduled for completion by year's end on the Blue Line between the Addison Street stop and O'Hare International Airport....
#13
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,084
New CTA cars coming in 2011. (Artist conception makes it look a little like what the BART cars must have looked like when they were clean.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...i_tab01_layout
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transpo...012308.article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...i_tab01_layout
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transpo...012308.article
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,900
I like this quote from the Sun Times:
The new rail cars will make the CTA "the most modern system in the United States," Huberman said.
Um, while the new cars may indeed be very modern, its going to take a lot more than that to make the CTA the most modern system in the US, given the bad track, outmoded signal system, decrepit stations, general state of filthiness, etc. A step in the right direction, certainly.
The new rail cars will make the CTA "the most modern system in the United States," Huberman said.
Um, while the new cars may indeed be very modern, its going to take a lot more than that to make the CTA the most modern system in the US, given the bad track, outmoded signal system, decrepit stations, general state of filthiness, etc. A step in the right direction, certainly.
#15
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DCA ZWU
Programs: AGR WOH
Posts: 1,785
Some trains in Tokyo have displays giving the train's location on the line, which alternate with general announcements and sometimes advertisements. I thought it was a nice touch.
The Kennedy segment track reconstruction work and hence the bus shuttles are on hold during the winter. There's some more basic maintenance underway in the Milwaukee subway section again, which is requiring overnight (into early morning) single-track operations.
Last edited by paytonc; Feb 1, 2008 at 12:19 pm