They do have some lovely parking lots there that you might enjoy. ;) :p

I've experienced the shuttle from Harlem to Rosemont a few weeks ago when the tracks were temporarily closed. There are tons of CTA staff standing around and directing people from the train to the bus and from the bus back onto the train, but it would have been very easy to just sort of get in line with everyone else. I think they're focused on getting people to the right place rather than on who has a ticket and who doesn't.

CTA actually exceeds expectations! The Blue Line will reopen on Thursday morning (3 AM), four days ahead of schedule. I noticed construction sheeting up at the ORD station last week, so maybe they've done some station improvements as well.

And for those traveling tomorrow, no, the shuttles don't require a fare.

Any reports from the reopened Blue line? Are there still slow zones and how are the travel times?

Gosh, I wish I had seen your post before I took the shuttle to Rosemont on Tuesday morning. Never thought of that! :D

It does seem strange that they let anyone on the bus, however.

Haven't taken it yet, but according to CTA maps, it's almost completely clear from ORD to Jefferson Park. Bad spots still between Jeff Park to Addison, work starts on that next month. Those spots are also listed as 35mph, as opposed to the big 15 and 25 stretches between ORD and Jeff Park.

If nobody reports before then, I'll definitely be trying it out as far as Addison in a couple weeks. Coming home from a trip into rush hour. At this point, L should easily beat traffic.

One problem is that (AFAIK) they don't have fare machines in the bus center, only down by the station. No problem for a local with a card already (either Chicago card or a transit cards), but for out-of-towners, they'd have to send them into the basement to the station to get a card, then back up to the bus. They could charge on the bus in cash, but then they'd have to issue a transfer.

The CTA probably figures that the number of people using it without getting on the L at Rosemount is small enough to not be worth the cost and hassle of dealing with fares at ORD, especially when it was only 3 weeks.

Here's my report:

Trip 1 - LaSalle to Rosemont - 8/4 Noon - trip time 45 minutes. Slow zones between about Addison and Jefferson Park, then free sailing the rest of the way. Trip spoiled by 1-2 minute waits at every stop in the Loop, no idea why.

Trip 2 - Rosemont to LaSalle - 8/4 8:30 pm - trip time 90 minutes. Free saiing to Belmont, then held due to "debris on the tracks at Western" due to the storm. So, horrid trip but not really the CTA's fault.

Trip 3 - LaSalle to Rosemont - 8/5 7:30am - trip time 40 minutes. Free sailing past Jefferson Park, then a short stop while the driver exited the cab to "check something under the first car". All in all, not a bad trip.

Trip 4 - Rosemont to LaSalle - 8/5 2:00pm - 35 minutes. Fast to Jeff Park, then several odd short stops between Addison and Western. Again, not a bad trip.

The Sun-Times on Tuesday reports that only 3% of the Blue Line is in "slow zones," down from 62% in Jan 2007. Trains now reach speeds of 58 MPH, and a Loop-ORD trip should now take 45 minutes.

The remaining slow zones are just east of the Rosemont and Cumberland stations, in both directions.

I took the Blue Line from O'Hare to UIC/Halsted (several stops past the Loop) Monday evening. I left O'Hare at 6:35 p.m. I arrived at 7:15. That train was moving. :)

About 40 minutes, in and out. Much more reliable.