CTA in 2016

Chicago has gotten the nod as the US selection to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Let's assume that in October 2009 the IOC selects Chicago to be the host city for those games, beating out Rio, Rome, Tokyo, etc. The Olympic Games venues and athlete residences will be generally located along or near the lakefront.

I'm sure people in high places have begun imagining how athletes and visitors will be moved about the city. The L can handle the largest numbers of people per vehicle (I'm considering a train to be a single vehicle) compared to buses, but it doesn't have any routes that go near the lake, and all routes are Loop-focused. How do you think the CTA will respond to these and other questions? Does anyone foresee there being completely new routes?

I think for lakefront events, the MED would be the primary pipeline of transportation. For those particular events, other Metra and CTA lines would just be feeder routes into the electric district.

The lakefront obviously won't be the only place where events are held, though. If they plan on having anything at the United Center, expect a new station on the Paulina Connector (possibly including an enclosed walkway to the arena).

byte wrote:I think for lakefront events, the MED would be the primary pipeline of transportation. For those particular events, other Metra and CTA lines would just be feeder routes into the electric district.

I'd agree, except Daley has talked about extending the busway south of McCormick. Metra is trouble: It's not under his control. Too bad, because I'd love to see the Electric extended over and past Navy Pier. And it would serve Jackson Park perfectly too. But I'd put even odds on Daley favoring an E 63rd Green Line extension to Jackson Park.

byte wrote:The lakefront obviously won't be the only place where events are held, though. If they plan on having anything at the United Center, expect a new station on the Paulina Connector (possibly including an enclosed walkway to the arena).

I'd guess that will happen: Daley wants the Circle Line and that calls for a station to serve the United Center.

I'd also put money on a Green Line station at Cermak or 23rd to serve McCormick West. (It's already in the 2003 Near South Community Plan.) And after that, either an extension of the Circle line to have a north-south line along Ashland/Paulina -- or the Mid City Transitway with Daley fighting for the Crosstown Expressway as part of the deal. ("To keep trucks passing through away from all the Olympic traffic.")

This is Daley's town -- we just live in it.

Sounds like undoing all the service "adjustments" made in the past, i.e. demolition of Green Line L structure east of current East 63rd terminal and removal of Cermak L stop during 1970's.

ChiTownHustler wrote:

byte wrote:I think for lakefront events, the MED would be the primary pipeline of transportation. For those particular events, other Metra and CTA lines would just be feeder routes into the electric district.

I'd agree, except Daley has talked about extending the busway south of McCormick. Metra is trouble: It's not under his control. Too bad, because I'd love to see the Electric extended over and past Navy Pier. And it would serve Jackson Park perfectly too. But I'd put even odds on Daley favoring an E 63rd Green Line extension to Jackson Park.

byte wrote:The lakefront obviously won't be the only place where events are held, though. If they plan on having anything at the United Center, expect a new station on the Paulina Connector (possibly including an enclosed walkway to the arena).

I'd guess that will happen: Daley wants the Circle Line and that calls for a station to serve the United Center.

I'd also put money on a Green Line station at Cermak or 23rd to serve McCormick West. (It's already in the 2003 Near South Community Plan.) And after that, either an extension of the Circle line to have a north-south line along Ashland/Paulina -- or the Mid City Transitway with Daley fighting for the Crosstown Expressway as part of the deal. ("To keep trucks passing through away from all the Olympic traffic.")

With Chicago's hat in the 2016 Olympic ring, it's strange how all of a sudden the proposed Green line "enhancements" of a station at Cermak, plus the restoration of Jackson Pk service over Metra Electric to Stony Island is in vogue again. You'd merely be putting things back the way they were 30-35 years ago, except of course for the fact that the South Side elevated isn't routed into the subway anymore, at least not for revenue trips. But even if Chicago wins the bid, and assuming the south side Green line enhancements are built, they won't last very long if there isn't some sort of post-Olympic revitilization plan for the immediate neighborhoods, and could be torn down again not even six months after the games end. Resulting in a gigantic waste of money...

ChiTownHustler wrote:This is Daley's town -- we just live in it.

Amen. And that's why I became a suburbanite...

doepack wrote:You'd merely be putting things back the way they were 30-35 years ago[...] they won't last very long if there isn't some sort of post-Olympic revitilization plan for the immediate neighborhoods, and could be torn down again not even six months after the games end.

Almost. No Kenwood branch. But, add in the Circle Line and Mid City. (Anything to get an expressway named after Dad.)

Woodlawn is gentrifying; and, the university has plans to expand south. I'd guess the re-extension would stay.


The one shot for less turf wars is if Daley cedes some power to the RTA to get fare integration and suddenly present the IOC with a much-larger transit system. Would the increased Olympics money offset that loss of power? My guess is we'll all find out by what Daley does.

doepack wrote:

ChiTownHustler wrote:This is Daley's town -- we just live in it.

Amen. And that's why I became a suburbanite...

So long as what Daley does mostly benefits the city, Chicago is a world better than other places. Most other cities debate endlessly -- fiddling while Rome burns.

I may not agree with his prioritization of transit projects; but, it's far better than no progress and excruciating debate for years on end. If I want that, I'll move to New York and argue about the Second Ave subway. And that's why I live in the city: pragmatic compromise (among other reasons).

You know, I once drove the length of the MED from Hyde Park to the Michael Reese Hospital at 31st, one of my favorite fanning spots. That's a once-beautiful lakefront neighborhood that is now down on it's luck. It's also well served by MED - it'd be the perfect place to build Olympic Village and jumpstart the neighborhood and find a inexpensive but neat and historic place to put athletes.


Also -gasp- new highliners??? A rebuild of the cluster situation at Van Buren? An excuse to pour money into CSS and a Gary Airport? A new Roosevelt Road station? (have they started this yet?)

Tadman wrote:It's also well served by MED - it'd be the perfect place to build Olympic Village and jumpstart the neighborhood and find a inexpensive but neat and historic place to put athletes.

I don't disagree. But why is there even a busway to McCormick? Why not pay Metra to run some McCormick shuttles? It would be easy; would have required no construction; and, would have freed up more land for park/development.

But construction contracts and bus contracts are favors to hand out. Contracting with Metra means giving more power to an organization where the suburbs and Republicans have more power than an in-city organization.

Tadman wrote:Also -gasp- new highliners??? A rebuild of the cluster situation at Van Buren? An excuse to pour money into CSS and a Gary Airport?

Cluster situation? (puzzled)

I don't see these happening. CSS is Indiana's problem; and, an airport in Gary is far enough from reality that I don't believe Daley's endorsement of it. It could just be a way to extract tribute from south suburban or state politicians.

Tadman wrote:A new Roosevelt Road station? (have they started this yet?)

Yep. Fences are up, a site office is there, and I think I saw some heavy equipment down in the trench the other day.

So the original topic (IIRC) was what we'd like to see. As I said earlier: The one exciting possibility about the Olympics is a unified RTA system. With fare integration, the whole Chicago metro area gets a much-larger system without turning one shovel of dirt.

But, Daley likes to leave a mark. So add in the Mid City Transitway, Circle Line, and a Green Line station at Cermak and extension to connect with the Electric (in the spirit of working together). And suddenly you have not just a larger system, but a very interconnected system.

In fact, if Metra ran extra trains ("city service") to service only zones A-B or A-C, we'd have something truly amazing -- like the RER or S-Bahn with great interconnections.

Now to really dream: I'd like all the above with more Electric service; north-south lines along Western and Ashland; a north-south line along Halsted that then heads west along the Bloomingdale ROW; I'd like the MCT to extend past the Dan Ryan to the old US Steel site and past the Blue Line, up the Edens, and then east on Devon to the Red Line. And I'd like the Green Line to extend to Midway and down Jeffery on the west and east branches. Oh, and extend the Rave to Jeff Park while you're at it.

If I see any of these (in the preceding paragraph) happen in the next 20 or 30 years, I will eat my hat. But it's nice to daydream once in a while.

Everyone: I am interested to see if Chicago will get the nod for the 2016 Olymic Games. The problem I see is if the IOC will select a US City because I recall that there are anti-American feelings due to our political situation-not to mention the Iraq War. Remember when just about everyone thought that Paris would get the 2012 games over cities like NYC-which was a longshot at best? Paris' attitude turned off the IOC enough that those Games were awarded to London. It will be interesting to see what Chicago being awarded the Games will cost local taxpayers. I really don't think rail transportation will be a big problem in CHI. MACTRAXX