Red Line South:Alternatives During Construction

Elsa Gutierrez

General Manager Service Planning

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

Chicago, IL

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

• Second largest transit agency

• Operations began in 1947

• City of Chicago and 35 suburbs

• 1.7M rides (avg. weekday daily)

• 83% of public transit trips

• 128 bus route and 8 rail lines

• 1,865 buses and 1,356 rail cars

• Rail connect to 2 major airports

• 24-hour, 7-days a week service

Overview of Red Line South

• Line opened in 1969

• Last major track renewal occurred in the mid-1980s

• Crossovers replaced in 2004

• Tracks were beyond expected lifespan

• 9 rail stations

• 50,000 daily weekday average passengers

Need for Construction

• Track more than 40 years old

• Nearly 40 percent of Dan Ryan Branch was slow zone

• Slower trains = longer commutes + increase operation costs

• Improvements saved up to 20 minutes (round-trip)

• $425 million construction project

Decision: 5 months or 4 years?

5 Months

• Full Closure

• 20 minute travel savings by end of 2013

• Most efficient and cost-effective schedule

• More consistency in construction work –better final product

4 Years

• Weekend-only closures of various portions

• Slow zones continue (and increase) thru 2016

• Increase cost by $75M

• Work done in segments which may reduce consistency

Customer Travel Patterns

• Who is impacted?

• Where are they going?

• What obstacles do they face?

• How can we provide alternatives?

1. Rail Options

2. Free Shuttle

3. Route Extensions

4. Route enhancements

Rail destinations for 69th-95th riders

16%

22%

32%

17%

Other = 13%

New Rail Alignment

• Red Line trains:

• Howard to/from Ashland/63rd on the elevated tracks south of Roosevelt

• Green Line trains:

• Harlem/Lake to/from Cottage Grove

• Some AM trains turn at Roosevelt

• Some PM trains operate counter-clockwise around the Loop

Free Bus Shuttle

• Limited rail alternatives

• Accommodate passenger demand

• Simulate Red Line service

1. Maintain frequency

2. Maintain loads

3. Maintain travel time

4. Maintain 24-hour service

Garfield (Elevated) Transit Hub

Number of Daily:

Pre-Construction

During Construction Increase

Passengers 1,500

Trains 236

Buses 304

15,000 1,000%

1,256 413%

615 260%

Bus Shuttle Statistics

• Bus Requirements

61 – 60ft buses (+spares)

10 – 40ft buses (+spares)

• 5,000 vehicle hours weekly

• Added 1.3% traffic volume on Dan Ryan expressway

• 17,300 daily weekday riders

Bus Route Extensions

• Maintain connectivity to rail network

• Deviated or extended to serve Garfield or Ashland Branch of the Red Line

• Service to closed Red Line stations were temporarily suspended

Route Enhancements

• Used O-D transit pass data to model trip decisions

• Created half-mile grid zones for rider origins

• Focused on north-south routes that feed Ashland branch to minimize transfers

• Mostly peak periods

• Short-turns focused on areas with highest demand

Lessons Learned

• Provide outreach material early and often

• Develop strong relationship with Bus/Rail Operations

• Include flexibility in service plan

• Buses were reallocated to heavily used routes

• Boarding and alighting locations were shifted

• Develop multiple and robust external partnerships

• Team work, team work, team work.

Red Line South Improvements

• 300 million pounds of ballast

• 7.8 million pounds of rail

• 60,000 rail ties

• 495 announcement speakers

• 275 security cameras

• 87 train tracker displays

• 36 assistance phones

• 3 elevators, 100% accessible

• 0 slow zones

Red Line South:Alternatives During Construction

Elsa Gutierrez

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

General Manager Service Planning

Chicago, IL