Transit
home. Transit
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and News. Transit Regional
and Beyond.
Metra
Stations. Metra station and other
improvements background. The Gray
Line Proposal home. January 2004
State hearing report
 |
The 'Gold Line' (formerly 'S.E.C.R.E.T.' then "Gray Line Lite," then Silver Line) Plan for Metra Electric Service improvement- HPKCC Transit Task Force, other South Side advocatesA
service of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference Transit and Parking
Committee and the HPKCC website, www.hydepark.org |
South
Lakefront Transportation Corridor Study (Gold Line being one consideration).
April
13 2011 there was an input opportunity and presentation at IIT 4:30 and 6:30-
Almost all conceivable concerns were being taken into consideration or were
raised. Input is still being taken and will proceed to recommendations by the
end of the year-- probably quick fixes and a set of recommendations with costs.
Comment at southlakefront@cityofchicago.org-
Brenda McGruder at CDOT, 312 744-6139. Here
is the link to the post meeting city report
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/south_lakefront_corridortransitstudy.html.
Report
by Gary Ossewaarde of HPKCC.
Report on 2nd meeting, which includes most of Gold Line proposal, is in CTA
page.
South
Lakefront Corridor Transit Study final report meeting. Happened. The
meeting presented the project evaluation results and the
draft recommendations of the South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study.
The study has focused on improving public transportation and enhancing Transit-Oriented
Development in order to enhance mobility for residents and increase access to
jobs within the South Lakefront Corridor. It is the third in a series of meetings.
We want to
hear from you. Please join us for this important public meeting and feel free
to invite others.
For more information please visit our website http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/south_lakefront_corridortransitstudy.html
and follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Lakefront-Corridor-Transit-Study/199444600080441.
Mtg.
Presentation (long doc in pdf).
SHORT
version.
WHAT
happened? Final selection was not announced. There were plentious poster boards
that had additional info on selected example projects prioritized by one of
the advisory groups. The PowerPoint slide shows will be posted online (not up
yet July 3).
Of
particular interest to HPK was the additional detail / research / estimates
regarding:
--possible BRT on 55th Garfield to Midway Airport (seems to be mixed use east
of Cottage to Metra) connecting with a BRT on Cottage Grove. They are seeking
a 25-35% time reduction on 55th.
-Metra Grayline/Gold Line (to keep the cost estimate down they shifted the mid-day/off
peak frequency from 10 min to 15-20 minute headings)
As we continue to remake this website, our transit pages are being revised--please visit updated portions of this page in Metra, which also has navigator bar to the basic Transit Website pages. To Nov. 2008 Weekly News article.
Contact
James Withrow Hyde Park-Kenwood Community
Conference Transit Task Force chair.
Note: Mike Payne was not only the original idea man (whose idea is actually
larger) but the one researched who worked out most of the what and how and promoted
Gray Line far and wide. See Gray Line
1 page and links to his own site..
Withrow: it is extremely important to growing world interest and visits, doing business with the South Side including in light of Olympics and "Obama effect" that the Lakefront and its venues be seen to be on the CTA (El) Grid and accessible thereon.
It has been noted that in May 2010 the feds gave the Bay Area permission to use light-rail equipment on traditional tracks.
HPKCC supports RTA South Lakefront Corridor Study
Sent October 20, 2009 to RTA Funding Programs Public Comment
The Hyde Park-Kenwood Communtiy Conference wishes to communicate its support for RTA's proposed stdy of the South Lakefront Corridor:
Whereas public transportation is vital to the residents, businesses and non-profit institutions located in Southeast Chicago, and
Whereas it is important to take advantage of all the existing transit resources in Southeast Chicago, and
Whereas Southeast Chicago enjoys an unusal, for Chicago, combination of Metra and CTA transit operations, AND
Whereas the Regional Transit Authority is best-placed to encourage collaboration among the transit agencies to improve the speed and reliability of public transportation in our region,
the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conferecne hereby resolves that the RTA should be encouraged to commit to the South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study.Jay N. Ammerman, President
The
latest revival of the Gray Line Lite concept (now Gold Line) is in Olympics
context, by the 5th Ward Olympics Task Force and by a wider Southsiders Organizing
for Unity and Liberation, becoming part of a newly launched umbrella Communities
for Equitable Olympics. The plan includes 10 minute service, Visit http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/08/gray-line-lite.html.
Chamber, HPKCC sign on. Kudos to James Withrow and Linda
Thisted. (Description of similar concepts started by Mike Payne are in our Gray
Line page.)
The following is out for comment until October 2009 by Moving Beyond Congestion. So. Lakefront Corridor, a transit oriented dev. study along 63rd Green Line B, and a new call-in system for PACE paratransit. See whole list and hearings at which to comment: http://www.rtachicago.com/CMS400Min/. To send comments- FundingProgramsComments@rtachicago.com. Phone-in 312 913-3143. Gary Ossewaarde
The Subregional Planning program provides funding for regional planning projects including corridor studies, countywide transit improvements, and other regional transit initiatives. The program is available to units of local government and the RTA Service Boards: The Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace.
City of Chicago
South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study: This project will study a range of transit service options in the South Lakefront Corridor, an area that extends from the Stevenson Expressway on the north to 95th Street on the south and from the Dan Ryan Expressway and Cottage Grove on the west to Lake Michigan on the east. The City will undertake this work as a first step in identifying alternatives that would improve public transportation services for better access to jobs and other activities, and would lead to enhanced economic vitality and quality of life for the communities served. The overall goal of the study is to recommend one or two candidate projects with the high net benefits for a more rigorous evaluation that would take place within the federal New Starts process.
November 17, 2008: More information concerning the Gold Line transit proposal, (Metra So Chic. Electr. upgrade-CTA lease-el-like frequency-univ. card- added Bronzeville station) including an explanation of the name change, can be found here:
http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/11/gray-gold.html
Additionally, today, SOUL, with HPKCC and CECD reps, met with staff from the offices of Ald. Hairston (who hosted the meeting), Sen. Durbin, Rep. Jackson, Majority Leader Currie, state Senator Raoul, Ald. Preckwinkle and the Chicago Dep't of Transportation. Like most of our meetings with politicians on this effort, this meeting was very positive and we got commitments to go forward from all involved. Holdup now is Metra.
The Gold Line idea has taken off with local aldermen and state legislators signing on, as well as organizations such as HPKCC and Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, UC officers- The latest revival of the concept "Gray Line Lite," to be renamed) is in Olympics context, by the 5th Ward Olympics Task Force and by a wider Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation, becoming part of a newly launched Coalition for Equitable Olympics. Visit http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/08/gray-line-lite.html. SOUL, HPKCC, HP Chamber of Commerce and other groups have signed up. Officials near the Metra including Ald. Hairston and Preckwinkle, Rep. Currie, Sen. Raoul, UC, CMAP have shown enthusiasm or signed up and helped. At a meeting with Doug Arnot and others of Chicago 2016, strong support and sense of consistency with Olympic goals were expressed. It can't go into the bid book because it's not funded, but after the bid is awarded, planning could go forward, including gaining federal funds for the purchase of cars and other upgrades and the agency arrangements and card interchange needed. The regional planning agency CMAP has been very supportive, considering this as bringing much more ridership at lower cost ($160 m) than other expansion plans. The plan includes 10 minute service, fare transfer convertibility, track and signal upgrade, new cars, and a new station between 47th and 27th.
Going the other way? Metra will raise fares by 5 percent in February 2006 due to huge fuel cost increases.That makes even single-zone fares even more a bit higher than even the increased CTA cash fare.
Gold Line Enhanced Metra service with CTA fare linkup
HPKCC Transit Task Force Chair writes: Here's an article about what's come to be known as the Gold Line Proposal:
http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2007/10/gray-line-lite.htmlThere's also a Facebook group for the Gold Line here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=67705810632
November 2008 update: The latest revival of the concept "Gray Line Lite," to be renamed) is in Olympics context, by the 5th Ward Olympics Task Force and by a wider Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation, becoming part of a newly launched Coalition for Equitable Olympics. (1st meeting Aug. 14, ) Visit http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/08/gray-line-lite.html. SOUL, HPKCC, HP Chamber of Commerce and other groups have signed up. Officials near the Metra including Ald. Hairston and Preckwinkle, Rep. Currie, Sen. Raoul, University, CMAP have shown enthusiasm or signed up and helped. At a meeting with Doug Arnot and others of Chicago 2016, strong support and sense of consistency with Olympic goals were expressed. It can't go into the bid book because it's not funded, but after the bid is awarded, planning could go forward, including gaining federal funds for the purchase of cars and other upgrades and the agency arrangements and card interchange needed. Supporters think the "next wave" in fares- general credit card auto debit- actually make the way to inter modality easier
Please note that we still think that the Metra service we do have is generally outstanding. New cars are on the way (with bathrooms but some odd changes to entrances), and infrastructure changes are funded. And it almost always comes reliably and on time! It could again become a leading and heavily used urban railroad (an overlooked and promising subset of transit service). Professional studies are available on this at the Conference office--contact us at 773 288-8343 or garyossewaarde).
Chicago Weekly News talks about the Gold Line, in an article on the next South Side CTA growth- including Orange Line extension, South Loop Green Line station, and Red Line extension. November 20, 2008. By Sam Feldman.
The proposed sites for the major Olympic venues in 2016 stretch along the lakefront, from Soldier Fiedl and the Olympic Village south to Jackson Park. Unfortunately, none of these spots are particularly accessible by CTA trains. Hyde Park resident James Withrow has a solution: the Gold Line. Withrow's proposal would take the South Chicago Branch of the Metra Electric line, which runs from Millennium Station downtown past the waterfront venues to 93rd Street, and turn it into a line of the CTA. In practice this would mean running trains every ten minutes and providing integrated fares, so you could transfer to or from other CTA buses and trains for only twenty-five cents. Withrow hopes the trains would be branded as CTA and appear on CTA maps, but Metra would continue to operate them through an agreement with the CTA. "It's just important for people looking at Hyde Park to realize that operationally they'll be on the El grid," he explains.
Although the name "Gold Line" is a nod to the Olympics, Withrow's idea was not originally built around the games. "I've been working on this for five or six years, or at least talking to people about it, promoting it as something we ought to do," he says. If Chicago beats out Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo, Withrow believes the Gold Line would be "vital" for transportation to run smoothly in 2016, but its utility will continue beyond then. "I think the best way to put it is that people see this as a good excuse to do the right thing," he says.
Recently Withrow's proposal has been adopted by Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) and Communities for an Equitable Olympics (CEO) and endorsed by Aldermen Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and Leslie Hairston (5th) [and Sandy Jackson (7th)], as well as Hyde Park's state senator and representatives [and Sen. Durbin's office]. A few weeks ago Withrow got a favorable response from Doug Arnot at Chicago 2016, and he has high hopes that the Gold Line could be up and running as soon as two years from now. The CTA, which has not been known historically to oppose Mayor Daley, should go along with the plan, although Withrow is little less optimistic about Metra. "You always hope that they will cooperate and actually want to help out, and I look forward to the first piece of evidence that that's happening," he says diplomatically.
Withrow has looked into the potential cost of the Gold Line, and it's not clear yet where the funding would come from. "I never for a minute thought they'd be cheap, but basically the price we were quoted were something like three and a half million dollars per [rail] car," he says. "I notice that when Governor Palin sold her jet, she only got 2.1 [million] for that, so we're talking about something that's more expensive than a jet." Still, he's optimistic that the federal government wil chip in half the cost. "This is definitely the most pro-public transportation administration we've ever had," he says. And given the clean electric technology and the lasting benefits, he hopes to get funding at the state level too. "This area, especially the area south of here, it was built for streetcar trolleys, it wasn't built to accommodate a lot of cars." he points out. "If you have a transit method that people enjoy using, I would certainly hope that both Hyde Park's retail district and the retail further south of here would be helped out quite a bit by this."
Late in
2003, troubling suggestions came from Metra. In spring,
2004 Metra announced several enhancements to the trains and south suburban
and Randolph Street Stations. Meanwhile, issues were complicated by |
Goals of the plans are to use the underutilized Metra Electric South Chicago branch to reconnect riders, especially in South Chicago, Cheltenham, and east Woodlawn, among the most hurt by transit cutbacks and teardowns over the past decade through at least:
Envisioned in conjunction would be a major re-acquaintance and ridership-building campaign and provision of up to date, compliant, safe stations. Both require market and rider interest surveys. Nearly 400 surveys returned so far already show over 80 percent saying they would use Metra South Chicago more if there were the fare coordination and the increased midday service.
The latest revival of the concept (to be renamed) is in Olympics context, by the 5th Ward Olympics Task Force and by a wider Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation, becoming part of a newly launched Coalition for Equitable Olympics. (1st meeting Aug. 14, Thursday, 5:30 pm at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 3101 S. King Dr.) Visit http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/08/gray-line-lite.html.
Herald, August 13 2008. By Sam Cholke
A forum will be held Aug. 4 to discuss improvements to the South Shore Metra line and other transportation options should Chicago win he bid for the 2016 Olympics. The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at Olivet Baptist Church, 3101 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The meeting will include discussions with Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation (S.O.U.L.), a coalition of community organizers sponsored by Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and the Coalition for an Equitable Olympics on their decision to promote the Gray Line Lite proposal.
The Gray Line Lite proposal would increase train frequency on the Metra south Shore line, which runs from the Loop to 91st Street along the lakefront, to 10-minute increments and allow for transfers to Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains. It would in essence function as another "El" line, James Withrow, a member of S.O.U.L., told board members of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HP-KCC) at its aug. 7 board meeting. Withrow chairs the HP-KCC Transportation Committee.
Withrow and Linda Thisted, another member of S.O.U.L, presented the Gray Line Lite proposal at a July 24 Olympics meeting with Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th). The group showed support for the idea and the alderman thought it worth pursuing, but [they] refrained from officially signing on as supporters of the proposal. Hairston said at the July 24 community meeting that Chicago doesn't have the money to build something like a monorail down the lakefront to transport people to and from the Olympic events. Using the existing Metra tracks would not be expensive, she said. If Chicago wins its bid for the Olympics, the inevitable federal infrastructure money coming into the city could be used to mitigate most of the initial costs, Hairston said.
The Gray Line Lite proposal is taken heavily from Chatham resident Michael Payne's Gray Line proposal.
Gray Line and SECRET both received a big boost from the 2030 CATS Regional Transportation Plan. Visit Regional and Beyond, Regional Transportation Plan. The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference has a copy of the summary plan, including on CD-ROM in our office. 773 288-3843.
South East Chicago Rail Enhancement Team. This is a joint project of the HPKCC Transit Task Force, Campaign for Better Transit and other southeast side community organizations (see list below). Contact: James Withrow, withrow@uchicago.edu of HPKCC Transit Task Force or Campaign for Better Transit. The Conference Board has endorsed the project and members of the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce is participating. South East Chicago Commission has been consulted. Watch for the next Hyde Park Transit Task Force meeting on Metra and other rail/Southeast corridor issues. Meanwhile, following a major hearing in January 04 and some Electric District improvements announced by Metra mainly for the suburban end and downtown, the Task Force continues to participate in small meetings with Rep. Constance Howard and our local legislators. Since this was written, there as been a pause in this initiative. Perhaps i t will come up at t he January 18, 2007 RTA Moving Beyond Congestion meeting at International House, 1414 E. 59th St., 7 pm.
The Task Force and SECRET team wants, at the least, Metra-CTA fare coordination and we especially seek Metra Electric non-rush hour service frequent enough to spark a big increase in ridership. (See Hyde Park Herald letter, HPKCC Transit Task Force October and August Quarterly Meeting with CTA reports and Judy Chernick's memo on a possible "No. #6 X", in CTA/HPKCC Task Force. ) The Transit Task Force is currently working with Campaign for Better Transit, WECAN and a coalition of organizations south along the entire South Chicago Branch to create political will for a "Gray Line Lite" (SECRET), to include South Chicago Branch 10 minute headway's between 7 am and 10:20 pm and a 30-cent transfer linkup between Metra Electric (as a pilot) and CTA, as well as station improvements along the South Chicago Branch. A series of meetings of southeast side advocacy and business and social provider groups is in progress; those in Woodlawn, South Shore and South Chicago were very successful. We are meeting with legislators having constituents living along the route. The legislators have been supportive and facilitating in private meetings but of course await completion of detailed surveys and demographic and cost studies, which Campaign for Better Transit is undertaking and we hope transit providers will also. Legislators have agreed to ask the committee chairman for a hearing on universal fare card that the public can attend.
To become involved in this increasingly popular and possible idea, contact Jim Withrow. The only major user concern we have heard is possible traffic interference from frequent trains along 71st and possibly Exchange, which we intend to address.
Report on the public meeting of August 21, South Shore Cultural Center
WECAN director Arvis Averette led the meeting.
James Withrow of the HPKCC Transit Task Force stated the case for public transportation. Cited were property value increase near transit, including Fannie Mae's transit efficient mortgage rates, health and safety, walkability, and business growth. He explained how the proposed Metra enhancements fit this an in effect makes it our "L". (See more in "Public Transportation Saves Lives."
Michael Payne explained the Gray Line proposal and that it had a high eligibility and funding recommendation in the Regional Transportation Plan and the highest efficiency rating from the Air Quality Commission of Center for Neighborhood Technology. He explained various advantages from revitalizing this underutilized resource. Payne's website is www.grayline.20m.com
Sheila Tugume of Campaign for Better Transit talked about universal fare cards and reported on a survey of South Chicago Branch riders, in which c. 82 percent they would ride Metra more often if there were a universal fare card or more service.
Representative Constance Howard and Annette Hurley, aide to Representative Currie expressed general support but said halls have to be filled and more done to convince legislators against powerful interests. They also encouraged speaking at the city budget hearing on th 26th.
The CTA service changes were presented. The importance of federal transit legislation was stressed. (See handout, in Regional and Beyond from left bar.)
Public Participation brought out many new facets.
All were encouraged to come to a follow up meeting September 4 6-7:30 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 3208 E. 91st (Rodriquez Room.)
Organizations that have participated in the SECRET process
Hyde
Park-Kenwood Community Conference (Board endorsement and Hyde Park Transit Task
Force)
Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce
Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors
Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corporation
University of Chicago Student Center
East Side Chamber of Commerce
Claretian Associates
South Chicago Consortium
Bush Homeowners Association
Heathy South Chicago Commission
South Shore Planning
and Preservation Coalition
South Chicago Development Coalition
South Shore Chamber of Commerce
The Circle Group, Inc.
East Side United Methodist Church
Centro Communitario Juan Diego
Concerned Citizen's Coalition of Chicago
Woodlawn Development Associates
Villa Guadalupe Senior Services, Inc.
63rd Street WMCA
Handout on SECRET SECRET (South East Chicago Rail Enhancement Team) is a grassroots coalition dedicated to improving public transportation in South and Southeast Chicago. Currently SECRET has begun a campaign focused on the following goals: 1)
Increasing service on the South Chicago Branch of the Metra Electric.
In the 1960's this train ran every10 minutes, day and night. SECRET participants belong to every community located along this line. The first SECRET meeting was held in February 2003 at the offices of woodlawn East Community and Neighbors (WECAN). Representatives from a half dozen community groups were present when James Withrow, of the Hyde Park [HPKCC] Transit Task Force, suggested groups form under the acronym SECRET in order to work for more Metra service, transferability between Metra and CTA trains and buses, and, in general, to promote public transportation. Meetings began to be held in the communities bordering the Metra Electric tracks. Planning and informational meetings were hosted by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, Centro Communitario Juan Diego, the Healthy South Chicago Coalition, and villa Guadalupe in order to promote SECRET among local community based organizations. In June, participants felt the need to begin planning for a public meeting and to enlist the support of elected officials. In July members of SECRET met separately with State Representative Constance A Howard (34th), Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (25th), and State Senator Barack Obama to gain their support for SECRET's goals. Representative... Currie agreed to convene a meeting of her colleagues to address the need for a universal fare card. The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is currently conducting a study on this issue and, in the past, Representative Julie Hamos (18th) of Hamos of Evanston has sponsored legislation toward this goal. Tonight's meeting is the first step in improving mass transit in Chicago and Southeast Chicago. SECRET is open to everyone concerned about improving bus and rail service [there]. SECRET is an initiative of the Campaign for Better Transit which is dedicated to working on public transportation issues at the grassroots level. |
Coverage and response letters below
1) Representatives Howard
and Currie request chairman Hamos to convene a meeting and a hearing on universal
fare card.
2) Representative Howard facilitates a meeting with Metra. Metra holds already
demanded far south/suburban hearings in fall.
3) Howard and Hamos hold a public hearing (held January, 2004) on Southeast
Corridor transit needs and complaints. (Emphasis was actually on terrible bus
service in the 111th/Olive-Harvey College area.).
Report
on the Hearing
4) A placeholder for Metra
Electric upgrade and linkage further south is sought in the Regional Transportation
Plan "SharedPath 2030" (done). (See * side comment below on CTA rail/bus
"improvements" for the southeast corridor.)
5) Continued outreach efforts- (done for Gray Line, not SECRET)
6) Push to get commitment by Metra for at least some upgrades (pushed and achieved
by State Senator Barack Obama)
7) Getting a "local ask" for Universal Fare Card (RTA Board unanimously
endorsed in April 2004) and interagency engineering meetings on the same (meetings
have started)
8) Pilot projects toward universal fare card (CTA card said to be ready, other implemented trials called timid)
Next
A meeting convened by Rep. Constance Howard when?
______________________________________
Hyde Park Herald, November 5, 2003
Hyde Park residents using Metra's Electric Line have suffered for years with dilapidated stations, no bathrooms on the trains and turnstiles and gates that force you to have your ticket punched six times on a round-trip ride.
However, I am leading a group of South Side and South Suburban elected officials that are filing state legislation this week to require Metra to install bathrooms and eliminate payment gates on its South Suburban Electric Line by Jan. 1, 2005.
It is discrimination that the Electric Line--one of 11 Metra Lines and the only predominantly African American one--is apparently the only line without bathrooms on the trains and the only one with gates that require passengers to pay before getting on trains. At all other Metra stations, passengers do not need to pass through pay gates.
The South Suburban Electric Line is also apparently the only Metra line that won't accept tickets purchased at other District stations, forcing many riders to either wait for a ticket agent to unlock the turnstile or else jump it. The Electric Line is the only line with security cameras and too few and dilapidated benches.
The longest commute ride on the Electric Line is approximately one hour and seventeen minutes. The longest commute on the Southwest line--which has bathrooms---is approximately one hour and eight minutes. A Metra Web site press release stated that, "approximately 13,000 Metra passengers originate in Riverdale and communities south of it." These predominately African American riders and commuters have no bathroom service on their 45-minute plus trip.
When commuters complained about the STAR Line connecting a mostly affluent territory between O'Hare International Airport, the western suburbs and Joliet, Jeff Ladd, CEO of Metra, derisively said Metra was "not a social service welfare agency" concerned with unemployment issues and access to jobs.
My office and those of South Suburban legislators have been flooded with calls from upset commuters who had called Metra to complain about the service. One woman was told that the reason there are no bathrooms is because Metra bought the Electric Line from the Illinois Central and that the problem will be fixed eventually. The other person who complained received no call back.
Similar complaints were heard recently at a Metra town meeting in Homewood, where residents complained about years of Metra neglect. Metra riders will get one more chance to voice their concerns to Metra at a town meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 pm at the Village of Matteson's Village Board Room, 4900 Village Commons, Matteson. If you cannot attend that meeting, please call my office at 773-363-1996 about specific Metra concerns. For example, I know the renovation of the Hyde Park stations has been a mess with Metra years behind schedule. While Metra blames a bankrupt contractor, that is not a reasonable excuse for riders who must suffer through potentially dangerous stations.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, transportation facilities of a public entity must be accessible and usable or it is considered legal discrimination. Not surprisingly, the Metra Electric Line is also the only line with gates that have to be entered before riding the train.
Metra is the direct service provider and is fully responsible for assuring satisfactory conditions for its customers. All New Jersey to New York commuter trains, for example, have bathrooms on them. Chicago commuter trains should be held to similar standards.
Since the General Assembly has authority over parts of Metra's budget, we are going to hold their feet to the fire.
By Guy Tridgell.
The changes: Bathrooms and a concession stand now grace the Randolph Street Station, which is still under construction.
Still to come:
"There were a lot of complaints...We listened to what we thought were the priorities and acted accordingly (Dan Schnolis, Metra spokesman)
After years of tolerating what they deemed inferior service, Electric Line riders opened a vein during public hearings Metra hosted in the south suburbs last fall.
Loudly and forcefully, they complained about unfair ticketing practices, cruddy conditions at the end-of-the-line underground stop at Randolph Street and messy stations in the outlying suburbs.
Metra vowed to make the riding experience on the University Park-to-Chicago route better
Electric line customers--and Metra--said the commuter rail agency is holding up its end of the bargain six months later. Dominick Adducci, an architect from Homewood, said the criticism directed at Metra did some good. But Adducci and other Electric Line customers said they will be watching to make sure Metra delivers on all Promises. "It was embarrassing a little bit for Metra," Adducci said. "There has been some response."
Metra won points before the start of the hearings in October in Palos Heights, Matteson and Homewood by agreeing to order cars with bathrooms, the first onboard bathrooms on the Electric Line. The new fleet starts to arrive next year.
The move that generated the most goodwill, however, was dismantling the ticket turnstiles, equipment found exclusively on the Electric Line. Riders complained for years that the turnstiles, which required producing a ticket three times for a single ride, were demeaning.
They jammed frequently. Larger riders were forced to squeeze through them. To add insult, conductors checked tickets again on the train to make sure no one was cheating the system. "Turnstiles made me miss trains," Rosa Malcom of Dolton said."Now if I can't find my ticket, I can wait until I get on the train." [ed: but expect to pay an extra $2 if you can't show the ticket dispenser where you boarded is broken or be fined if you are using someone else's ticket, including spouse's]
Other improvements will not be as immediate. Efforts to improve the Chicago terminus at Randolph Street, gutted in 1996 after concrete started falling from a viaduct, will require more time. The improvements were delayed for years because of construction overhead on the stalled Millennium Park project.
Metra long predicted the Randolph Street work would start in earnest once Chicago officials gave the OK. That happened in January. Richard Duffield, project engineer for Metra, said construction on the station has been around-the-clock since then. The expected schedule ha ben shaved eight months from the expected length of the project. "We're here 24-7," Duffield said. "You could come here at 2 in the morning and find 15 trade unions working."
Duffield said 65 percent of the project, including space for 15 vendors, will be finished late this year. The remaining 35 percent of the work will be finished in a little more than a year, Duffield said. When complete, the station will feature a concourse of wavy metal ceilings. The floor will be made of blue and white terrazzo, with railroad-track markings to guide commuters to key spots in the station.
New seats and ticketing windows will be built. Gone will be the days when a heavy rain required buckets to catch the water dripping from the ceiling. An elaborate system of catch basins in the ceiling will eliminate that problem. "This has been complicated because it is not a new facility, but a rehabilitation," Duffield said. "Every time we take down a wall, or break up a floor, we find a new challenge."
Commuters will also be breathing easier. The dank, heavy air that hangs in the station will be replaced by fresh air drawn from Millennium Park through a series of vents and tunnels. An air conditioning and heating system will regulate the temperature, a luxury impossible in recent years. A sprinkler system will also be installed--another first for the station.
To prove to its customers that work is progressing, Metra cut windows in partitions erected several years ago to keep the public away from the gutted areas. There are other "perks." A small concessions stand offering coffee, juice and candy opened a couple of months ago. An improved public address system was added. Spacious bathrooms opened. ...
Randolph Street was not the only stop to see improvements. Janitors were instructed to pay extra attention to stations on the South Side and south suburbs. Portable bathrooms were trucked to some of the busier ones.
Metra spokesman Dan Schnolis said the agency is responding to the most serious complaints first. "There were a lot of complaints, but many dealt with the same small list of complains," schnolis said. "We listened to what we thought were the priorities and acted accordingly."
The turnstile criticism was removed in a couple of months. Other gripes, such as station improvements and onboard amenities, will take longer. Customers such as Alan Driver of Flossmoor said he will remain skeptical. "We've been treated like second-class citizens," Driver said. "But it has always been a pretty dependable train."
| To the Editor: [Hyde
Park Herald, August 20, 2003]
On
August 21, at a public meeting, the Transit Task Force of the Hyde Park-Kenwood
Community Conference and twenty other South Side community and business
organizations will join Campaign for Better Transit in unveiling a South
East Chicago Rail Enhancement Team (SECRET) , in large part developed
by members of our own HPKCC Transit Task Force. Regional planners agree with us. The new federally mandated 2030 Regional Transportation Plan gives the idea a high priority, saying it will increase demand, better serve local needs, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and promote local neighborhood economic development. We think it makes sense to provide more options and competition by reviving an underutilized resource. Our legislators or
their spokespersons, as well as Metra and CTA, are expected at the August
21 meeting, 6:30 p.m. at South Shore Cultural Center. At the meeting,
CTA will also give a succinct introduction to the new bus routes and Campaign
for Better Transit will reveal results from its rider satisfaction and
bus-on-time surveys. To learn the latest about us and the fast-changing transportation scene, visit www.hydepark.org, quite possibly the best and largest neighborhood website around. By navigating from
the front page, Neighborhood, or Hot Topics, you can visit the many pages
and webs on transit, parks, condo governance issues, The Point, history
and preservation, development and community issues or you can track community
trends and institutions, keep up with meetings, view park and neighborhood
photo galleries, or find the cultural venues or best links. We’re
also proud to have the Jackson Park council website as part of hydepark.org.
Gary M. Ossewaarde,
Secretary and Transit co-chair, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference
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Hyde Park Herald coverage, August 27, 2003 and a letter from a Hyde ParkerSECRET seeks faster, cheaper rail service downtownBy Maurice Lee Pulling in support from across the Southeast side, area transportation advocates are giving an old idea la new try. Resurrecting the old Gray Line concept, what activists want is simple: they want first rate transportation into downtown, they want it more frequently, and they want it cheap. The group which calls itself the South East Chicago Rail Enhancement Team (SECRET), met Thursday at the South Shore Cultural Center to look at public transportation possibilities along the southern reaches of Chicago's lakefront and to build support for the fight to make it happen. Conversation—which was translated for the sizable Spanish-speaking contingent in the audience—centered on transforming their underutilized Metra South Chicago rail line into a de facto high speed CTA "L" train for the Southeast side. The group has three demands: 10 minute service daily, 30 cent transfers to CTA and modern, rehabbed stations along the route. The Gray Line plan, developed by South Sider Mike Payne, centers on utilizing existing Metra infrastructure to ferry residents along the southeastern reaches of the city. The Metra trains would br chartered by the Chicago Transit authority but operated by Metra personnel. Trains on the Gray Line would run every ten minutes during rush hour and midday, as opposed to the current one-hour intervals during off-peak hours. According to SECRET member and Hyde Parker James Withrow, the Gray Line proposal would be a huge benefit to Hyde Park. Residents would have a faster, low polluting alternative to driving their cars or even the bus, and shoppers from other neighborhoods would have convenient access to Hyde Park businesses along the line, without the headache of parking. Added to that would be the ability to transfer to CTA buses and trains for a small fee. "If you bring these two things together—10 minute service and 30 cent transfers—then we have an "L" line," said Withrow. The Gray Line concept was approved by the Chicago area Transportation Study (CATS), the transit arm [sic] of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, and intergovernmental agency tasked with developing a cohesive development plan for the six-county Chicago metropolitan area. According to planners, the concept already has support in some quarters of the CTA. Even so, implementing the plan will not be easy. The plan would require the cooperation of Metra and the CTA—two agencies that have historically not gotten along. Further, state Rep. Constance Howard (D-34), says advocates would have to get the state legislature behind the plan, a tricky proposition given the powerful interests—automobile manufacturers, highway contractors and oil companies to name a few—that would likely align against it. Looking out at the sparse crowd of about 40 supporters in the 240-seat Solarium at the South Shore Cultural Center..., Howard made it clear that organizers would need to do more. "The only way that the proposals that I've herd are going to happen is if we can get people to come out," said Howard To find out more about SECRET call the Campaign for Better Transit at 312-253-0242 or at www.bettertransit.com. Improving HP transitHyde Park Herald, September 17, 2003. By Ezra E. W. Cohen, MD To the Editor: I read with great interest your article in the August 27 issue entitled "SECRET seeks faster, cheaper rail service downtown." Since moving to Chicago five years ago I have noted the striking lack of public transit to Hyde Park. In fact, that was one of the primary motivators for my family's move to this community almost four years ago. Now we can walk to work and school but have to drive to go almost anywhere else. Having lived in several cities with excellent transit systems and noting the plethora of public transit options available to our North Side inhabitants, I have always wondered why the city would not improve service to Hyde Park—an area of the city with a major university, large hospitals and many cultural institutions .Surely, there would be a desire to have a rapid transit line extending to this part of town.The current system of express buses is simply inadequate. Therefore, I was encouraged to read that there are others who are trying to change the current situation in meaningful way. Unfortunately, SECRET was a secret to me and i was not at the recent meeting. However, with the information provided in your article, I will contact their office and do whatever I can for the campaign. |
A letter from Richard Gill with different perspectives, background information I
read your letter in the Hyde Park Herald of August 20, regarding the
SECRET program. I won't be able to attend tonight's meeting at the South
Shore Cultural Center, so here are some comments. This
unfortunate circumstance is a product of the political climate of the
1980's when RTA operations were subdivided into CTA, Metra and PACE.
Thus, while your proposal for a 30-cent inter-service transfer may meet
with agency resistance, it makes the most sense. It would at least require
Metra and CTA to acknowledge each other and collaborate on service and
pricing. |