Wednesday, May 15, 2013
More accurate train times and improved schedule information are now part of the updated interface. See the full list of features here.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Transit Authority teamed up Wednesday to announce the new and improved CTA Train Tracker. New features include a more efficient way to find train stops as well as an improved train schedule. The CTA says the popular tracker receives more than 2 million web page and data requests each month. “CTA Train Tracker has been very popular with our customers, and we’re pleased to expand the features of this easy-to-use technology to increase its usefulness to passengers,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool in a statement. “The information available through CTA Train Tracker helps thousands of riders plan and manage their commutes every day, and planning those trips just became easier.” Join North Side Patch for …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Residents are being asked to take buses as they work to get the ‘L’ train back on its tracks.
Red and Brown lines are delayed this morning after a Red Line train derailed near the Armitage Avenue CTA stop, representatives with the CTA report. While no injuries are reported, EMS and fire crews are at the scene assessing the issue. The derailment happened around 11:20 a.m., CTA spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis told the Chicago Tribune. “Cta issue one car has lost contact with rails at one end,” Chicago Fire Media tweeted. “All cars upright. No injuries reported. Passengers were moved to unaffected cars.” About 60 passengers were on the train. The CTA says its working to implement shuttle busses from Belmont to Clark and Lake for Brown Line riders and from Belmont to Cermak-Chinatown for Red Line riders. In the meantime, service downtown…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The bridge construction known for putting a pinch on Brown Line riders was completed Monday morning, ending a tricky CTA commute for some.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains resumed their normal service schedule Monday as the reconstruction of the north leaf of the historic Wells Street Bridge over the Chicago River was completed early. “These were critical repairs performed with strong coordination between agencies. The result is that our infrastructure will be top-notch for generations and our commuters will be able to expect outstanding service as they travel to and from work,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “I thank Chicagoans for their patience during these brief periods of service interruptions, and congratulate the construction crews for a job well done.” CTA service into the Loop had been interrupted for a second nine-day period last week while the Chicago …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Chicago Police are searching for a man who they said sexually abused two juvenile girls who were aboard area Red Line trains.
Local police are reminding commuters to be extra vigilant after two separate sex abuse incidents were recently reported on Red Line trains. Both incidents involved the same offender, police said. They occurred April 11 around 7 a.m., according to an alert sent Wednesday afternoon by the Chicago Police Department's 18th district, which includes parts of Lincoln Park. "In each of those incidents, the offender approached a juvenile female victim while traveling on the CTA Red Line and touched the victim's legs inappropriately while also attempting to place his arms around the victim," the alert said. Both girls were able to exit the train while the unknown male subject fled the area. Join Patch for more neighborhood news and follow us on …
Friday, April 26, 2013
The second period of construction for the Wells Street Bridge will effect Brown Line travelers and may overcrowd Red Line Trains, Chicago Transit Authority officials said.
The second round of construction on the Wells Bridge starts Friday, bringing back memories of longer commutes and slower trains. From Friday morning until May 5, the CTA will reduce service while reconstructing the Wells Bridge over the Chicago River—mainly effecting Brown and Purple Line riders. The first 9-day period at the beginning of March slowed commutes and confused riders with shuttles and mislabeled trains. “Leave early or late,” CTA officials warn. One of every three Brown Line trains will stop at Merchandise Mart, with the others using the Red Line tunnel and ending at the Roosevelt station, officials said. Shuttle buses will take riders to the Loop where train service is reduced. Construction will effect 700 trains every …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Bus rapid transit will speed up travel times for commuters bus running from Irving Park to 95th Street.
By 2016, commuters will have a faster connection through one of the city’s main arteries. Ashland Avenue will be the recipient of bus rapid transit, or BRT, the Chicago Transit Authority announced Friday. The project would give “super express” buses their own lane, creating an almost rail-like experience, officials said. Riders can get on and off at every half-mile and at CTA stations 24 hours a day. CTA officials said BRT would increase speeds by more than 80 percent during rush hour and save 8 minutes every 2.5 miles. The 16-mile route would begin at 95th Street and end at Irving Park Road, running directly through areas including Lincoln Park, Lake View, Bucktown and Wicker Park, and slightly southeast of Lincoln Square. Designs will …
Friday, April 12, 2013
The 19-year-old shoved a 68-year-old woman down the stairs at the Fullerton CTA station after stealing a phone, causing injuries that led to her death.
A teenager with a history of robbing CTA riders has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for stealing a commuter's phone, and killing a 68-year-old woman by shoving her down the station's stairs. Prince Watson, 19, of Chicago pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of robbery, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office. Police say he killed Sally Katona-King during one of several robberies at a CTA Brown line train station. He was also behind two 2011 robberies on the same line. Prosecutors say that around 4:20 p.m. on March 28, 2011, Watson stole an iPhone from a 37-year-old's hands just as the train pulled into the Fullerton station. Watson then ran toward the exit. The platform and stairs were …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
One resident has started a petition against the new system, which state representatives are also questioning.
Chicago's new bike sharing program may look more appealing by the day, as residents and lawmakers are bucking against the new CTA payment system. Representatives questioned CTA President Forrest Claypool Monday in a hearing about the Ventra system. The transit card with prepaid debit option set to go into effect this summer and current CTA and Pace cards will be void by 2014. At the hearing, the prepaid debit card option drew criticism from lawmakers for additional fees and service charges. A total of 13 extra fees come with the debit card option, the Chicago Sun Times reports, which can cost consumers up to $188 a year. That’s comparable to the cheapest prepaid debit card on the market, whose fees average $39 a year, the Tribune reports…
Friday, March 29, 2013
The new coffee and doughnut kiosk integrated in the Belmont CTA train station will open later this year for “El” riders on the go, and the CTA says they're shifting to supporting small businesses.
A new Dunkin Donuts for “El” riders on the go will soon open inside the Belmont CTA train station, both Dunkin and the Chicago Transit Authority confirm. Located in a little kiosk on the right side of the entry gates at 945 W. Belmont Ave., the new storefront is literally just a window meant for walkup customers. It sits less than a block from the newly renovated Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Clark Street and Belmont Avenue. The fixed kiosk was once home to Hawaiian coffee and smoothie shop Maui Wowi before shutting its doors—and window—in early summer of 2012. The new Dunkin Donuts will be open for business in early fall, a company spokesperson said. And while a lease for the Belmont location couldn’t immediately be found, leases …
41.939885
-87.653151
945 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL
/articles/dunkin-donuts-planned-for-belmont-cta-station
/locations/9123616
Monday, March 25, 2013
The upcoming Low Line Market in Lake View won’t be like a traditional farmers market, but feature homemade and hand made goods. It’s also the beginning of what could be a huge new feature beneath the CTA tracks.
Mark your calendars, because organizers just announced the first day for Lake View’s new artisan outdoor marketplace, the Low Line Market. Slated for Thursday, June 6 from 3-8 p.m., the Low Line Market will be Lake View’s only weeknight agricultural market, but it won’t be like a traditional farmers market. Every Thursday, 12 vendors will gather beneath the Southport Avenue “El” tracks on the west side of the street to sell not only fresh produce, but mostly locally made artisan foods. Heather Way, the executive director of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, is orchestrating the event. She says the market will be about 35 percent produce and 65 percent unique goods, with one booth that’s constantly rotating new local vendors. “We’re talking…
41.943732
-87.663839
3411 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL
/articles/opening-day-announced-for-new-artisan-farmers-market
/locations/9078682
George Cunningham
8:46 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Maybe they should get the arrival time displays correct first! The Chicago Pulaski #66 East Bound stop displays arrival times for the 157 - NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!!!!! Sheesh - it took two months and a dozen e-mails to get them to correct the stop number at that stop (was posted as 0503, is actually 503). But then again, it is ONLY the WEST side so who gives a damn???????? more ›