Now that Daley is a lame-duck mayor, should he be proposing an expensive maglev rail link to O'Hare--especially since his last airport-train idea cost $300 million, ruined a Loop 'L' station, and still failed? Read More
The CTA blames bad rider behavior for the annoying, live 'doors are closing' announcements now made every time an 'L' train leaves a station. But the problem might not exist if train operators didn't abuse the existing recorded warning in the first place. Read More
Last week, the entire CTA Orange Line was placed under a slow zone to prevent trains from crashing into each other--thanks to a newfound fault in the signaling system that may have put 'L' riders in danger for 17 years. Sounds like news, right? So why haven't you read about it in the Tribune or Sun-Times? Read More
When CTA Doomsday eliminated 20% of Chicago bus service in February, labor leaders expected a public outcry from stranded transit riders to help save the jobs of 1,100 bus union workers. Instead, riders took the cutbacks in stride--because any rider with a smart phone can instantly find out exactly when the next bus is coming. Does the rise of transit-tracking smart phone apps spell doomsday for the union's ability to rile up the ridership? Read More
If you think Chicago is the only place in America where a transit union has angered an entire city, think again. This week, San Franciscans are getting ready to play hardball with their intransigent transit union, too. Read More
Today, at long last, comes the day Chicagoans have dreaded in one guise or another since the bad old era of the Blagojevich regime: CTA 'Doomsday'. You might be surprised to learn I welcome it with open arms. Here's why. Read More
The CTA's union workers demand better hours and a raise to go with their health insurance and pensions. Are they living in a different economy than the rest of us? Read More
When ChicagoNow debuted in May 2009, Chicagoist called CTA Tattler one of the site's most notable blogs. Predating ChicagoNow by several years, CTA Tattler came with a built-in reputation as the Windy City's go-to online source for transit news. So why for the past several months has RedEye's Going Public column been beating the Tattler at its own game? Read More
I guess it must be something in the water. But as usual, another Illinois politician has decided that Chicagoans would rather have lower fares than useful transit service. Recently, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn brokered a deal to stop a 2010 CTA fare hike. My question is: who asked him to? Read More
Whether you're an Oprah Winfrey fan or not, if you're traveling through downtown Chicago and the Near North Side over Labor Day weekend and the first workday to follow, chances are you'll be significantly impacted by Winfrey's two-and-a-half-day closure of North Michigan Avenue--Chicago's most important transit bus corridor--to tape the season premiere of her talk show. If you're a CTA rider--and heaven knows you should be this weekend--here's what you should know about the detours. Read More