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?
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
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?
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
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?
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
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?
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes