cabiness42 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/b...0,2059367.story The entire south branch of the CTA Red Line will close for five months starting in spring 2013, with the transit agency offering free shuttle bus service to Green Line rail stations, so a $425 million track replacement project can be completed more quickly, officials said Monday. The decision to close the Red Line from the Cermak-Chinatown station to the 95th Street terminal was made to condense the reconstruction from four years of weekend work to five months total, said CTA spokeswoman Molly Sullivan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitoMB345 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Man, that sucks. But, if it's going to replace 4 years of weekend headaches with 5 months, then I guess it's a good plan. But yeah, I see this affecting attendance. For me, that was the only way I ever went to the park: blue line to red line. Edited June 4, 2012 by TitoMB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 It will give more people another excuse not to go to games. It is definitely going to hurt attendance, although its not that bad transferring to the Green Line at Roosevelt north. South, I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Damnit. This is just gonna give away the secret of the Green Line back to downtown, which is always so much less crowded than the Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Damnit. This is just gonna give away the secret of the Green Line back to downtown, which is always so much less crowded than the Red Line. I always took the Green Line, but then I was living in Oak Park so I had to end up on the Green Line anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbaho-WG Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Man, this BLOWS. The CTA is going to have to increase bus service dramatically, which they actually did when they repaired the blue line slow zones north of Division. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 There is one way to make sure attendance isn't hurt. WIN THE WHOLE f***ING THING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Kid Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Given that the Sox will upset Texas in the ALCS and win another world series in '12, I think fans will find a way to make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitoMB345 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 10:26 AM) Given that the Sox will upset Texas in the ALCS and win another world series in '12, I think fans will find a way to make it. Bleeding optimism.. all right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Good news, south of Roosevelt the Red Line will be running on Green Line tracks so you'll just have to walk a little farther. State and 35th actually used to be the Red Line stop. It won't make it the shuttle bus/transfer nightmare the Tribune made it out to be. Edited June 4, 2012 by Dick Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenway Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 12:37 PM) Good news, south of Roosevelt the Red Line will be running on Green Line tracks so you'll just have to walk a little farther. State and 35th actually used to be the Red Line stop. It won't make it the shuttle bus/transfer nightmare the Tribune made it out to be. It may work. Begs the question however if they will be forced to do the same on the Blue Line to O'Hare in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (Fenway @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 01:24 PM) It may work. Begs the question however if they will be forced to do the same on the Blue Line to O'Hare in a few years. I believe they already finished the work on the Blue Line to eliminate the slow zones. It took years working almost every weekend. Now with the Red Line, they figured closing it for a few months is easier and cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 01:29 PM) I believe they already finished the work on the Blue Line to eliminate the slow zones. It took years working almost every weekend. Now with the Red Line, they figured closing it for a few months is easier and cheaper. There still are a ton of slow zones up north and between Clark/Dvision and Chinatown. I wonder how they will address those. You go about 1/2 a mile an hour the last block into Chinatown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 This is going to f*** my post-Sox green line to the city plans up quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swingandalongonetoleft Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Wait, so the IIT station will also be used by Red Line during this time? If that's the case, it's not even a story. If it's more than that, it's going to factor into my decision on split season renewal. Driving to Sox games from the West Suburbs is something I never intend on doing again. Forget about the traffic, gas money, parking money, and all that jazz. The last time I drove down there, I had work late. I got there before first pitch and was told to use one of the lots by the park. It was full. Everyone was then directed to IIT- it was full. Two innings were spent in traffic as we inched toward the lot a little further down the street- it filled up a few cars ahead of us. We ask the attendant that just closed the lot where to go- he's not prepared for this question and puts his thumb in his ass. We cross the Dan Ryan and head back towards the park. We're told to return to the original lot we were directed to. After driving back and discovering that it's still closed, and they in fact haven't finished building that parking garage in the 60-90 minutes we spent in traffic, we're told that we should try McCormick Place. Not the half-empty bus-lot right by the US Cellular Field sign, but McCormick Place. The 5th inning is about to begin. Thanks, maybe by the time I get there I can catch the auto show as well. I realize that this was an exception, and most of the time you can park right next to home plate 3 innings into a game, but this was absurd. Union Pacific West to Red Line exclusively after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 12:20 PM) Damnit. This is just gonna give away the secret of the Green Line back to downtown, which is always so much less crowded than the Red Line. And I just got a stop on Morgan!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunofgold Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Jerry is going to need to charter some party buses to cover those areas affected during games. Problem solved. Hopefully should be open for the 2013 playoff..if not playoff party buses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Soxfan Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Sox just have to promote the Green Line, but it will definitely hurt attendance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeNukeEm Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 The CTA needed to replace this track, so it was a matter of no weekends for 3 or 4 years or just using the Green Line for 5 months. Better to just get it over with, and the CTA is saving something like $75 mil by doing it this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunofgold Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) How about some CTA Red Line buses for White Sox games. Make a route that pretty much hits all of the red line stops. Charge people the same amount as taking the Red Line. Parties buses b/c it should be pretty much White Sox fans on them. Eventruths those buses into something good, something fun. Or rent out some of those double decker buses from the 2005 parade. Maybe charge a little bit extra but it would be fun. Let people yell out from the top and throw confetti. Edited June 5, 2012 by sunofgold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chetkincaid Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 12:20 PM) Damnit. This is just gonna give away the secret of the Green Line back to downtown, which is always so much less crowded than the Red Line. This x 100 billion. We had a good thing going with the Green Line. It was so damn convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigruss Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Eventruths? The f***? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OilCan Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Wow that sounds like a big FUBAR waiting to happen for the CTA Red Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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