The rest of Chicago might be breaking out the champagne glasses, ripping up the confetti and picking glam outfits for New Year’s Eve on Wednesday, but that night won’t bring much to celebrate when it comes to the CTA.
That’s because when the ball drops on Jan. 1, CTA fares will go up — as much as 50 cents more per ride depending on mode of travel and fare media. And that’s just to maintain the status quo. Youch.
The fare hike is nothing to toast, but there is a bright side. There is quite a bit to look forward to in 2009. Here are a few of my faves:
Track stars
Nothing takes the sting out of waiting for ice-floe-slow buses like the CTA’s bus tracker, which uses GPS technology to let riders know when their bus is going to arrive. This terrific technology expanded in April after a successful pilot on the No. 20-Madison route. Since then, the CTA has taken the brakes off and rolled it out on 75 of the 153 routes, according to CTA spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall.
Unfortunately, that number does not yet include No. 4-Cottage Grove and No. 3-King Drive, the routes that roll right by my house in Bronzeville. But cheers to me — and the rest of the CTA bus bunch: 2009 is set to be the year that bus-tracker dreams come true for every route. Now, if only we could end bus bunching.
What Brown can do for you
North Siders, long-suffering South Siders aren’t even trying to hear your angst about the ongoing Brown Line expansion project.
So I’m going to ask them to plug their ears or cover their eyes while we celebrate the light at the end of your transit tunnel.
2009 is the scheduled end date for the $530 million project that aims to make Brown Line stations wheelchair-accessible and lengthen platforms to accommodate longer trains. Riders already are rejoicing about the end of three-track operations near Belmont, a part of the project that wrapped earlier this month.
Training day
The CTA is making obvious strides in keeping its “L” cars clean, but there’s only so much spit-shine you can put on an aging fleet. Fast forward a few days to 2009: the year when approximately 10 prototypes of the CTA’s new 5000-series rail cars will begin to arrive for testing, paving the way for the remainder of the 406-car order to be delivered between 2010 and 2012, Thrall said.
The next-generation cars’ design — including more aisle-facing seats for increased space and cameras installed in each car — certainly provide a reason to pop public transit champagne.