Why the surprise? Ever since the City of Chicago melded the remains of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin and the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee into the CTA, the surviving El has been (almost) untouched by human hands. I recall in 1980 riding the “rehabilitated” El line from Howard Street to the Loop and seeing (from Merchandise Mart to Armitage) new ties laid down with a 50 percent longer interval between them than between the wornout ties they replaced. This, boys and girls, simply means a policy (unsated, to be sure) of systemic disinvestment in urban infrastructure. Politicians call it being parsimonious with a buck. Now, alas, time, zero maintenance and systemic disinvestment are finally beginning to make themselves felt. (Chicago politicians are not alone in this: one need only look at highway bridges collapsing in Minneapolis (2007, Interstate 35 crossing the Mississippi River) and Greenwich, CT (1983, Interstate 95, the major highway of the East Coast, crossing the Mianus River) to see a discouraging – and chilling – parallel.### And the correction, financially speaking, is exceedingly painful.
It’s pathetic, isn’t it? Our hundred-year-old support work and bridges, our thirty- to forty-year-old transit cars – come to Chicago and ride the L (if you dare) for a real flash from the past! Are they trying to economize? The fare costs just as much as NYC’s entry fare.
Although i agree with much of your statement, neither the 3rd rail nor the North Shore were melded into the CTA except for a portion of the North Shore row that is used for the Skokie Swift. Nothing from the CA&E is used by the CTA.
Al commented on the age of the CTA fleet. The oldest cars (2200 series) date from 1969 and the second oldest (2400 series) date from 1976. All are supposed to be replaced by the new 5000 series starting in 2011, although some were already in use this summer.
Well, the basic problem is that government is more interested in funding new wiz bang things like high speed rail, rather than funding maintenance of what already exists. The CTA rapid transit system handles many, many times the number of people per day thant would ride the projected Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail project, and is far more essential to the lives and prosperity of Illinois residents than high speed rail could ever be… The billions that the state is planing to pour pouring into the high speed rail project is probably more than enough to deal with all of the deferred maintenance on the CTA rapid transit lines. Go figure.
Thank you! You have just justified my long-held belief that that the so-called “high-speed*” (gimme a break!) line between Chicago and St. Louis is not just a waste of money; it is tantamount to flushing our tax dollars down a sewer.#### One recalls back when the former New Haven commuter service was taken over from Conrail by Metro North (c. 1981+/-), and The New York Times exulting over this: with the service in public hands (at last), it’ll be rapidly – and finally – upgraded. The Times’s writers (and most journalists) often overlook (meaning they misinform us – they lie) or haven’t figured out (meaning that they are ignorant) that railway lines need to be maintained or else they will deteriorate to the point that they become no longer viable as people movers. Look at Metro North today: it limps along, receiving just enough capital to continue its limping, but little more. Unfortunately, no ombudsman effectively articulated your well-taken point – that extra service to St. Louis would come at the expense of Chicagoland’s urabn infrastructure, which serves infinitely more riders than the line to St. Louis ever
First they report how taking Metra into the city is toxic, and now this? It’s like they want us to pollute theait and drive cars!
[quote user=“billio”]
Falcon48:
Well, the basic problem is that government is more interested in funding new wiz bang things like high speed rail, rather than funding maintenance of what already exists. The CTA rapid transit system handles many, many times the number of people per day thant would ride the projected Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail project, and is far more essential to the lives and prosperity of Illinois residents than high speed rail could ever be… The billions that the state is planing to pour pouring into the high speed rail project is probably more than enough to deal with all of the deferred maintenance on the CTA rapid transit lines. Go figure.
Thank you! You have just justified my long-held belief that that the so-called “high-speed*” (gimme a break!) line between Chicago and St. Louis is not just a waste of money; it is tantamount to flushing our tax dollars down a sewer.#### One recalls back when the former New Haven commuter service was taken over from Conrail by Metro North (c. 1981+/-), and The New York Times exulting over this: with the service in public hands (at last), it’ll be rapidly – and finally – upgraded. The Times’s writers (and most journalists) often overlook (meaning they misinform us – they lie) or haven’t figured out (meaning that they are ignorant) that railway lines need to be maintained or else they will deteriorate to the point that they become no longer viable as people movers. Look at Metro North today: it limps along, receiving just enough capital to continue its limping, but little more. Unfortunately, no ombudsman effectively articulated your well-taken point – that ext
The Minneapolis bridge collapse had nothing to do with deteriorating infrastructure. It was the result of a poorly conceived design and a critical part that was undersized for the load it was expected to carry. Perhaps one of the engineers on the forum could elaborate on the details of this failure.
[quote user=“schlimm”]
billio:
Falcon48:
Well, the basic problem is that government is more interested in funding new wiz bang things like high speed rail, rather than funding maintenance of what already exists. The CTA rapid transit system handles many, many times the number of people per day thant would ride the projected Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail project, and is far more essential to the lives and prosperity of Illinois residents than high speed rail could ever be… The billions that the state is planing to pour pouring into the high speed rail project is probably more than enough to deal with all of the deferred maintenance on the CTA rapid transit lines. Go figure.
Thank you! You have just justified my long-held belief that that the so-called “high-speed*” (gimme a break!) line between Chicago and St. Louis is not just a waste of money; it is tantamount to flushing our tax dollars down a sewer.#### One recalls back when the former New Haven commuter service was taken over from Conrail by Metro North (c. 1981+/-), and The New York Times exulting over this: with the service in public hands (at last), it’ll be rapidly – and finally – upgraded. The Times’s writers (and most journalists) often overlook (meaning they misinform us – they lie) or haven’t figured out (meaning that they are ignorant) that railway lines need to be maintained or else they will deteriorate to the point that they become no longer viable as people movers. Look at Metro North today: it limps along, receiving just enough capital to continue it