Riding the L
I stopped by the Chicago Water Works Visitors Center to pick up a five-day public transit visitor pass. They have passes for anywhere from one to five days, ranging from $5 to $18 for unlimited rides on trains and buses. I never rode any of the buses in Chicago, but I did use the L trains, especially the Red Line.
History
While New York City was the first to open an elevated railway (in 1867), the Chicago system, simply referred to as “the L”, is perhaps more celebrated. The first section, known as the South Side Rapid Transit, opened in 1892 and traveled 3.6 miles over city-owned alleys. In preparation for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, this was extended to reach the Jackson Park fairgrounds. Meanwhile, other lines were opening around the metropolitan area. At first they used steam trains, but soon began using electric traction technology, powering the trains with an electrified third rail.
One deficiency of the elevated trains was that none of them actually continued into downtown; passengers were dropped off at the outskirts, and then had to continue on by foot or other modes. The lines were also not connected to each other, having been developed and operated by different companies. A man named Charles Tyson Yerkes shouldered the difficult task of bringing these systems together in downtown Chicago. From 1895 to 1897, the Union Loop began to take shape. Known simply as “the Loop” today, this belt of elevated track ways helped define the boundaries of the central business district for decades.
While more lines were being added, there was talk of consolidating the elevated train companies into one organization. Negotiations continued for many years, and after a couple false starts, in 1924 the Chicago Rapid Transit Company was formed. In 1948 this was succeeded by the Chicago Transit Authority.
In 1937, federal money helped Chicago begin to build subway lines under State and Dearborn streets. Difficult construction and World War II slowed the process, but the State Street tunnel opened in 1943 and the Dearborn tunnel in 1951. Although more subways were planned, this has yet to happen.
After the CTA took over in the late 40’s, they began an extensive modernization process, including ordering the first series of all-metal cars to replace aging wooden ones. They expanded some lines, while closing others or limiting service to them. From the 1970’s through 1980’s, the CTA faced a growing deficit and declining ridership, even though in 1980, annual ridership was almost ninety-nine million.
In the late 1990’s, after restructuring the organization and rehabilitating the two oldest lines, the CTA finally became profitable again, despite losing 30% of their riders since 1986.
It wasn’t until 1990 that the lines were given the color-coded names that seem so obvious today. Simple colors replaced complicated names, like the Lake-Englewood-Jackson Park line becoming the Green Line.
Today, the CTA’s rail and bus lines comprise the nation’s second-largest public transit system, including 2,000 buses, and 1,190 rapid transit cars running on 222 miles of track. About one million people ride the buses and about 500,000 ride the trains each day.
My Impressions of the L
The L system is quite extensive and trains are frequent. The trains and stations are reasonably clean, and seem to be spaced appropriately. But now comes my rant about the things I did not like.
The L makes Portland’s MAX light rail look like the Disney Monorail. Granted, the MAX is all on grade (except for crossing the Willamette River and the long tunnel to the West Side), so it’s a different experience than elevated tracks and subways. The MAX also operates mainly on the honor system, with occasional fare inspector sweeps, whereas getting into an L station requires running your transit pass or ticket through a turnstile. While I have been on the MAX in the middle of the night without much concern, I would never ride the L alone after dark. According to my guidebook and other sources, some sections are best avoided altogether, even in daylight. Even on the “safe” lines, I always felt a little uneasy. The subway stations seemed uncomfortably dim to me.
Probably my biggest complaint is that the way-finding signage is absolutely terrible. I’m sure it all makes sense to the locals, and perhaps the MAX signage is more confusing to newcomers than I believe. But for a first-time visitor to Chicago, I was often confused as I tried to navigate various L stations, both subways and elevated. The elevated stations were the worst. While the exit stairs were clearly marked “exit only”, and usually dropped people right down on the sidewalks, the entrances to these elevated stations were often hidden away in nearby buildings, without any clear indication of where to enter to get up to the track way. Also I had one experience where I went up the stairs and through the turnstile, only to then discover – after hunting for signs – that I was on the eastbound/southbound side rather than the westbound/northbound side I wanted. There was no way to cross over without going through the exit turnstiles and down the exit stairs, then crossing the street, then up the entrance stairs on the other side, and through the turnstiles again. Except it wouldn’t let me through the turnstiles because I had put my pass in on the other side just a couple minutes earlier. Fortunately there was someone from CTA there to let me in. It simply should not be that complicated. I realize that redesigning the stations would be too expensive, if not impossible, but effective signs are reasonably cheap.
The trains were always packed, except for Sunday morning on the way out to Oak Park. In the downtown area, there was barely even room to stand up. While this is probably good for CTA’s ridership numbers, it was not good for a diminutive, mildly claustrophobic tourist.
Despite my complaints, it got me where I needed to go, and was certainly cheaper than renting a car or taking taxis.
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