New Metra departure board format at Ogilvie
Former Metra departure board format at Ogilvie
Reject modernity Embrace tradition
11.03.2026 23:09
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New Metra departure board format at Ogilvie
Former Metra departure board format at Ogilvie
Reject modernity Embrace tradition
There's this old survey from Metra.
assets.metra.com/s3fs-public/...
CTA and MPC supposedly completed a systemwide infill study in 2016. I received a similar response from CTA when I filed a FOIA request seeking that document.
Map showing average height for buildings within a quarter-mile of each CTA 'L' station in Chicago. Individual building height was calculated using the difference between a 2018 digital surface model (DSM) and digital elevation model (DEM) and using the median value within a building's footprint. DEM and DSM models were provided by the Illinois State Geological Survey. Building footprint data (2017 vintage) were downloaded via the City of Chicago data portal. Map and analysis by Jeremy Glover @jgrantglover.bsky.social
Chicago is actually really bad at building TOD. There are only 34 'L' stations in the entire city where the average surrounding building height is greater than 30 feet, and 16 of them are in the Loop.
CTA bus route headways in 1985 and 1990.
Also worth noting how much easier it is for cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona to have better public transit since the cities are so much more compact. Our 5.5-mile Red Line Extension would be an entire crosstown line in Paris.
A map showing the municipal border of Chicago with three transparent shapes of different colors superimposed over it, roughly fitting inside.
The entire cities of Amsterdam (red), Paris (blue), and Barcelona (purple) can fit inside Chicago.
All borders use the same geographic scale (1:175000). The European cities have been rotated and/or flipped, but not resized.
Urbanists talk about the “missing middle” of housing all the time, but Chicagoland rail transit also has a missing middle that results in a bifurcated system that leaves millions of Chicagolanders with substandard transit.
CrossTowner regional rail is the remedy. open.substack.com/pub/starline...
Let me translate this into German: "We have U and R but need S"
Now we’re talking!
As someone from the area, I love the “idea” of a Nagle station given this is one of the largest gaps.
While I understand the cost and engineering challenges, the CTA should at least increase frequency/service span on the #68 and #88. The responses show that some sort of transit issue exists here.
A route like that existed in the past, it was the 92W.
irm-cta.org/tt/FromWebsi...
irm-cta.org/RouteDescrip...
www.chicagorailfan.com/rte09099.html
Did you receive zip code information with each response? Or was that not included in the dataset?
It'd be interesting to see the breakdown of requests by zip code.
New from me! Chicago has far too many bus stops to provide efficient service for its riders—nearly twice the national standard. I reimagined what Chicago's bus network could do to make it look like its peers.
citythatworks.substack.com/p/a-plan-for...
The survey has remained open and the dataset nearly doubled in size so I've updated the Cook County rail infill study map nikhunder.github.io/Cook-County-...
Here's the source.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
They calculated the distances between stations on each CTA line and then combined them into a single list.
This example shows the largest gap a rider while on the Purple Line.
Agreed. The bus-to-rail setup makes sense, but 15 minute headways would make transfers way more reliable than the current 20–30 minute waits.
Crosstown return ticket - North London Line : promotional leaflet 1980 : British Rail, London Midland Region. The old North London line, relic of the North London Railway, has a fascinating history. At one time, before early electric tramway competition started to seriously abstract passengers, it was one of the busiest commuter lines in Britain serving the growing and populous northern suburbs of the Victorian city and with a terminus in the heart of the City. Subsequenty, especially in LMS and British Railways days, the line, its infrastructure and services despite being largely electrified, became fairly moribund and neglected. In the 1970s the line, despite its near Cinderella status, started to get some attention - with the GLC amongst others, keen to promote the line as part of promoting the use of public transport. This January 1980 leaflet, issued by BR's London Midland Region, shows some "get up and go" from the line's owners and is aimed at promoting the line, its destinations and connection, along with a special 80p 'Crosstown" return ticket. The line did see significant changes even after this date, most notably the closure of the old City terminus at Broad Street and, despite the infamous 'Graham Road Curve' to connect the line into Liverpool Street, the effective extension of passenger services further east to Stratford and North Woolwich - somewhat mirroring the railway's original services. Privatisation of the railways saw the line operated as part of franchises, most notably as 'Silverlink Metro' before, in 2007 seeing a transfer to Transport for London control as part of the Overground services. Major changes, including the re-opening of parts of the previously abandoned line south of Dalston Junction and extensions on to what was the East London line of the Underground, have seen the use of the 'North London' blossom and usage at several of the stations shown on this leaflet are almost unrecognisable these days.
Crosstown return ticket - North London Line : promotional leaflet 1980 : British Rail, London Midland Region : inner folds : three panels in a red frame. Upper left "Save Time" showing journey details. Upper right "Save Money" with an 80p return fare between any two stations and a regular electric service every 20 mins during weekdays. Lower panel - a BR diagram of the North London Line from Broad Street to Richmond via Highbiry & Islington and Willesden Junction.
It's the day! 6 January 1980 & you can save with a #London Crosstown ticket. British Rail publicity for what was the old North London Line, then still running to Broad St. station, & now, over time, utterly transformed as part of the Overground. #railways #transport
↘️ flic.kr/p/2ndLbg1
The distance between Harlem and Jefferson Park is almost 3 miles.
Had the O'Hare Branch been built ten years earlier (than its actual construction), a stop at Nagle would already exist.
Top locations:
🟦🚇 Nagle Blue (559)
⬜️🚇 United Center Pink (298)
🟨🚇 Dodge Yellow (206)
🚆 Addison/Lincoln UP-N (151)
🟫🚇 Division Brown (140)
Y A
If you’re not sure which sink to let drip: yes, it’s that one
New video out now! It’s got a good mix of history, subway engineering, transit planning, etc. Give it a watch!
youtu.be/rxeopHHLbWA?...
Thursday's fog in Warsaw.
#bw #analogphotography #35mm #fomapan
Thanks!
Can you export your work in Subway Builder as a spatial dataset (like a GeoJSON or shapefile)?
Ignoring the fact that the rail line is extremely well-utilized south of Grand Avenue, this corridor should be a transitway, not a trail. Mayfair to Midway would transform the Northwest, West, and Southwest Sides.
Okay, you all are overstimulated. Here’s your prescription. youtu.be/oqrtoFWglMY?...
I will never get tired of kids excitedly staring out the window of a train. One of life's pure joys.