No express trains on the ';L';?

While riding the ';L'; from O%26#39;Hare airport downtown and back we noticed that there didn%26#39;t seem to be any express trains. Every ';L'; train stops around 13 times on the way downtown. This seems like a long (almost and hour each way) and ineffecient way to do things. In New York for example there are both local and express trains. Express trains that stop every 3 or 4 stations. Why don%26#39;t they do this in Chicago??

No express trains on the ';L';?

The only ';express'; trains on the CTA are the purple and yellow line trains. Many years ago (I%26#39;m aging myself) the CTA used to have A %26amp; B stations along with A %26amp; B trains. The train essentially skipped stations (not quite express) along routes. The major stations were both A %26amp; B stops. IMO, it was a better system then the current one.

I%26#39;ll take the NY Metro system over the CTA any day.

No express trains on the ';L';?

Yep, there used to be A and B stops (I remember clearly when I was a kid), but they did away with that.

I believe they%26#39;ve proposed some ideas about an express to O%26#39;hare, but nothing%26#39;s been done and, given the budget crisis, I%26#39;m sure nothing will be for a while.

There is a Metra stop on the outskirts of O%26#39;hare (I believe it%26#39;s next to the farthest parking lot). While that would be a quicker trip, it has very limited running times.

Here%26#39;s the Metra times for Weekdays for the line that goes by O%26#39;Hare and ends at Union Station downtown, in the West Loop.

www.metrarail.com/Sched/ncs/ncs_wkin.shtml

There%26#39;s no weekend service (oddly - you%26#39;d think they%26#39;d at least run a few trains out to O%26#39;hare) on this line.

There are a couple of express trains from O%26#39;Hare in the AM on this line. Also, the Metra trains are nicer (conductors, bathrooms, two levels - like Amtrak) than the CTA trains.

Yeah, the A %26amp; B trains were great for those of us who used ';AB'; stations, but really irritating for people who used an A or a B and watched every other train sail by without stopping.

I don%26#39;t know anyone who really considers the Metra ';North Central Line'; part of the equation in getting between downtown and O%26#39;Hare. As was noted, the trains don%26#39;t run that often, and the times that they do have some frequency (rush hour) they%26#39;ll be full of commuters.

Plus, to get from the airport terminals to the Metra station, you have to take the inter-terminal shuttle train (';Airport Transit System'; or ATS) to the remote parking station, then wait for a shuttle bus to take you the last half-mile to where the Metra station is. The CTA station, on the other hand, is basically in the basement of the central parking garage and is walkable from the 3 domestic terminals. The CTA trains run 24/7, every 6-8 minutes during the day.

That Metra line was assembled to serve suburban commuters, and is almost completely on tracks that already existed for other commuter lines or freight. It%26#39;s a coincidence that it passes by the edge of a remote airport parking lot.

But try getting to LaGuardia or JFK on the NYC MTA without taking a bus! At least in Chicago you can get on a train downtown, pay a normal fare, and get to either of two major airports. No place else in the USA can make that claim.

since there is only one track running in each direction, it would be very hard to do an express train...

Nope, you are right. There are no express trains between either airport and downtown. There is a plan to have a more upscale express service between O%26#39;Hare and downtown (and Midway and Downtown). The Block 37 construction is to add a new superstation for this service. At first, the trains will go along the existing Blue and Orange Line tracks (likely having to stop and wait for the regular ';L'; train at each station), but eventually new tracks are to be built for the express service. The service will be run by a private company and be significantly more expensive than the ';L'; (I%26#39;ve seen prices of $10-$15 discussed).

Personally I think that this whole plan is preposterous. Why would anyone pay so much more for a train ride that will take just as long as the regular service? If the Blue Line is extended to Schaumburg (another plan which has been discussed), I think that some sort of express will have to be implemented, or else people getting on at Schaumburg will have a 90 minute ride even with the trains running full speed (right now, they are not).

If your trip was less than an hour, then you were lucky. Usually, when I ride in from Rosemont, it is a bit over an hour. There are a number of slow zones on the O%26#39;Hare branch that slow the trains down to 15 MPH or less when construction is actually occurring. Also, it was discovered that the ties in the subway are rotted, due to the wooden ties being encased in concrete.

If the city is going to be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, not only will these issues with mass transit will have to be fixed, but the system will have to be extended and expanded. So far, the CTA hasn%26#39;t even kept up with regular preventative maintenance, and now it is coming back to bite them and everyone who uses the system.

(I know. Long rant, but this really burns me.)

Perhaps a better question is why doesn%26#39;t New York run trains to both its airports like Chicago does? ;-)