Sarah Blazek, when I told her that I heard kids say that the Red Line was their favorite.

PSH. Brown line forever.

(via passiveaggressivepositivity)

A Chicago man was convicted of murder Wednesday in the 2008 fatal shooting on a CTA bus of a 17-year-old girl who was caught in the middle of a minor squabble that turned violent.

A jury deliberated for 5 1/2 hours before finding Milton Wardlaw, 27, guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm in the shooting of Kiyanna Salter, a Julian High School senior.

Judge Diane Cannon set sentencing for Sept. 15.

(The new CTA Bombardier 5000-series train car)

Bombardier Transportation announced today that, pursuant to the original contract announced in July 2006, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has placed orders for 300 additional rapid transit cars. These orders are valued at approximately $331 million US ($317 million CDN, 234 million euro) bringing the total number of cars ordered by CTA to 706, and the total value of the contract to approximately $1 billion US ($964 million CDN, 712 million euro).

These next-generation rapid transit cars (known as the 5000-Series) will be the first in CTA’s fleet to utilize alternating current (AC) propulsion, a technology that permits dynamic braking regeneration, lower energy and maintenance costs, and improved reliability. The new fleet of cars also will be equipped with an active suspension system to ensure that the car floor is level with the station platform during boarding, allowing passengers to board the train more easily. Other features of the new cars include greater capacity, better communications systems, increased security and real-time diagnostics to improve reliability. The 5000-Series cars are being built at Bombardier’s manufacturing plant in Plattsburgh, New York.

Reuters

Just a friendly reminder: don’t forget to follow our blog (also our twitter), send us asks, and submit things to us! We want to hear about your CTA experience. Whether you’re a Chicagoan for life or just visiting, you’ve probably been touched by the CTA (hopefully not just by an employee). We want to hear about it!!

Got pictures? Submit!

Got comments, questions, something to say? Ask!

Want to be in the know? 

It’s that easy!

The other day I analyzed some federal transit data to see how the CTA’s rail fares stacked up against sister agencies in other big cities. The answer: Not well.

I’ve now had a chance to crunch similar numbers on bus fares, and it’s not pretty.

The CTA’s not saying whether its current budget deficit will necessitate a fare increase. But let’s hope not. Riding the CTA is a hell of a lot more expensive than taking the bus on any of the other 10-biggest transit systems. And sometimes by a lot. You’ll pay 13 cents a mile in L.A., but 32 cents a mile in Chicago. Youch.

Chicago Current
(article by Geoff Dougherty)

CT-Hey!, a performance by the Chicago Cabaret Project, opens Wednesday at Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark St.

The cabaret group remixes popular theater hits including “Red Line (Skid Row)” from the “Little Shop of Horrors,” “The Trolley Song” from “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” from “Grease.”

The hour-and-a-half long show debuts at 7:30 p.m. The performance runs every Wednesday through September. Tickets are $10 at the door.

The Chicago Cabaret Project isn’t the only group to perform about the CTA this summer. The second installment of “El Stories”, a play about life on the Brown Line, begins its run July 15 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N Lincoln Ave.

Red Eye Chicago

The CTA has eliminated 54 top white-collar jobs, all except three already vacant, in a cost-cutting move ordered by Mayor Rahm Emanuel for city agencies to slash 10 percent of senior management positions, transit officials said Monday.

The staffing reductions account for about $7.6 million of the $15 million that the CTA will save annually, officials said. Cutting expenses on materials, utilities and contracts, along with delaying hiring for open positions that have been deemed necessary, make up the rest of the savings.

Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Police Department has boosted patrols on the CTA by deploying officers alongside commuters and plans are underway to double the number of cameras at train stations, CTA officials said Monday.

Officers formerly assigned to schools have already begun riding trains in highly visible “Wolfpack” teams of four to six members to deter crime, Lt. John Wittenberg said.

The increase in security also includes plainclothes officers who will concentrate on preventing the theft of electronic devices, CTA President Forrest Claypool said as he unveiled the summer initiative.

…

Once school resumes in the fall, it is unknown whether or not the heightened CTA security will remain, Wittenberg said.

What do you think? Will these measures work to stop the “flashmobs” that have been harassing CTA passengers? Should this security have been implemented ages ago? Got an opinion? Tell us!

Article from Chicago Sun Times

trendyrende:

If you are standing at the turn style and looking in your purse or wallet for your CTA card - you’re doing it wrong.

It’s not that hard people, open the doors to the station, step over to the side and look for your cta card, then approach the turn style. Or, do what I do: open your bag/wallet a…

Your local CTA bus shelter could soon be equipped with TV monitors.

The video screens would provide an array of commuter information, including real-time info on when the next bus will arrive.

Newly-appointed Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein tells the Sun-Times the shelters are currently “under-utilized.”

The screens would also include information on the current inventory for car and bike sharing programs and how long it would take to walk to popular destinations.

ABC Chicago