Commuter rail transit within Chicago city limits (Part 1)
When people talk about public transit within the City of Chicago, they talk about the services run by Chicago Transit Authority - the city buses and the 'L' rapid transit network. But focusing on them does not give a complete picture of Chicago public transit. While the Metra trains tends to be associated with traveling between Chicago and suburbs, the Metra lines do provide service within the city - to some extent or another.
Metra Electric
The Metra Electric Line provides service between Chicago and its southern suburbs. It is made up of three branches - the University branch, the Blue Island branch and South Chicago branch. The South Chicago branch is unusual because it is located entirely within Chicago city limits, stopping at 93rd street on the southeastern edge of South Chicago neighborhood. The Blue Island branch ends in the city of Blue Island, just outside Chicago's sorthwestern city limits, but most of it is located within the city. Even the University branch is almost evenly split between the city and suburbs.
It should also be pointed out that, in contrast to every other Metra line, Metra Electric has a Saturday schedule that's very similar to weekday schedule. While other lines run half as many trains on Saturdays as they do on weekdays, Metra Electric runs roughly 4/5th as many. That means that Metra Electric riders enjoy Saturday service that riders who use other lines would envy.
Metra Electric - Hyde Park
All three branches pass through the Hyde Park neighborhood. Some trains stop at all major streets, while others only stop at some of them. Overall, Hyde Park gets more Metra service than any other Chicago neighborhood. During rush hours, the trains can run as frequently as once every 10-15 minutes - the average off-peak frequency of 'L' trains and CTA buses. During off-peak hours, the trains stop every hour at the less-used stations and 10-30 minutes at the busier stations. Which, once again, isn't half-bad for a commuter train.
What makes this especially interesting is that Hyde Park can be accessed by the 'L' train. It's just taking the 'L' to Hyde Park requires commuters to walk through Washington Park (a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood west of Hyde Park) or Woodlawn (a less dangerous but still not all that safe neighborhood south of it). It is only natural that most Hyde Pakers prefer to take Metra Electric. In fact, there have been grassroots attempts to persuade Metra to increase service to Hyde Park to more 'L'-like frequency. So far, Metra has not been to keen on the idea, but in the future - who knows
Metra Electric - Southern neighborhoods
Past Hyde Park, the South Chicago branch splits off and University and Blue Island branches continue to Chicago's southern border. With a few exception, Blue Island branch trains make all stops in between while University branch trains express past them. What's more, the intermediate stops are flag stops. That means that, unless somebody asks to be dropped up at a flag stop ahead of time (or unless a machinist sees someone on the platform), the Blue Island trains will ride past them anyway.
On average, the Blue Island trains make intermediate stops every 1-2 hours on Monday-Saturday and once every two hours on Sundays. That's a far cry from the sort of frequency Hyde Park residents are able to enjoy. However, taking Metra Electric still has its advantages. It stops at Grand Crossing, Avalon Park, Chatham and Calumet Heights, Pullman and West Pullman neighborhoods. Except for Chatham, none of them can be reached directly by the 'L'. Taking Metra Electric is especially convenient for Pullman residents, since the train stop puts them less than a block from the neighborhood center. Residents of West Pullman and Pullman's southern edges actually benefit from greater service frequency. Both Blue Island and University branch trains stop in the neighborhood. During rush hour, the trains can run as frequently as once every 15-30 minutes, while off-peak trains run an average of 40-50 minutes.
Once the Blue Island branch splits off, it runs west, serving West Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods. The trains run an average of 1-2 hours. What's worse, the Blue Island branch doesn't serve those areas at all on Sundays. The residents don't have many alternatives. The 'L' trains stop nowhere near those neighborhoods, and bus lines are more sparse than they usually are further north. Local residents have been complaining about service deficiencies for decades. The extension of the Red Line would go a long way towards resolving the issue - but that's a topic for another post.
Finally, South Chicago branch travels through South Shore and South Chicago neighborhoods. It conveniently runs along the neighborhoods' major streets and stops at most major intersections. It is also the closest Metra line to East Side, a remote neighborhood that sit on the Chicago-Indiana border. The South Chicago branch runs an average of once every hour Monday-Saturday and once every two hours on Sundays. All of this is more or less in line with other Metra lines. But that has not stopped the residents from lobbying for more frequent services. Given the frequencies Hyde Park gets, one can't really blame them.
Rock Island District Line
Like Metra Electric, this line is made up of two branches - the Main Line and Suburban branch. Unlike Metra Electric, the Rock Island District Line branches join together at Blue Island. What makes the Suburban branch interesting is that it was built specifically to serve Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods. The train stops at all major neighborhood streets, allowing residents easy access to downtown. It also has the fringe benefit of bypassing some of the more notorious South Side neighborhoods on its way to downtown Chicago.
Most trains use the suburban branch. During weekdays, they stop an average of once every half an hour during rush hours and once every hour the rest of the day. On Saturday, the average drops to once every 1-2 hours, and on Sundays, two-hour headways are a norm. The locals seem content with this, and, to be fair, few neighborhoods have a train line that was built especially for them.
The Main Line branch runs through Washington Heights neighborhood. However, it only operates during weekdays during rush hours. While it us useful for work commutes, it is pretty much useless the rest of the time.
Both branches stop in Auburn-Gresham , as well as between Bridgeport and Bronzeville neighborhoods. However, this does not make much difference in terms of service frequency. Furthermore, the station that serves Bronzeville is located less than a block from a Red Line 'L' station and a little over a block from a Green Line 'L' station. This isn't an accident. The station was built earlier this year to allow riders an easy access to U.S. Celluar Field, home of the White Sox baseball team.
Union Pacific Northwest Line
The longest line in the entire Metra system, this line primarily serves the northwestern suburbs. But it also makes six stops within the city, serving Bucktown, Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Gladstone Park, Norwood Park and Edison Park neighborhoods. The headways are about what you expect from an average Metra Line - once every half an hour during rush hours, once an hour during weekdays, 1-2 hours on Saturdays and two hours on Sundays.
The Jefferson Park and Irving Park stations are interesting cases, because they both have Blue Line 'L' stations less than a block away. This means that locals have alternatives when it comes to scheduling their trips. Norwood Park and Edison Park don't have the same convince, but that seems to sit well with residents.
The Gladstone Park station is a special case. For some reasons, trains only stop there during rush hours. It is located between Jefferson Park and Norwood Park stations, so there are alternatives, but neither is within walking distance. Though, to be fair, if the locals ever complained about it, I never heard of.
The Clyborn station, which serves the Bucktown neighborhood, is another special case. It is served by both Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific North lines. It is the station where the two lines split off, with the former heading northwest and the later turning north. This means that riders who wish to travel between Clyborn and downtown Chicago have twice as many trains to choose from as their counterparts on any other station on either line.
And this will be all for today. Please tune in next time as we discuss how the rest of the Metra system serves the neighborhoods within Chicago city limits.
Metra Electric
The Metra Electric Line provides service between Chicago and its southern suburbs. It is made up of three branches - the University branch, the Blue Island branch and South Chicago branch. The South Chicago branch is unusual because it is located entirely within Chicago city limits, stopping at 93rd street on the southeastern edge of South Chicago neighborhood. The Blue Island branch ends in the city of Blue Island, just outside Chicago's sorthwestern city limits, but most of it is located within the city. Even the University branch is almost evenly split between the city and suburbs.
It should also be pointed out that, in contrast to every other Metra line, Metra Electric has a Saturday schedule that's very similar to weekday schedule. While other lines run half as many trains on Saturdays as they do on weekdays, Metra Electric runs roughly 4/5th as many. That means that Metra Electric riders enjoy Saturday service that riders who use other lines would envy.
Metra Electric - Hyde Park
All three branches pass through the Hyde Park neighborhood. Some trains stop at all major streets, while others only stop at some of them. Overall, Hyde Park gets more Metra service than any other Chicago neighborhood. During rush hours, the trains can run as frequently as once every 10-15 minutes - the average off-peak frequency of 'L' trains and CTA buses. During off-peak hours, the trains stop every hour at the less-used stations and 10-30 minutes at the busier stations. Which, once again, isn't half-bad for a commuter train.
What makes this especially interesting is that Hyde Park can be accessed by the 'L' train. It's just taking the 'L' to Hyde Park requires commuters to walk through Washington Park (a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood west of Hyde Park) or Woodlawn (a less dangerous but still not all that safe neighborhood south of it). It is only natural that most Hyde Pakers prefer to take Metra Electric. In fact, there have been grassroots attempts to persuade Metra to increase service to Hyde Park to more 'L'-like frequency. So far, Metra has not been to keen on the idea, but in the future - who knows
Metra Electric - Southern neighborhoods
Past Hyde Park, the South Chicago branch splits off and University and Blue Island branches continue to Chicago's southern border. With a few exception, Blue Island branch trains make all stops in between while University branch trains express past them. What's more, the intermediate stops are flag stops. That means that, unless somebody asks to be dropped up at a flag stop ahead of time (or unless a machinist sees someone on the platform), the Blue Island trains will ride past them anyway.
On average, the Blue Island trains make intermediate stops every 1-2 hours on Monday-Saturday and once every two hours on Sundays. That's a far cry from the sort of frequency Hyde Park residents are able to enjoy. However, taking Metra Electric still has its advantages. It stops at Grand Crossing, Avalon Park, Chatham and Calumet Heights, Pullman and West Pullman neighborhoods. Except for Chatham, none of them can be reached directly by the 'L'. Taking Metra Electric is especially convenient for Pullman residents, since the train stop puts them less than a block from the neighborhood center. Residents of West Pullman and Pullman's southern edges actually benefit from greater service frequency. Both Blue Island and University branch trains stop in the neighborhood. During rush hour, the trains can run as frequently as once every 15-30 minutes, while off-peak trains run an average of 40-50 minutes.
Once the Blue Island branch splits off, it runs west, serving West Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods. The trains run an average of 1-2 hours. What's worse, the Blue Island branch doesn't serve those areas at all on Sundays. The residents don't have many alternatives. The 'L' trains stop nowhere near those neighborhoods, and bus lines are more sparse than they usually are further north. Local residents have been complaining about service deficiencies for decades. The extension of the Red Line would go a long way towards resolving the issue - but that's a topic for another post.
Finally, South Chicago branch travels through South Shore and South Chicago neighborhoods. It conveniently runs along the neighborhoods' major streets and stops at most major intersections. It is also the closest Metra line to East Side, a remote neighborhood that sit on the Chicago-Indiana border. The South Chicago branch runs an average of once every hour Monday-Saturday and once every two hours on Sundays. All of this is more or less in line with other Metra lines. But that has not stopped the residents from lobbying for more frequent services. Given the frequencies Hyde Park gets, one can't really blame them.
Rock Island District Line
Like Metra Electric, this line is made up of two branches - the Main Line and Suburban branch. Unlike Metra Electric, the Rock Island District Line branches join together at Blue Island. What makes the Suburban branch interesting is that it was built specifically to serve Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods. The train stops at all major neighborhood streets, allowing residents easy access to downtown. It also has the fringe benefit of bypassing some of the more notorious South Side neighborhoods on its way to downtown Chicago.
Most trains use the suburban branch. During weekdays, they stop an average of once every half an hour during rush hours and once every hour the rest of the day. On Saturday, the average drops to once every 1-2 hours, and on Sundays, two-hour headways are a norm. The locals seem content with this, and, to be fair, few neighborhoods have a train line that was built especially for them.
The Main Line branch runs through Washington Heights neighborhood. However, it only operates during weekdays during rush hours. While it us useful for work commutes, it is pretty much useless the rest of the time.
Both branches stop in Auburn-Gresham , as well as between Bridgeport and Bronzeville neighborhoods. However, this does not make much difference in terms of service frequency. Furthermore, the station that serves Bronzeville is located less than a block from a Red Line 'L' station and a little over a block from a Green Line 'L' station. This isn't an accident. The station was built earlier this year to allow riders an easy access to U.S. Celluar Field, home of the White Sox baseball team.
Union Pacific Northwest Line
The longest line in the entire Metra system, this line primarily serves the northwestern suburbs. But it also makes six stops within the city, serving Bucktown, Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Gladstone Park, Norwood Park and Edison Park neighborhoods. The headways are about what you expect from an average Metra Line - once every half an hour during rush hours, once an hour during weekdays, 1-2 hours on Saturdays and two hours on Sundays.
The Jefferson Park and Irving Park stations are interesting cases, because they both have Blue Line 'L' stations less than a block away. This means that locals have alternatives when it comes to scheduling their trips. Norwood Park and Edison Park don't have the same convince, but that seems to sit well with residents.
The Gladstone Park station is a special case. For some reasons, trains only stop there during rush hours. It is located between Jefferson Park and Norwood Park stations, so there are alternatives, but neither is within walking distance. Though, to be fair, if the locals ever complained about it, I never heard of.
The Clyborn station, which serves the Bucktown neighborhood, is another special case. It is served by both Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific North lines. It is the station where the two lines split off, with the former heading northwest and the later turning north. This means that riders who wish to travel between Clyborn and downtown Chicago have twice as many trains to choose from as their counterparts on any other station on either line.
And this will be all for today. Please tune in next time as we discuss how the rest of the Metra system serves the neighborhoods within Chicago city limits.