ABOUT THE GRAY LINE CONVERSION

Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) - 2030 Regional Transportation Plan

Proposal ID # 01-02-9003 - "CTA Gray Line 'L' Route" (Gray Line Rapid Transit Element)


Highliner I #1625 at the E. 93rd St. and S. Brandon Av. terminal of the SOUTH CHICAGO BRANCH.



Hello, my name is Mike Payne; I am a life long resident of the South side of Chicago, and I have been a typewriter repairman and field technician for the past 33 yrs.

I am also the author of a proposal to operate the existing in-city Metra Electric commuter train services (that is the South Chicago, Kensington, and Blue Island routes) as a new CTA 'L' service, which I call the "Gray Line" - to fit in with CTA's other color-coded 'L' routes like the Red, Green, and Pink Lines.

Under this proposal, CTA would pay Metra to operate Metra's double-deck Highliner I electric trains
on rapid transit headways of every 5 to 20 minutes (depending on time-of-day, and location), through a purchase of service agreement (train crews, repair, maintenance, and dispatching would continue to be provided by Metra - creating many new Metra jobs).

CTA fare collection equipment, manufactured by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc., would be installed in the leased in-city Metra station houses, CTA fares would be charged, and complete intertransfer would be instituted with all other CTA 'L' and bus routes (and Pace bus routes as well).

The stations would be manned by CTA Customer Assistants during all operating hours, and CTA maps and rider information systems would be installed; CTA would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the in-city stations, relieving Metra of these costs.

The Gray Line would be functionally the same as any other CTA 'L' line, the sole exception being the type of cars the passengers would be carried in (Metra Electric District's Highliner I cars).

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About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 2


NB Highliner train near 87th St. on mainline
(note rapid transit style physical plant)

The Gray Line would create a new 22 mile regional CTA "L" line along the SE Lakefront Corridor (the only Corridor in the city without CTA rapid transit), and the thousands of subsequent jobs and economic development it would bring along with it.


It would benefit CTA by creating a new SE Corridor 'L' line (with minimal capital start-up costs).
It could attract thousands of riders as a new Public Transit Alternative to the Dan Ryan Reconstruction.
And it would allow CTA to reassign many buses now used on long haul routes to other services.

It would benefit Metra by allowing them to make money running Highliner trains that sit idle most of the day stored weekdays between rush hours at Weldon Yard downtown just north of 18th St; and yarded in outlying locations evenings and weekends.

It would create many new Metra jobs as there would be nearly three times as many scheduled trains as there are now; and since all fare collection would be off-train on the in-city routes, they could operate with reduced train crews; and CTA personnel would be manning the stations to keep them secured.

This would also reduce the vulnerability of trains crews having to carry cash, and pick-up passengers from unsecured stations - especially late at night.

And since University Park trains would operate non-stop from 115th to Hyde Park, and then to Roosevelt; the train crews would have plenty of time to collect fares on board; this would also attract more riders to the University Park trains, as there would be no time when the trains would have to make all the local in-city stops, like evenings and weekends now.


It would also give Metra an indirect access to city funds, as compensation for operating Gray Line trains would come as direct payments from CTA and/or the city.

About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 3


Metra Electric District "Bryn Mawr" Station in the median of E. 71st St. at S. Jeffery Blvd. on the SOUTH CHICAGO BRANCH. (note close CTA bus connections)

Implementing the Gray Line would also greatly improve Metra's image and public relations in the South Sector, as it would directly benefit the on-line communities through reduced traffic congestion, and improvements in air quality from people riding in non-polluting electrically powered rail transit instead of driving (and having to park their cars).


It would also stimulate enormous economic benefits such as: enhancing the determining factors in the Location Efficient Mortgages program created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Fannie Mae, which are based in part on the number of seats-per-hour provided by an associated transit line (of which only a heavy-rail rapid transit line makes a signifigant impact).

And it would help to attract Transit Oriented Development, and improve the implementation of the many neighborhood TIF Districts located along the in-city routes.

Implemeting the Gray Line would make Metra a hero to the entire NE Illinois Region, by proving that Metra can provide benefits to everyone - in all the diverse communities it serves, both city and suburban.


I believe most of you are familiar with the Chicago Area Transportation Study, or CATS.

CATS is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the NE Illinois region, and all transportation related proposals requiring government funding must conform to specific guidelines, and must be reviewed, analyzed, and approved by CATS before they can be submitted further.

Until recently sponsoring of a project for review could only be be done by local government agencies, or transit operators; CATS however, in 2002 (in a very visionary move) created the Shared Path 2030 Program, which invites submissions from many other types of organizations, as well as individuals.

About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 4


E. 93rd St. & S. Brandon Ave. Terminal of the SOUTH CHICAGO BRANCH
(CTA Fare equipment to be installed in red brick stationhouse at left).

Because of this, I was able as an individual to submit the Gray Line proposal for consideration,
and request $100 million in funding to implement the plan; and CATS accepted it for review.
It was assigned CATS RTP Proposal ID # 01-02-9003; and it was reviewed along with all the other proposals submitted to Shared Path 2030.

In April of 2003, CTAQC - the Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission (part of the Center for Neighborhood Technology), released the results of its study of all of the 200+ projects submitted to SP2030. The projects were judged on a number of criteria, such as Environmental Justice Benefits, and Economic Development; then the scores were accumulated for a total.

By scoring high in almost all the criteria, with a cumulative point total of 78 points, the Gray Line proposal earned (not was awarded - but earned) First Place; meaning that according to CTAQC, the Gray Line is the most eligible project for funding in the entire NE Illinois Region. And that it would provide the most in terms of congestion mitigation and air quality improvement, to the most people, for the least cost, of all the projects submitted to CATS Shared Path 2030 Program.

Included also was the NIPC (Northeast Illinois Planning Commission) study of the submitted Shared Path 2030 projects, which in its final ranking, the Gray Line was included as one of only 13 projects which created NO negative environmental impacts.

PDF Download of the CTAQC study criteria and results are available here:

http://www.cnt.org/tsp/trans/ctaqc/projectscoring.htm

CATS has recommended Immediate Funding and Implementation for Improvements to the
Electric Service in its Draft RTP, using the "Gray Line Rapid Transit Element" website as an
example of how this might be accomplished.

Details about some of the CATS Shared Path 2030 RTP projects are available here:

http://www.sp2030.com/proposals/index.htm

About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 5


Northbound Highliner train near 27th St.


With aid from many local individuals and organizations, a large interactive website has been created with all types of information available about the Gray Line proposal, including pictures, operational descriptions, route maps, track diagrams, and station guides.


The website is at:

www.Grayline.20m.com


It will answer any questions you might have about the proposal; please visit the website.



You can also do a Google Search for: CTA Gray Line to access links to many local organizations that support the Gray Line proposal.


To print out a duplicate of this 9 page Gray Line report from your own color printer, go to:

http://community-2.webtv.net/GLRT3/StatementtoCTA/

Wait to Complete Download - then hit [PRINT]


On the following pages you will find land use diagrams from NIPC on Population Density and Employment Centers in the Chicago area, a Track Diagram and Route Map of the proposed new CTA Gray Line 'L' service, and access to the new GRAY LINE COALITION Yahoo Group Forum.


Please visit the Forum, and contact us with any ideas or suggestions you might have.

About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 6


NOTE the high Existing Population Densities along the South Lakefront, which were created by ICRR's fine electric commuter rail service. And how they closely follow the Gray Line route especially in the South Shore and South Chicago neighborhoods - built-in ridership for CTA 'L' Rail Rapid Transit.



About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 7

NOTE the many EXISTING EMPLOYMENT CENTERS located ALL ALONG the entire Gray Line route.

In addition to the many NEW JOBS the line is sure to CREATE by stimulating Vigorous RESIDENTIAL
and COMMERCIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES all along the line.



About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 8


The Gray Line would operate on the local (center) tracks of Metra's 4-track mainline between
downtown Chicago and 115th St., providing fast, frequent CTA Rail Rapid Transit service on
the in-city South Chicago, Kensington, and Blue Island routes.




About the Gray Line Conversion | Pg. 9






The New CTA Gray Line will

provide Fast, Frequent CTA

'L' Service to many South Side

Attractions and Job Centers:






Illinois Center / Millennium Park

Roosevelt / Columbia / De Paul U

Grant Park / Museum Campus

Soldier Field / McCormick Place

Michael Reese Hospital

53rd St. Shopping District

Museum of Science & Industry

University of Chicago

71st & Jeffrey Shopping District

South Shore Cultural Center

USX Lakeside Development

93rd & Commercial Shpg. District

Chicago State University

Olive-Harvey College

Pullman Historic District

St. Francis Hospital

Downtown Blue Island


The C A T S 2030 Regional Transportation Plan calls for IMPROVED SERVICE on the Metra Electric District.

The CTA Gray Line Proposal provides one usable alternative example of how this might be accomplished.

This File: http://tinyurl.com/8j9ey | created by: glrts@webtv.net | NOT AFFILIATED WITH CTA OR METRA

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