The Tribune reported today that, due to signal problems at Belmont, there was no Purple Line service south of Howard Street yesterday.
A brief newspaper report cannot convey the mammoth role the spot at Clark and Roscoe where the Brown, Red and Purple lines converge plays in the overall workings of the CTA rapid transit. It”s similar to how, when there’s bad weather in Chicago and O’Hare is screwed up, it’s chaos at airports all over the country. When things go bad at the Clark Junction, you’re in big trouble.
One way this plays out: if there’s no Purple line service, the riders have to find another way to get to Howard Street. What that means is that all the extra riders on the Red Line can really do a number on its service. On Monday evening, one el rider [the one writing this post] arrived at the Southport Brown Line stop at about 6:30. A train came along in due course, depositing its riders at the Belmont stop. Then, the announcement: “Attention Red Line riders: We will be running an express train from Loyola to Wilson. Trains making all stops will follow immediately.” Five minutes passed, then the same announcement. Five more minutes, same announcement. Another five minutes, same announcement. Still no train. The rider [the one writing this post] finally reached his destination — State and Chicago — at approximately 7:15.
You have to figure it’s no coincidence that this is Bike to Work Week in Chicago.