Citizens for Appropriate Transportation (CAT)
The Eisenhower Transportation Corridor

TRANSIT RIDERSHIP BALANCE

Extending the CTA Blue Line west of Forest Park would help the CTA provide better service to residents and be more efficient. More stations = more markets = more riders. Most of the West Cook suburbs in the Eisenhower Transportation Corridor west of Forest Park have population densities high enough to make transit a viable option. The Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line serves fewer riders than the O’Hare Branch, so trains on the Forest Park Branch have more empty seats. Unused capacity is not cost-effective. Empty seats do not generate revenue. The highest ridership branch is a determining factor for how frequently to schedule trains. The CTA designs station platforms for a maximum of 8-car trains.

After the Red Line, the CTA Blue Line has the second highest ridership on the rail rapid transit system. The Blue Line has three segments: O’Hare, Dearborn Subway, and Forest Park. Ideally, the number of riders on the O’Hare and Forest Park branches should be roughly equal to allow the CTA to run full trains. The O’Hare Branch has more riders and stations than the Forest Park Branch. The result is full trains on one branch and less full trains on the other.

The chart below shows Average Weekday Ridership by month in 2009 for the two branches of the Blue Line. If ridership were about equal on both branches, the two blue lines would be close together. Ridership is not equal, and the vertical distance between the lines reflects the size of imbalance.

The CTA Red Line also has three segments: North Side, State Street Subway, and Dan Ryan. The North Side Branch has more riders and stations than the Dan Ryan Branch. There is a somewhat better balance on the Red Line than the Blue Line. The chart below shows Average Weekday Ridership by month in 2009 for the two branches.

The Red Line imbalance used to be worse. The high ridership North Side Branch was part of the low ridership Englewood – Jackson Park Branch. The high ridership Dan Ryan was part of the low ridership Lake Street Line. The CTA’s solution in 1993 was a swap. The Red Line now pairs the two high ridership branches (North Side and Dan Ryan). The Green Line pairs the lower ridership branches (Lake Street and Englewood – Jackson Park).

Another important change started in 2006 when the Pink Line opened. The Blue Line used to split just west of the Racine Station to allow every other train to run to Forest Park or to 54th and Cermak Road. Because the Pink Line trains now serve 54th and Cermak, every Blue Line Train runs to Forest Park. The result is much better service on the Forest Park Branch because the headways (the time between each train) are shorter.

The graph below shows the Ridership Balance Ratio by month for 2009. For the Blue Line, the Ridership Balance Ratio is the O’Hare to the Forest Park Ridership. For the Red Line, the Ridership Balance Ratio is the North Side to the Dan Ryan Ridership. For the Blue Line, the Ratio was 2.5 in 2009 and 2.6 in 2008. For the Red Line, the Ratio was 2.2 in 2009 and 2.0 in 2008. For every month, there is an imbalance, but the Red Line is better because the imbalance is lower.

There are 16 stations on the O’Hare Branch of the Blue Line and only 12 stations on the Forest Park Branch. Extending the Blue Line west of Forest Park and adding stations would add markets and reduce the imbalance. On the Red Line, there are 19 stations on the North Side Branch and 9 stations on the Dan Ryan Branch.

Addressing the ridership balance issue is one of several reasons to extend the Blue Line west of Forest Park. An extension would give residents in West Cook County better access to jobs and more travel options, as well as help the CTA become more cost effective.

Blue Line Segments
Segment Name	Endpoint Station	Endpoint Station	Nr of Stations
O'Hare	O'Hare Airport	Grand	16
Dearborn Subway	Washington	LaSalle	4
Forest Park	Clinton	Forest Park	12
TOTAL			32
Red Line Segments
Segment Name	Station	Station	Nr of Stations
North Side	Howard	Grand	19
State St. Subway	Lake	Roosevelt	5
Dan Ryan	Cermak-Chinatown	95th	9
TOTAL			33

Rick Kuner – June 2010