Public Infrastructure Management
Public Transit
Public Transit
• What is public transit?
• Modes
What Is Public Transit?• Group shared riding• Open to everyone• Pay a fare• Usually fixed-route,
fixed-schedule• Important for people
who don’t have car or don’t want to drive
• Good for environment
Question
• When you have to make a trip, how do you decide whether to drive, rideshare, or take public transit?
Commuter Rail• Long trips &
distances between stations
• Diesel or electric• Typically goes
downtown• Example: Metra
Commuter Rail
• Descended from steam railroads which connected many cities & towns
• Defined pattern of older regions
• Service being added in many places
Metra
Metra Operations
Push-pull Diesel-electric Bi-level cars Exception:
Metra Electric
How to Ride Metra• Get schedule & map
• Or call RTA at 836-7000
• If possible, go to station ahead of time• Find parking lots, bus stop• Look for platforms• Find waiting & boarding areas
• On day of ride, get there in plenty of time• Buy ticket• Go to platform, wait patiently,
stay away from yellow edge
• When train arrives, board quickly, but don’t rush
How to Ride Metra• Find a seat
• Hint: Accessible cars have better bathrooms
• Give ticket to conductor when asked
• Listen for station where you’re going
• Get to door in plenty of time
• Get off quickly, but don’t rush
• Orient yourself• Find connecting bus or train• Or walk to where you’re
going
Rapid Transit – “Heavy Rail”
• Electric power –3rd rail
• Platforms & stations• Long distances
between stations
• Example: CTA “El” & subway
CTA Rapid Transit
Question: “El’s” vs. Subways
• What’s better? - Elevated rapid transit lines or subways?
How to Ride CTA• Get map
• Or call RTA at 836-7000
• If possible, go to station ahead of time• Find parking lots, bus stop• Look for platforms• Find waiting & boarding areas
• On day of ride, get there in plenty of time• Buy ticket from fare machine
• Put ticket into turnstile• Look for arrow on ticket
• Go up or down to platform• Wait patiently & stay away
from platform edge
How to Ride CTA• When train arrives, board
quickly, but don’t rush• Find a seat
• If you have to stand, hold on tight
• Listen for station where you’re going
• Get to door in plenty of time• Get off quickly, but don’t
rush• Orient yourself
• Find connecting bus or train• Or walk to where you’re going
Buses
• Rubber tire – diesel, electric trolley, methane, fuel cell
• Mixed traffic, bus lanes, busways
• Fixed-route, fixed-schedule vs. demand-responsive, paratransit
Pace
How to Ride Pace• Get map
• Or call RTA at 836-7000
• If possible, go to bus stop ahead of time• Find parking lots• Look waiting area
• On day of ride, get there in plenty of time• Have exact change, ticket, or
pass
• When bus arrives, board quickly, but don’t rush
• Pay fare on entry
How to Ride Pace• Find a seat• Listen for stop where you’re
going• Signal for stop• Get to door in plenty of
time• Get off quickly, but don’t
rush• Orient yourself
• Find connecting bus or train• Or walk to where you’re going
Interurban
• Once connected many US cities
• North Shore served Lake County
• South Shore only surviving
South Shore
Light Rail• Used to be called
“streetcar”• Not in Chicago
any more• Electric – power
from overhead• Shorter distances
between stops
Other Modes
People-MoversTrams
Ferries
Inclined Planes
Intercity Passenger Rail- Amtrak
Amtrak in NE Illinois
• About 76 trains daily to & from Chicago
Midwest Regional Rail System
Very high speed 300 mph
Grade-separated
The Future? – Maglev?
Top Related