12/5/03
CTA BUS SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS START SUNDAY
Chicago Transit Authority bus service improvements take effect next week extending service times and / or increasing the frequency of 15 CTA bus routes. Implementation begins on Sunday, December 7 for routes that operate on Sundays and on Monday, December 8 for all other routes. The adjustments are in response to customer feedback and observation and analysis by CTA and include fine-tuning some Lake Shore Drive routes currently involved in experimental service enhancements.
#2 Hyde Park Express southbound and northbound trips will be rerouted to operate via State and Balbo, instead of via State, Congress Parkway, Michigan and Balbo. The new routing will reduce the number of turns required, and reduce the potential for traffic delays.
#6 Jackson Park Express buses will operate more frequently at 7? minute intervals instead of 10 minutes during weekday rush periods between 6:00 and 8:30 a.m. and between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday service will operate every 12 minutes instead of every 15 minutes during mid-afternoon through early evening.
In addition, buses will be rerouted to operate via State and Balbo, instead of via State, Congress Parkway, Michigan and Balbo. The new routing will reduce the number of turns required, and reduce the potential for traffic delays.
#3 King Drive buses will operate every 7 to 12 minutes instead of 8 to 15 minutes between 95th Street and downtown in peak direction of travel during the morning and evening rush periods.
#X3 King Drive Express buses will operate two additional trips in the early evening with the last bus leaving the temporary terminal at Ohio and McClurg at 5:58 p.m. instead of 5:35 p.m. Buses also will operate every 12 minutes instead of every 15 minutes after 5 p.m.
#14 Jeffery Express buses will operate later from downtown on weekday evenings. The last bus will leave Washington and Jefferson downtown at 10:25 p.m. instead of 10 p.m.
#15 Jeffery Local buses will begin operating northbound 30 minutes earlier every day from 103rd Street at 4:30 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. The last northbound bus will leave 103rd at 12:30 a.m. instead of 1 a.m. Southbound service will run 30 minutes later with the last bus leaving the 47th Street Red Line station at1:30 a.m. instead of 1 a.m. Additionally, #15 buses will be rerouted to operate via Lake Park Boulevard instead of Hyde Park Boulevard between 56th and 51st Streets. The new routing will provide more efficient service for customers traveling locally through Hyde Park and to the Red Line.
#28 Stony Island Express will operate on Hyde Park instead of Lake Park between 51st and 57th. This service restructuring will improve downtown travel options for customers along Hyde Park Boulevard and reduce overcrowding on the #6 Jackson Park Express by providing a second express route option. All #28 trips will end at Union Station instead of certain trips ending at the Illinois Medical District. Customers may take #7 Harrison, #37 Sedgwick/Ogden buses or the Blue Line to the Medical District from downtown. The last trip northbound from 103rd Street at 1 a.m. will end at 47th and Lake Park instead of downtown.
#47 47th buses are undergoing a schedule adjustment to ensure better reliability and coordination with connecting routes.
#124 Navy Pier buses will begin service 30 minutes earlier on weekdays with the first bus leaving Navy Pier at 8:30 a.m. instead of 9 a.m.
#135 Clarendon/LaSalle Express will be extended north from Montrose/Clarendon to Wilson/Clarendon.
#136 Sheridan/LaSalle Express buses will operate later into the evening with two additional buses leaving Jackson/Franklin at 6:22 p.m. and 6:34 p.m. In addition, by customer request, service will operate on Marine Drive between Lawrence and Montrose instead of operating on Clarendon. This is a return to the routing that was in place prior to the beginning of Lake Shore Drive experimental service enhancements.
#144 Marine/Michigan Express will be extended south to State/Congress from Michigan/Washington and extended north from Foster/Marine to the Berwyn Red Line station. Southbound buses will operate via Michigan, Wacker and State. Northbound buses will operate via State, Lake and Michigan. Buses also will begin operating on Marine Drive between Lawrence and Montrose instead of Clarendon.
#145 Wilson/Michigan Express buses will offer more frequent service every 7 to 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes in peak direction of travel during rush periods, which are southbound from 6:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. and northbound from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.
#146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express will operate early Sunday morning service southbound every 15 to 20 minutes instead of every 30 minutes from 6:15 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.
#156 LaSalle will provide direct service between the north lakefront and LaSalle Street through River North and downtown by operating certain rush period trips from Irving Park/Lake Shore Drive along Inner Lake Shore Drive. Southbound buses will operate between Irving Park/Marine and Adams/Wacker during the morning rush period from 6 a.m. until 9:25 a.m. Northbound buses will operate between Jackson/Franklin and Irving Park/Lake Shore from 3:40 p.m. until 6:20 p.m. Northbound buses will turn west at Sheridan/Grace before beginning their southbound trips.
Information on all CTA service can be found by calling 836-7000 from any local area code or on the web site at www.transitchicago.com.
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