8/26/04
The Chicago Transit Authority is making improvements on four bus routes, resulting in expanded service hours for CTA Customers. The enhancements will take effect Sunday, August 29 and Monday, August 30.
The changes are:
The #2 Hyde Park Express will operate 15 minutes later from downtown with the last two buses leaving Navy Pier weekdays at 6:35 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.
The south terminal of the #26 South Shore Express will move from its current location at 106th/Ewing to 106th/Buffalo. Locating the route's terminal at 106th/Buffalo will provide a more convenient transportation option for customers who live along 106th Street.
Additionally, #26 service will operate one half-hour later from downtown to 106th/Buffalo with the last two buses leaving Chicago/Michigan at 6:50 p.m. and 7:05 p.m.
The #26 route was established as part of the Lake Shore Drive corridor experiment that began August 31, 2003. The route operates between the far Southeast Side to downtown during peak direction, weekday rush periods.
The #35 35th bus route will operate westbound from the 35th/Archer Orange Line station northeast on Archer to Leavitt, north on Leavitt to 35th, west on 35th and the regular route instead of operating south on Archer to Western and north on Western to 35th.
The new routing will now travel on 35th instead of Archer and will provide westbound service along 35th between Western and Leavitt, improve speed of trips, ease traffic congestion at Archer/Western and expand service options for customers along 35th Street.
Additionally westbound #35 buses will be rerouted from 36th Place/Albany north on Albany to 36th Street, and west to the terminal at Kedzie. This improvement will prevent buses from getting caught in traffic while turning north from 36th Place onto Kedzie and turning west onto 36th Street from Kedzie.
The #X80 Irving Park Express route will begin midday and weekend service as part of a 180-day experiment. New midday service adds trips along Irving Park between the lakefront and the Irving Park Blue Line station every 12 minutes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Weekend service will operate every 12 minutes from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon until 9 p.m. on Sundays. The experiment is focused on providing improved connections along Irving Park to O'Hare Airport via the Blue Line, as well as the connections between the Blue and Brown Lines and the lakefront.
Currently, the #X80 route provides limited stop morning and afternoon rush period service ? from 5 to 9 a.m. and from 2 to 7 p.m. " along Irving Park between the lakefront and Harlem.
In addition to the above service enhancements, service on the #169 69th/UPS Express route to the UPS facility in Hodgkins will be reduced with two trips operating to and from the day shift, and only one trip operating for the remaining three shifts. This change takes effect Monday by mutual agreement of the CTA and UPS. UPS is a participant in the CTA's Corporate Connections Program in which the CTA works with companies to develop transportation options for their employees.
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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