The Chicago Transit Authority is closely monitoring the weather forecasts which indicate a possibility of a slow and messy rush hour on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
Buses and trains will operate on a regular weekday schedule; however, CTA is prepared to provide early rush hour service on Tuesday should riders decide to leave work early due to the storm forecast.
“Each year, the agency prepares its buses, rail cars and facilities in advance for winter conditions and we have put additional plans in place for the predicted storm,” said CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez. “CTA will continue to monitor conditions and listen to weather reports throughout the next few days and will deploy crews as needed. We are restocking our winter supplies on Monday in preparation for the anticipated snowstorm.”
CTA’s snow command team is prepared to be out in force to make sure that buses and rail cars can get in and out of garages and yards. In addition, crews will salt bus terminals, turnarounds and garages and CTA Park & Ride lots.
CTA trains have snow blades that are attached to the front of all rail cars to clear snow away from the running rail as trains move along. In addition, although CTA normally reduces the length of trains after rush hour, the agency plans to keep running eight car long trains during the storm to keep tracks as clear as possible.
On those rail lines that don’t operate 24 hours, such as the Green, Orange, Brown, Pink, Purple and Yellow lines, CTA will dispatch additional sleet trains to keep snow from building up on the tracks and the third rail from icing over.
CTA staff will be on duty at rail yards to clear switches of snow and ice build up and to clear substations for emergency access. Rail switch heaters throughout the rail system also would be activated to help reduce ice buildup. CTA also will monitor staffing levels and will deploy additional manpower where needed.
Information on CTA service during the storm will be available via the agency’s website at
www.transitchicago.com
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