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?