If you're commuting on the CTA red line this weekend...

Once I saw a sign at 95th which I had posted to ig, it was important for me to share this with you all. At least for those of you who commute to downtown Chicago on the weekend. Thankfully if you're leaving 95th street or from any of the stops along the Dan Ryan there will be no disruptions from this, just that if you go downtown trains will be rerouted to the elevated tracks.

When you think about it, the routing is almost like how the Dan Ryan branch was routed before 1993 when it was connected to Lake Street. With the work on 95th some rush hour trains on the red line are rerouted onto the Englewood branch of the green line to Ashland. Though in this case red line trains from 95th through the Loop from the loop to 95th are elevated only for this weekend.

Here's an alert from CTA below

And Red Line riders: Don't forget that, 9pm Sat thru 9pm Sun, 95th-bound Red Line subway trains will be rerouted via the elevated lines thru downtown to allow for various maintenance work in the State Street Subway. https://t.co/JNlO2XIXr1 pic.twitter.com/tFL94TpeC7

— cta (@cta) September 21, 2018

79th street BLOCKED from Cottage grove to St. Lawrence!!!

BREAKING NEWS

If you are hearing the 3 helicopters, it is due to a major fire on 79th between Cottage Grove and St. Lawrence. Streets are blocked off between them. There are SEVERAL emergency vehicles (fire trucks, ambulance and police cars). A passerby said that everyone made it out.

You can check TV news later today for more details, but if you are going down 79th, make sure you avoid that part of 79th.

CTA Holiday Bus on King Drive THIS Saturday and Thursday

There's a rough schedule for the #3 route Holiday Bus!

12/6 – Sat*	#3 King Drive	10:30am from Ontario/Fairbanks 2:30pm from Chicago State U./95th 3:25pm from Ontario/Fairbanks Photo stop at 95th/Chicago State U. 12:15pm –1:15 pm
12/9 – Tue	#3 King Drive	12:30pm from Chicago State U./95th 2:25pm from Ontario/Fairbanks 4:45pm from Chicago State U./95th

JP Paulus & his family hope to be there!

More details at the CTA Holiday Bus web page!

#CTAfail = TWO groups of bunched buses in a row!

MAJOR #CTAfail today. 

TWO Batches of bunched buses resulted in me walking to my meeting, and now complaining on the internet.

I was at first hesitant to write this, as I complain about North Siders being complaining brats at times. But I guess that’s how service works. I am also curious to see if anyone has had the same problem. And if so, let’s unite to hold CTA accountable!

So I was less than a block from the bus stop near 80^th & King, going South bound at 8:21am.  I saw a bus sail past my stop. So I walked, thinking, well, maybe another bus will come in a few minutes. Try a few SECONDS. About 45 seconds later (if that), a SECOND bus FLIES by.

I am in utter shock. After s couple of seconds, I try to run to the next stop, which has a stoplight which is turning yellow (and then red). That SHOULD have been enough time for me to catch up. (And an “excuse” for the bus to slow down and NOT bunch up with the first bus). But instead, they GUN IT, and I miss that bus.

I am extremely frustrated, but think, well, maybe there’s another one in a few minutes. SO I text in the info (which has actually been helpful).

Here’s my text log:

8:22am = stop 2249 King& 80^th

19 min. & 19 min.

WHAT????? With a 20 minute gap, NO ONE at CTA HQ or the Bus Supervisor SEES this discrepancy?

8:24am = stop 2252 King& 83^rd

19 min. and 19 min.

I texted this stop to see if perhaps that 2^nd bus that passed me slowed down at all. Clearly not. But 20 minutes between buses??? That 2^nd bus couldn’t have slowed down AT ALL???

At this point, I actually stop, and call in to complain.  The customer service person says she can only take the complaint, and can NOT communicate with the bus supervisor, who COULD have stopped that 2^nd bus for a couple of minutes.  She says she’ll call me with the ticket number (for my complaint) later, as I have to walk really fast to my destination (a school board meeting – not one I wish be sweaty at).

8:39am = stop 2257 King & 88^th

10 min and 10 min.  STILL bunched up. The latter bus COULD have waited at some stops (i.e. major intersections) for 2 minutes, and no one would have noticed.

8:48am = stop 2260 (King at 91^st)

Said DUE and 2 min. 

At that point, I was 1 ½ blocks east of stop, WALKING to my destination, and still did not see the bus. 

Basically, I had beat the bus from my home to the near my destination. I was cold in some parts and sweaty & smelly in others. And my sore foot may have gotten worse.

Oh, and remember that complaint I sent in? It’s 3PM and no phone call. There’s a 311 complaint number: 14-02004134

Let’s see if anything happens from that.  Feel free to call 311 with this complaint number and see if you get anything.

MAJOR MAJOR fail, here CTA.  Will you make a change? Call me back?

I will have to look up later Chicago Public Radio’s Curious City story on bunched buses, and to see if South Siders get the shaft more than North side buses.

But please share your stories – and see if we can make this better.

p.s. Unrelated CTA complaint – I asked on their Facebook page if they could post the DATE of when the Red Line Holiday Train will happen. I understand that the TIME is not yet set…but I need to know if I should plan ahead for THAT event or another.  How hard can setting a date be? They've been doing this every year!

Sun-Times: CTA weighs two options for Red Line extension route

Proposed Red Line Extension

Hmmm, I thought that the CTA settled on routing the Red Line extension along the Union Pacific tracks not along Halsted Street. Anyway more talk about this long discussed, long planned extension from 95th Street terminal:

The CTA has narrowed to two the routes for a long-awaited Red Line extension from 95th to 130th Street — one down the middle of busy Halsted Street, the other mostly running along existing freight tracks.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), whose South Side ward would be most heavily affected by the extension, was briefed on the options Tuesday. The chairman of the City Council’s Transportation Committee emerged with a ringing endorsement of the alternative that steers clear of Halsted.

That option for the $2 billion, 5-mile-plus extension generally follows freight tracks operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. A large portion of the tracks run along Eggleston — four blocks west of the existing 95th Street station — and curve eastward as they move farther and farther south.

The CTA’s plan calls for four new stations: at 103rd, 111th, 115th and 130th, with a combined total of up to 2,000 “Park & Ride” spaces, the alderman said.
...
“Halsted Street is wide open. Putting elevated tracks down the middle of the street would disrupt the integrity and cosmetics of Halsted. It would hurt existing businesses. I don’t think anybody wants that,” Beale said.

Now I believed for a while that the chosen route was along the UP tracks. In fact that's the map I frequently shown here when discussing the extension. So in any event in the article there was talk about whether the L extension could be elevated over the UP tracks or whether that route could be widened. Also considerations for the freight UP trains could be carrying in addition to CTA needing right of way on that route.

Then another consideration talking about Mayor Rahm Emanuel:

The biggest question is whether the CTA can persuade the federal government to bankroll the $2 billion project.

Beale believes the chances are good and not just because of the clout Emanuel carries as a former North Side congressman who served as White House chief-of-staff under President Barack Obama.

“That’s a huge ask from the federal government. But, we’ve been talking about the Red Line extension since I was a kid. Since I’ve been chairman, I’ve made this a priority. So has the mayor. I have all the confidence in the world it’s going to happen,” Beale said.

“95th Street is not the end of the city. What about people who need access to jobs downtown and deserve the right get there in a timely manner? Now that we’ve completed the Red Line upgrade and the [$240 million] 95th Street Station reconstruction is about to start, we can walk right into the extension that will finally complete the Red Line from one end of the city to the other.”

If federal funding falls short, Beale said the Red Line extension could be a candidate for Emanuel’s much-ballyhooed Infrastructure Trust to persuade private investors to bankroll projects Chicago can’t afford to build on its own.

That option would likely require CTA riders to pay higher fees to guarantee private investors an attractive return on their money.

“If we have to, we can look at it, but only if it’s the only way,” Beale said.

“We don’t want to put an extra fee on top [of CTA fares]. If we can get the money from the federal government, we can keep the fees down. We’re gonna lean on the federal government for funding first. My emphasis is on the federal government — not the trust.”

The article is correct in noting that the mayor had campaigned on this project, the next question is will it be delivered.

Also you can read more about this proposed project over at the CTA website. Probably not a whole lot new there, but you can check their information on this project.

Via the not very often posted anymore CapFax morning shorts!

Ventra balance tranfer events in our area

Still have some money on a stripe card or a Chicago card?

Our area will be home to two Ventra Balance Transfer Events.

• St. James AME Church, 9256 S. LaFayette on Saturday, April 12, 10am-3pm
• Avalon Library, 8148 S. Stony Island om Friday, June 20, 11am-2pm

You can see more details, as well as other dates and locations at this link -->  https://www.ventrachicago.com/eventscalendar/#

Did the CTA bus completely miss our neighborhoods yesterday morning & today?

Has anyone else been experiencing problems on the CTA lately?

Yesterday, as my wife was on her way to work, we checked the CTA bus tracker around 6:15 am for the Westbound 79th street bus, near the King Drive corner. The text message said "No arrival times". As she walked her way to the 79th street station, she saw MANY CTA riders who also texted and got the same message. It took her 20 minutes o get to the station.  Along the way,she saw many people who also had texted and got the same response.  Meanwhile, about 4-5 eastbound 79th street buses passed along the way.

 

This morning at 6:24, atone stop, the times were as follows:

• 79to 77th/Centr 25 min
• 79 to Solo CupF 22 min
• 79 to Western 28 min

So at least 22 minutes before another bus would show up, and then a 3-5 minute gap.  Is this acceptable? Certainly the "No time available" is NOT acceptable.

Please comment here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Let's make some noise!

CTA Holiday Train schedule

The CTA has the dates when the Holiday Train will ride throughout the system.

The Red Line is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17, Thursday Dec. 19 and Saturday Dec. 21, that last day includes an extended time for photos with Santa.  Exact travel times have not been published (and won't be until the last minute).

The Green Line starts TODAY, Friday November 29.
It also runs Saturday, November 30 (with photos with Santa)  as well as Tuesday, December 3.

The entire schedule is found here.

We will publish a  more detailed Red Line schedule when available. The Sixth Ward writer JP Paulus and his family plan riding the Saturday train (possibly the early run) -- stay tuned for details!

How was your experience with the Red Line Reconstruction?

So how was your ride on the Red Line this morning (and/or this afternoon)?

Reader Melanie Payne shared with us (on our Facebook page) her experience this morning. (Included are our questions):

Melanie Payne It worked, i got to work 40 minutes early. As long as they keep the shuttles coming and the trains are running no more than 3 minutes apart then people should be good.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 8 hours ago

• 

  The Sixth Ward That's great to know. Can we post your comments on a blog post? Also -- my wife is concerned about safety at Garfield (as well as the potential chaos there). How was it this morning? And how does it work for the ride home? (Also, feel free to e-mail us or give us a link to any photo you would like us to use, if any. THANKS (jp)

  Like · 7 hours ago
• 

  Melanie Payne I have to get back to you for the ride home part. As far as chaos going..im not going to say she is right or wrong but there was ALOT of security over there. Now maybe long term thinking she maybe correct. Im not one for being on that side town either. They have the red line running on the same track as the green line. So its the same type of redline people as before. The redline goes in the tunnel if you she/you need to get off downtown (like me) or even go up north. Sure you can use my quote. Now I might come back to you all a month later and say whether not its the same. :)

  Unlike · 1 · 7 hours ago
• 

  The Sixth Ward So you're saying you don't have to change at Roosevelt (where the Green Line and Red Line link up)? You can hop on at Garfield, and stay in your seat, until, say, Washington or even up to Howard? (jp)
  
  And if you come back with a very different opinion about the reconstruction, we will have no problem with that (well, we WILL have a problem, but no problem to post about it ;) ). We wonder if the effort will be maintained, or like Wal-Mart, once the hype has died down, the quality sinks.
  
  Thanks so much -- and feel free to send anything (or even your very own guest post) to blog@thesixthward.us

  Like · 7 hours ago
• 

  Melanie Payne Yes at Garfield they have the Red/Howard and the green line running on the same track. So if you need to head underground and get off at LAKE or JACKSON you can stay seated.

  Like · 7 hours ago
• 

  Melanie Payne On the Red/Howard train

  Like · 7 hours ago
• 

  The Sixth Ward So far no big bens on King drive or Cottage Grove. As far as security, now that UC owns a building over there (Washington Park Arts Incubator), you have the transit detail and UC patrolling. wg

  Like · 6 hours ago

We will update this entry when Melanie reports back this evening!

CTA Holiday Train - Join us NEXT Saturday!

* Join JP and his family NEXT Saturday to ride the Holiday Train. Meet us at the 95th street platform at 2pm.  Send an e-mail to blog (at) TheSixthWard (dot) us  for details.  See the following for other times & details to ride the train).

The Chicago Transit Authority has now announced their schedule for the Holiday Train, featuring a special car for Santa Claus, with specific stop times.

I have taken my daughter previous years to the Holiday Train, and it was fun. For just the cost of an El Ride, we were able to get to Belmont and take some photos.

The Holiday schedule will be posted here.

This Saturday, families can take photos from 1:45pm - 2:30pm at the 95th street station.

Some suggestions for those considering doing it this year:

1. Go to the beginning of the trip (whether it's Howard or 95th). Even just 2 stops into the "tour", at 79th, the train was quite crowded already.
2. Plan to be there at least 15 minutes ahead of schedule. It will be a lot less stressful.
3. There is a time to get a photo taken next to Santa and in front of the trains. This includes at the very beginning, but also at 1 or 2 major stops, like Belmont. But note-- it's only about 4 minutes to do so. So take your photos and hop back on! (we wound up missing it after the photos)

The dates, times and directions for the 69th, 79th, 87th and 95th el stops:

(Dec 12 Wed - Northbound)

• 95th = 4:16pm
• 87th = 4:19pm
• 79th = 4:22pm
• 69th = 4:25pm

(Dec 14 Fri - Northbound)

• 95th = 4:48pm
• 87th = 4:51pm
• 79th = 4:54pm
• 69th = 4:57pm

(Dec 15 Sat - Northbound)
photos with Santa: 2pm -2:50pm

• 95th = 3:01pm and 7:26pm
• 87th = 3:04pm and 7:29pm
• 79th = 3:07pm and 7:32pm
• 69th = 3:10pm and 7:35pm

(Dec 18  Tue- Northbound)

• 95th = 5:19pm???
• 87th = 5:22pm???
• 79th = 5:25pm???
• 69th = 5:28pm???

(Dec 22  Sat- Northbound)  <---- i="i">When we'll go!

• 95th = 3pm???
• 87th = 3:04pm???
• 79th = 3:07pm???
• 69th = 3:10pm???

Any families want to meet up this year?  E-mail us at blog (at) TheSixthWard (dot) us

CTA Holiday Train Red Line Schedule

The CTA has posted dates for their annual Holiday Train. The actual hourly schedule will be posted shortly.

The Red Line dates are

• Wednesday, Dec. 12
• Friday, Dec. 14
• Saturday, Dec. 15
• Tuesday, Dec. 18
• Saturday, Dec. 22

On that last date, Dec. 22, The SixthWard writer , JP Paulus, will be there again with his family. Contact him at jp (at) TheSixthWard.us if you are interested in joining us. 

Photo of Abbott Park sexual assault suspect

We had a hard time getting this photo on the blog, but here is a photo of the sexual assault suspect.

And here is the news story from the Chicago Tribune:

Police issued a community alert this afternoon warning of a sexual assault in Abbott Park on the South Side in the city's Roseland neighborhood.



A woman was waiting for the bus on the 9500 block of South Michigan Ave between the hours of 2 to 6 a.m. on Aug. 18, A man approached her from behind and pulled her into Abbott Park where she was beaten and sexually assaulted.

Please be careful out there, but also watchful, so we can catch these crimnals!

Here's a description:

The man was described as black, between the ages of 24 to 33, between 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, police said.

He has a medium complexion with brown eyes and a low cut Mohawk, police said.

He was last seen wearing a black long sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans.

If you have any info please contact Area South Bureau detectives at 312-747-8271.

WBEZ: Red Line ridership is up, but not on South Side

Chicago Public Radio station, WBEZ (91.5 FM) just published a story regarding CTA ridership on the Red Line.

Here's a segment relevent for us:

The above holds true for total ridership over the past decade, though all North Side stations have seen ridership improvements from their 2001 levels. The biggest improvement across the Red Line came from Lake, which gained nearly 1.5 million riders from 2001 to 2011. This was enough to push it from the third most popular Red Line station in 2001 (behind 95th/Dan Ryan and Chicago) to first in 2011.

95th/Dan Ryan, 2001’s most-used station, dropped to fifth-most used in 2011 (behind Lake, Chicago, Fullerton and Belmont). It is one of only five stations to see ridership declines in the past decade – all are on the city’s South Side. The others are 87th, 69th, 63rd and Garfield.

These are five of the nine South Side stations that will be closed for five months starting in spring 2013 as part of a $425 million CTA track replacement project. The closure will impact every station from Cermak-Chinatown through 95th/Dan Ryan.

Click here for details, and to see the charts of Red Line ridership by station, since 2001.

FOX Chicago: Man hospitalized after being pushed onto Red Line tracks

If you're waiting for a train be alert out there! One never knows what possesses anyone to push people onto the train tracks! This incident occurred on Wednesday!

About 8:10 a.m. at the Red Line station at 79th Street and the Dan Ryan, Linda Logan was waiting for her train downtown when she heard screaming from the southbound platform and saw a man lying on the tracks.

Among the screaming, she heard someone say, "Daddy, daddy!" And "People kept saying, ‘He pushed him, he pushed him,'" Logan said Thursday.

"We were horrified," she said. She said everyone was "standing there in horror" as the man lay on the tracks.

He was "knocked out" and unable to move after falling, she said, and were it not for the actions of some good Samaritans who pulled him up from the track level, she doesn't know what would have happened.

"That man could have been dead," Logan said.

Those who witnessed the incident said a homeless man pushed the other man onto the tracks, she said.

At 8:14 a.m. Wednesday, Chicago Fire Department paramedics took a man from the platform to St. Bernard Hospital, Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said. He was taken via basic life support ambulance, so his injuries were not considered life-threatening.

CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said a rider fell onto the right-of-way from the southbound platform Wednesday morning. She had no details on how he fell, but noted there was no contact with a train or the third rail.

Red Line will be shut down for 5 months in 2013!

When i first saw the headline in Everyblock, i thought this was a joke, like an Onion headline.

But this is true. The logic is that instead of 4 years of no sevrice on the weekends, they can do the work in 1/8 of the time if they shut down the line completely.

The plan is for this to happen in Spring of 2013.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune's Breaking News. The official press release form the CTA is here.

This situation can be a big pain in the butt, especially for us commuters, as well as tourism for the Chicago White Sox and the Museum of Science & Industry & University of Chicago.  But this can also be an opportunity.  If we can get a sense of where the heavy traffic routes will be, businesses can prepare to market appropriately.

In addition, this gives businesses (or potential businesses) about a a year and 1/2 to get funds together to set up businesses that could be ready to go once construction is done. For example, there is a space for business at the 79th street El Station. It would be great if when the red line re-openedl, we had a coffee shop ready and waiting for us.

Another question is -- could work on the Red Line extension ALSO be done immediately following that reconstruction? That project supposed could take over a decade to get done...but if we could shave off a few years -- it could revitalize those communities.

Thanks to Denise Denson for posting this on Everyblock!

CTA Holiday Train 2011 -- join us THIS SATURDAY!

 Sorry we weren't able to make it yesterday. If anyone see's this in time, you can meet JP & his family TODAY (Saturday) at 2:15pm at the 95th street el platform to board the CTA Holiday Train (the price of a regular ride).

Here's the link for more info on the the train.

CTA Holiday Train 2011 -- join us THIS Friday

* Join JP & his family this Friday to ride the Holiday Train. Meet us at the 95th street platform at 4:25pm.  Send an e-mail to jp (at) thesixthward (dot) us  for details.  See the following for other times & details to ride the train).

The Chicago Transit Authority has now announced their schedule for the Holiday Train, featuring a special car for Santa Claus, with specific stop times.

I have taken my daughter previous years to the Holiday Train, and it was fun. For just the cost of an El Ride, we were able to get to Belmont and take some photos.

The Holiday schedule will be posted here.

This Saturday, families can take photos from 1:45pm - 2:15pm at the 95th street station.

Some suggestions for those considering doing it this year:

1. Go to the beginning of the trip (whether it's Howard or 95th). Even just 2 stops into the "tour", at 79th, the train was quite crowded already.
2. Plan to be there at least 15 minutes ahead of schedule. It will be a lot less stressful.
3. There is a time to get a photo taken next to Santa and in front of the trains. This includes at the very beginning, but also at 1 or 2 major stops, like Belmont. But note-- it's only about 4 minutes to do so. So take your photos and hop back on! (we wound up missing it after the photos)

The dates, times and directions for the 69th, 79th, 87th and 95th el stops:

(Dec 14 Wed - Northbound)

• 95th = 4:22pm
• 87th = 4:25pm
• 79th = 4:27pm
• 69th = 4:29pm

(Dec 16 Fri - Northbound)

• 95th = 4:48pm
• 87th = 4:51pm
• 79th = 4:54pm
• 69th = 4:57pm

(Dec 17 Sat - Northbound)

• 95th = 2:51pm and 7:11pm
• 87th = 2:54pm and 7:14pm
• 79th = 2:57pm and 7:17pm
• 69th = 3:00pm and 7:20pm

(Dec 20  Tue- Northbound)

• 95th = 5:19pm
• 87th = 5:22pm
• 79th = 5:25pm
• 69th = 5:28pm

Any families want to meet up this year?  E-mail us at blog (at) TheSixthWard (dot) us

311 Service request follow up

Here's  a sinkhole that has been getting worse each day.

This is particularly a problem for several reasons:

1. The sewer wall has collapsed
2. Parking here is like the nroth side, so bad feelings are being created as the elderly & those with small children are having a hard time finding parking. 
3. Potentially cars will be damaged if they park near the sinkholes.
4. The CTA #3 bus route which ends at 81st will drive down Calumet to turn around. The sinkholes & the many potholes we have can cause some unneeded chaos.

The request # is 11-02-706730 and was filed on June 9.


I called again July 8.

I also forwarded these to the Alderman's office as well.

The sinkholes seems like  systematic problem along Calumet.  At the NW corner of 83rd & Calumet, there is a sinkhole that had just been repaired months before it collapsed again.

And I have posted a photo on another hole at 7928 S. Calumet as well as one forming just 10 feet from the sewer.

In addition, a new hole seems to be forming

This is actually 7928 S. Calumet. It needs work as well.

How is 311 responding to YOUR requests?

CTA Holiday Train 2010

UPDATE 3:17 PM - Got a message via Tracey Swartz on Twitter with regards to the Holiday Train:

hi sixth ward, santa will be taking fotos with riders at 95th red line stop on saturday between 1:50 p.m.-2:20 p.m.: http://bit.ly/cGPk65

Will you be there on Saturday? - Levois

The Chicago Transit Authority should be setting up their schedule for the Holiday Train, featuring a special car for Santa Claus, very soon.

I took my daughter last year to the Holiday Train, and it was fun. Just the cost of an El Ride, we were able to get to Belmont & took some photos.

The Holiday schedule will be posted here.

This Saturday, families can take photos from 1:45pm - 2:15pm at the 95th street station.

Some suggestions for those considering doing it this year:

1. Go to the beginning of the trip (whether it's Howard or 95th). Even just 2 stops into the "tour", at 79th, the train was quite crowded already.
2. Plan to be there at least 15 minutes ahead of schedule. It will be a lot less stressful.
3. There is a time to get a photo taken next to Santa & in front of the trains. This ride, it was at Belmont. But note-- it's only about 4 minutes to do so. So take your photos & hop back on! (we wound up missing it after the photos)

The dates, times and directions for the 69th, 79th, 87th and 95th el stops:

(Nov 20-21 Sat-Sun- Northbound)

• 95th = 2:42pm   and   7:08pm
• 87th = 2:44pm   and   7:10pm
• 79th = 2:46pm   and   and 7:12pm
• 69th = 2:48pm   and   7:14pm

(Dec 15 Wed - Northbound)

• 95th = pm
• 87th = pm
• 79th = pm
• 69th = pm

(Dec 17 and 20,  Fri and Mon- Northbound)

• 95th = pm
• 87th = pm
• 79th = pm
• 69th = pm

Any families want to meet up this year?

Riding the Holiday Train

Seasons Greetings

Here are some photos from the CTA's Holiday Train.

It was a fun cheap Holiday activity.

A thought: If the CTA needs extra money, it might be smart to have a company sponsor the train next year. There are ways the company can sponsor it without it becoming too commercial. For example, the CTA has put up fake ads, such as for Northstar Buck's coffee... Part of the deal could be that the sponsoring company creates fake websites that could re-direct to their real ones (to cut down on the obvious commercialism).

Important tips for next year:

1. Go to the beginning of the trip (whether it's Howard or 95th). Even just stops in, at 79th, the train was quite crowded.
2. Plan to be there at least 15 minutes ahead of schedule. It will be a lot less stressful.
3. There is a time to get a photo taken next to Santa & in front of the trains. This ride, it was at Belmont. But note-- it's only about 4 minutes to do so. So take your photos & hop back on! (we wound up missing it after the photos)