Chicago actually has a decent public transit system, especially when compared to Los Angeles. Unlike Los Angeles, the Chicago infrastructure survived the auto and rubber boom better than did California. In no small part this is due to the more tightly spaced residential networks connected to the city center. It was easier for Chicago to connect its suburbs to the city center, and interconnect the downtown area, with public transportation than it has been for Los Angeles, especially of late.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the governing body responsible for the progress of public transportation in Chicago, has made great strides of late with its investment in Chicago rail and improving the quality of its bus networks. They've also invested in various marketing initiatives to encourage people to take public transit. Leading up to the recession, before oil prices plummeted back down, the high cost of gas was helping bring commuters back to public transit from their dependence on cars as a method of transportation.
The Chicago Transit Authority rail system consists of 224 miles of track. A year ago (October, 2007), up to 22 percent of the rail system was considered a slow zone. Fortunately, thanks to the replacement of wood rail ties and old tie plates with recycled plastic ties, concrete ties, and insulated tie plates, slow zone congestion has been brought down to under 7 percent overall.
The following rail lines are affected and may experience downtimes over weekends and in the middle of the night:
For more information, visit the slow zone elimination program page on the CTA website.
The table below summarizes the fare changes for all CTA transit lines, beginning in January, 2009:
| CTA Fare Types | Previous Fare Structure (Effective 1/1/2006) | New Fare Structure (Effective 1/1/2009) |
| Full Fare Transit Card (TC) Bus | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| Full Fare TC Rail | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| Full Fare Chicago Card (CC) Bus | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| Full Fare CC Rail | $1.75 | $2.25 |
| Full Fare Cash (bus only) | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| TC or CC Transfer 1 | $0.25 | $0.25 |
| Chicago Card Bonus 2 | 10% | Eliminated |
| 1-Day Pass5 | $5.00 | $5.75 |
| 2-Day Visitor Pass5 | $9.00 | Eliminated |
| 3-Day Visitor Pass5 | $12.00 | $14.00 |
| 5-Day Visitor Pass5 | $18.00 | Eliminated |
| 7-Day CTA Pass5 | $20.00 | $23.00 |
| 7-Day CTA/Pace Pass5 | $28.00 | |
| Full Fare 30-Day Pass | $75.00 | $86.00 |
| U-Pass 3 | 15% Increase | |
| Reduced Fare 4 TC or CC | $0.85 | Unchanged |
| Reduced Fare Cash (bus only) | $1.00 | Unchanged |
| Reduced Fare TC or CC Transfer | $0.15 | Unchanged |
| Reduced Fare 30-Day Pass | $35.00 | Unchanged |
So you've decided to make the trees in your neighborhood a little more happy by using public transit and forgoing your gas guzzler whenever possible. Great :) But what if you have little to no experience using public transit? How to get started? There are several ways to start planning your trip:
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