4 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

The Washington Post, 7/3/17:
 

Rahm Emanuel throws shade at Metro’s coffee coupons

 

Daily Metro riders are not alone in their sense of scorn toward the coffee coupons distributed by the transit agency last week.

 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also took notice of the promotional offer, citing Metro’s polarizing gesture of goodwill in a New York Times op-ed published Monday about the nation’s ailing subway systems.

 

Emanuel used the coupons as an example of the not-so-great state of affairs on the subway systems in Washington and New York City — and as a foil for the recent successes of the Chicago Transit Authority:

 

“On Thursday, in the wake of a subway derailment and an epidemic of train delays, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the busiest mass transit system in America. That same day, the nation’s third-busiest system — the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority — handed out coupons for free coffee to riders stuck in the second year of slowdowns caused by repairs to prevent chronic fires.

 

“Meanwhile, in Chicago, a recent survey found that 85 percent of passengers are satisfied with service on our transit system, the nation’s second most used.”

 

 

 

Continue here.

 

[CNJRoss]

The New York Times,​  7/3/17:

 

The Opinion Pages | Op-Ed Contributor

Rahm Emanuel: In Chicago, the Trains Actually Run on Time

 

By RAHM EMANUEL

JULY 3, 2017

 

 

The L, Chicago’s mass transit system, operating smoothly on Friday. Credit Joshua Lott for The New York Times

 

 

CHICAGO — On Thursday, in the wake of a subway derailment and an epidemic of train delays, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the busiest mass transit system in America. That same day, the nation’s third-busiest system — the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority — handed out coupons for free coffee to riders stuck in the second year of slowdowns caused by repairs to prevent chronic fires.

 

Meanwhile, in Chicago, a recent survey found that 85 percent of passengers are satisfied with service on our transit system, the nation’s second most used.

 

The L, Chicago’s system, turned 125 this year. The elevated railway began as four wooden cars powered by coal and steam. Last year, more than 238 million rides were taken on the system, which, unlike the ones in New York and Washington, has not been troubled by systemic failures, breakdowns and delays. Even during a 28-day stretch of arctic temperatures in 2014, the L was never interrupted.

 

How have we done it? First, we put reliability ahead of expansion.  .  .  .

 

SNIP  

 

But even though we’re doing our best, Chicago — like every municipal transit authority — needs federal support.  

 

Rather than tweeting about violence in Chicago, President Trump should be looking to Chicago as a model for the infrastructure investments and economic growth he wants to replicate across the country.  .  .  .

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Gothamist.com, 7/3/17:
 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: NYC Subways Are Miserable

 

Rahm Emanuel is here to remind New Yorkers that our subways are bad and we should feel bad. Writing for the NY Times op-ed section Monday, the Chicago Mayor spent about a thousand words criticizing the MTA and bragging about his city's faultless transit system, under the troll-y headline, "In Chicago, the Trains Actually Run on Time." Congrats, Rahm! So happy for you guys!

The piece begins with Emanuel summarizing the New York City subway's current state of emergency to Times readers, before adding that Washington D.C.'s transit authority isn't doing too hot either. "Meanwhile, in Chicago," Rahm segues, "a recent survey found that 85 percent of passengers are satisfied with service on our transit system, the nation's second most used."

 

SNIP

 

So, maybe this is just the F Train Stockholm-Syndrome talking, but Emanuel's mostly level-headed criticism of the MTA strikes a defensive nerve, especially when his premise ignores the many problems within his own transit system.

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

Chicago, IL Tribune, 7/4/17:

 

 

'Dumb Track Mind': N.Y. Daily News slams Emanuel over transit boast

 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel scored a publicity coup Monday when the New York Times published his op-ed essay boasting of the CTA’s superiority to New York City's public transit system.

 

The feud continues.

[CNJRoss]

Curbed Chicago, 7/10/17:
 

Where the ‘L’ is experiencing passenger crowding

The CTA has also offered suggestions on how to increase capacity along its most popular lines

 

 

It was just a week ago that the New York Times published an editorial written by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who described Chicago’s ongoing investment in the city’s CTA and ‘L’ rail system “as a model for the infrastructure investments and economic growth.” And despite the fact that the city has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in maintaining and improving CTA tracks, stations, and train cars, a new report from the CTA highlights a handful of problem areas that the system is facing in terms of existing ridership capacity. In the New York Times, Rahm declared that “the trains actually run on time,” but this does not mean that they’re not crowded.

 

With increasing ridership on the ‘L’ in recent years, many stretches of various CTA lines are running at capacity during the morning and evening rush periods during the week. To define overcrowding, the CTA looks to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) guidelines, which suggest that a train is overcrowded if each passenger has less than 5.4 square feet of usable space. According to the CTA, ‘L’ cars generally have enough room to comfortably fit up to 61 passengers.

 

A series of graphics illustrate where passenger crowding is most typically found.  .  .  .

 

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