Chicago: CTA reports on rail service optimization progress

Temporary changes to rail schedules on certain routes will allow the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to provide more reliable service; the authority reports in an update to its efforts to deliver on its post-pandemic “Meeting the Moment” transformation plan.

CTA says one of customers’ most frequent comments is the unpredictability of wait times. To address this, CTA wants to see its schedule optimization that aligns scheduled service with its available workforce, provides more consistent intervals between trains and reduces instances of large or inconsistent service gaps.

The rail schedule optimization changes took effect in mid-August on the Red, Blue, Orange, Purple and Brown lines. Trains that were scheduled, but that could not be covered due to staffing challenges, were removed and the remaining trains spaced out at more consistent intervals until additional personnel are available to operate the temporarily removed trains. CTA says it continues to pursue aggressive hiring strategies and notes scheduled rail service has had more even service throughout the day since schedule optimization was implemented.

The authority reports early results include a 64 percent drop in large service gaps on the Blue Line during weekday service and a 40 percent decrease in large gaps on the Red Line. ....................(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/article/21280851/cta-reports-on-rail-service-optimization-progress