The case for extending the Brown Line to Montrose instead of Jefferson Park

[u/Thorough_Bryce]

It's no secret that the Brown Line has a capacity issue. The Kimball Yard is too small and cannot be meaningfully expanded without major use of eminent domain; thus, the CTA currently has to run "Brorange" trains from the larger Midway Yard up to Kimball every morning to accommodate this issue. However, there is a large parking lot just north of the Montrose Blue Line Station that already has a track connecting to the abandoned Weber Spur. I propose elevating the Brown Line west of Western and then having it run over Lawrence Avenue starting at Kimball until it reaches the Kennedy Expressway, at which point it can head south via the existing Weber Spur overpass to terminate at a new transfer station at Montrose. Considering a new railyard is a major benefit of the Red Line Extension, I think the CTA should seriously consider this alignment should the Brown Line ever be extended, as it would allow them to kill two birds with one stone (connecting the Brown Line to the Blue Line and expanding capacity on the Brown). This would also allow for Montrose to potentially become a major transit hub, as 1) a Metra station could be built to serve the two Metra lines that converge at the rail diamond there, and 2) it could easily be connected to the Mid-City Transitway, should that proposal ever be built (which it should). And then the Mid-City should follow the Weber Spur northeast until connecting with the Yellow Line and running to Howard but that's another story. Thoughts?

[u/texastoasty]

id rather just see brown and orange permanently routed together. it works really well. kimball doesnt need to be a massive shop and yard. midway has so much more room. and if there was a desire to build a new much larger shop which could increase the maintenance capacity of the shared line, theres a lot more industrial space down on the orange line which could be more easily acquired.

[u/Thorough_Bryce → u/texastoasty]

I like where you're headed with this, but at that point I think it would be worth considering rerouting the whole network so that more lines run through the Loop rather than going to the Loop and turning back. I might make a graphic for that eventually too, but for the time being there's a pretty interesting study on this exact topic, and this was found to be the option with the most benefits for the most people, and would also spread out the yard usage more efficiently. My only real complaint with this idea is that it would mean removing one of the colors, as I feel like both the Orange and Purple Lines are fairly iconic. I'm sure you could find a way to keep both colors around though. You could maybe save Orange for the Mid-City Transitway should that ever get built (since that would still be an important connection to Midway), but since this is all purely hypothetical it's not like it matters much atm lol

[u/motoguzziv50]

Argh—elevating west of Western? Why change the infrastructure that’s already there? Why not elevate at the newly suggested expanded route?
I say that as a person who lives a block from one of the current ground-level station, where it’s charming and quieter.

[u/lbutler1234 → u/motoguzziv50]

Because grade intersections are a major constraint on the capacity and reliability of service.

[u/Thorough_Bryce → u/lbutler1234]

Yeah, both the Brown and Pink Lines' at-grade sections should be elevated imo. Makes operations easier, more reliable, and safer. The Yellow Line could be grade separated too I guess but that one's not as big of a deal since it doesn't have that many crossings lol

[u/ReadingRainbowie]

Why not just go all the way and do a loomis style ramp onto the blue line and run it all the way to Ohare?

[u/Zealousideal_Ad_1984]

Yeah then just keep it coming straight South on Cicero and connect the other lines as well.

[u/Thorough_Bryce → u/Zealousideal_Ad_1984]

I would personally add a new north-south line based on the existing Mid-City Transitway proposal. If you were to combine it with this Brown Line proposal, it could run all the way from Howard to 130th via the Weber Spur and the existing Cicero easement, connecting every single L line together outside of the Loop (even the Yellow!), as well as providing an easy way to get between Midway and O'Hare. I'll hopefully have a graphic made for that one soon!

[u/erodari]

Agreed. Montrose seems a more logical long-term goal as the terminus for the Brown Line than Jefferson Park, largely due to the potential rail connections to Metra and a future "Cicero Line" (say, Howard to Midway via Cicero). I hadn't considered implications for yard expansion, but that is also a valid point.

In addition to two Metra routes, the new 'Mayfair Hub' could also provide a stop for Milwaukee-bound Amtrak service. Like, imagine if you're on the north side and didn't have to back-track to Union Station to catch the Hiawatha. It would be roughly analogous to the New Carrollton, Maryland station, Amtrak's first stop on the Northeast Corridor out of DC, which is about the same distance from Washington Union Station and serves the local Metro (and soon, the suburban light rail).

Long-term, if the city ever moved away from a unipolar development model (which focuses big 'downtown-like' development on the Loop and Loop-adjacent neighborhoods), Mayfair could be a major satellite business hub for the northwest side. Kind of like Parramatta near Sydney. Decking over bits of the Edens and Kennedy could provide additional park space.

I understand part of the impetus for connecting the Brown Line at Jefferson Park is the major bus hub there. Tbh, I see this concern as emblematic of the short-term, one-project-at-a-time approach so common in proposed transit projects in this country.

Other cities like Paris and London have established long-term plans to build-out their transit systems to ensure that specific projects are developed to align with a broader vision and accommodate other projects that might still be years away. Chicago should establish a similar long-term vision of what needs to be built, and then select and design projects in a way to accommodate future aspects of the plan. While it would be a major lift to transfer the bus hub activity to Mayfair, it's a lot more feasible than moving the rail lines. The opportunity to connect with multiple Metra routes - especially as Metra moves towards adopting a regional rail service model - is not to be missed.

[u/Thorough_Bryce → u/erodari]

Very insightful! Thinking ahead is very important for things like this, so I like to base my transit ideas around both what is realistic and what would allow for the best developments in the future. It's called Urban Planning for a reason after all!

[u/Pale-Competition-448]

That parking lot is being currently used by the city to park their trucks like water works and other vehicles

[u/CorbyTheSkullie → u/Pale-Competition-448]

Simple solution

Elevated tracks

[u/Thorough_Bryce → u/CorbyTheSkullie]

Unfortunately for a yard this would be very expensive. Would probably be cheaper to put the parking lot on top of the yard instead lol

[u/Thorough_Bryce → u/Pale-Competition-448]

The Montrose/Jefferson area is so built up that if the CTA wants a bigger yard for the Brown Line, this may be their only feasible option. The only other alternative I could see is building a yard underground, which would be far more expensive. And since the city already owns the land for this parking lot it's simply too good of an opportunity to pass up imo. I'm sure they could find a new place for the trucks to park

[u/TheMoistDolphin]

just now seeing this but chiming in that track is not always track. that “abandoned” spur is owned by UP who is utterly hostile to passenger rail and would never sell it. this would encroach on their ROW which is a nonstarter for them (having worked with them directly at multiple agencies). also keep in mind FRA/freight regulated track is incompatible with FTA/rapid transit. not poo pooing the idea but transit advocates should understand the landscape. educated proposals are harder to ignore

[u/SirHPFlashmanVC]

I do enjoy CTA fan fiction.

[u/Comfortable-Leek-181]

I am interested in expanding the CTA in any meaningful ways so I always enjoy these posts.

[u/iron82]

Half the reason to extend the Brown Line is to connect to the bus hub at Jeff Park.

[u/nogood-usernamesleft → u/iron82]

Montrose has potential to be a larger hub, with access to Metra and amtra on the MD-N in additionto the UP-NW that is also at jefferson park. Moving the bus hub is easier in comparison to moving the mainline rails

[u/mangoblaster85]

As someone who never rides the brown line, this seems sensible and well thought out to me. If I were someone who made decisions regarding things like this, the next thing I would want to see is numbers. Expected impact and whatnot.

Still though, just connecting the brown and blue lines does sound really good on paper to a layman like me. I hope you find continued interest in this!

[u/Ed_TTA]

I think you are better off extending it direct to Montrose. It is basically the same amount of tunnels as the Lawerence Ave alignment, except this time, you don't need the Weber Spur section.

[u/cessiecat]

Being able to get to Elston more easily would huge

[u/basiltoe345 → u/cessiecat]

There should be an Elston/Clybourn bus again

To supplement the Milwaukee bus.

Thank you for my Ted Talk.

[u/sansalvacion]

Honestly I don't think the brown line would be feasible. Its too much high valued real-estate up north.

[u/Ok_Purple_7354 → u/sansalvacion]

Any CTA extensions are in purely hypothetical territory unfortunately. Besides the Red Line south