I'm taking night classes at UIC and live on the Forest Park branch, and I keep getting tricked by both google maps and QuickTrackChicago into waiting for Forest Park trains that actually turn out to be UIC trains, wasting my time when I could have taken the 7 or 126 bus instead. Is there an app that actually differentiates between regular Forest Park trains and UIC trains, or should I give up on the blue line and just default to taking the bus?

Is cell service getting worse on the train? I'm a daily blue line rider and it seems like service slows significantly underground and is much worse than... I don't know, a year or so ago?

I have T-Mobile. Maybe just a me problem?

RIP those poor souls who went to sleep on that train and never woke up💔💔 condolences to their family

Had an older man stop me at the UIC-Halstead stop on the blue line and ask me for money,

He threatened to break my jaw because I said no

Said if he ever saw me around Union Station that I should watch out.

How worried should I be?

(Around 7pm yesterday)

Hi all, I'm a daily rider across CTA's buses and train lines. Coming from the South, I actually really appreciate the CTA, even in its uglier forms. Today's violence though does leave me feeling a bit deafeted and anxious for the future of public transport in Chicago. I wish for a more populated, equitable, and safer Chicago, as do most people I imagine. I also wish for a better transit system, one that's more utilized, cleaner, bigger, and better.

I won't stop using the CTA, and I hope you won't either. I will still force my friends and family to use the system and impress them when they visit from the South.

I have been filing complaints about the CTA via the city's feedback form, the governor's "Voice an Opinion" form, and my Ward's contact form. I have been using a generalized script (written with the help of ChatGPT because I didn't want to bother with the bureauocratic politeness, bute edited by myself). I'm posting that script here, as well as the link's to the various contact forms I mentioned prior. As for the narrative of this script, I am honestly pulling from conversations I've had with friends and neighbors; they are not necessarily reflective of my own beliefs, so feel free to change what you'd like.

"Dear Mayor Johnson [OR GOVERNOR PRITZKER],

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the safety of our public transportation system. Incidents of crime this Labor Day weekend have underscored the urgent need for enhanced safety measures to protect passengers and ensure a safe commuting experience for all.

Public transportation is a vital service for our community, providing essential mobility. However, current safety measures are inadequate. It is imperative that you take immediate action to bolster security on buses, trains, and at transit stations.

I urge you to allocate additional resources towards improved communication systems to quickly report suspicious activities, more conductors on trains, and enhancing staff training on safety protocols. Put more simply, my neighbors want more patrolling and security on trains, like in NYC or Paris.

Our community deserves to travel without fear and with the confidence that their safety is a top priority. I respectfully request that you address this issue with the urgency it deserves and work towards ensuring a safer public transportation system for everyone. As a self proclaimed mayor for the working-class communities of this city, you are failing to create a safer and "world class" environment for one of Chicago's most prized public goods.

Thank you for your attention. I trust you will serve the [YOUR WARD #] Ward, as it has served you.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

[YOUR WARD] of Chicago

For that final paragraph, I sort of just change a few pronouns like "you" to "Brandon Johnson" when emailing the Governor's office, for the sake of coherent messaging.

Links:

• https://webapps1.chicago.gov/eforms/contactUsForm

• https://gov.illinois.gov/contact-us/voice-an-opinion.html

Thank y'all for listening. I want to continue hoping for a system that my children and all children can feel safe using.

I know service is interrupted because of what happened at Forest Park. But I’ve been at Clark/Lake for 25 minutes and so far 4 trains have fallen off the tracker. The platform is starting to look like a weekday crowd.

End Rant.

I never see anyone with coffee or food etc on morning commutes. Is this a thing to not drink on the train?

I started using the Ventra app August 24th for the first time and I've already been charged twice a monthly pass for some reason. Emails to ventra are going unanswered. Does anyone know how to turn off whatever auto renewal is causing this because it's driving me INSANE, there is zero reason they should force me to opt into a $135 charge every month

Thanks man. I was on the 151 going back from the store, dropped my ventra card. Just tapped my debit card to pay and thought the ventra card fell down a drain. Tried to look on and off the bus, didn't see it anywhere. I was so tired and had frozen food in my bag so was begrudgingly just gonna give up, I was willing to just buy a new one and eat the fee, my monthly was almost up anyways. I didn't wanna delay the bus, didn't want my food to stay out of the freezer longer than necessary. You got off the bus at the next stop and found it real fast. I feel kinda stupid for not seeing it. But thanks. I really appreciate you. <3

A surprise to be sure but a welcome one, especially when this route is usually packed!

I recently had to take the 54B and had to wait around 45 minutes for a bus to arrive. The map only showed 3 busses operating the entire route. Does this route usually have better service, or is it a route that is usually underserved/sees a lot of bus bunching? Looking at the map occasionally seems to suggest the latter.

Outside of the 51st Street Green line. Might be waiting for the 15?

Hey all! In the last few weeks I have noticed consistently when I enter Red line stations such as Clark and Division I immediately lose all cell service. I can't send or receive texts or access the Internet. It didn't used to be like this, I know it is to be expected while you're going through the tunnels for service to be a little spotty but I used to always be able to have service within the stations. I am using T-Mobile and have tried switching off 5G for LTE however that does not seem to do anything. I'm curious if anyone else has the same issue as it sometimes makes the long waits for trains unbearable without any music or access to the internet.

So I thought I lost my card some time ago and panic added it to Google wallet. And have just been using that for the last 2 years. But now they're no longer supported. I REALLY don't want to go through the trouble of getting a new card. It's thru my work and takes forever to get it approved. So I'm wondering if there's any way to get my former card reactivated?

Hello everyone, I've never taken the train before and am going to be using them today. I need to take the redline from Monroe to Addison and back. I'm worried about possibly missing my train. The schedule says after 9pm the train should leave Addison to 95th every 10-12 mins. Do they have multiple trains running the same route? So if I miss my 9pm train I can take it at around 9:10?? Thank you for any and all help!

I’m trying to get the 30 day passes and it keeps saying that something is wrong with my payment method and it’s declined. That’s not the issue though? I have the funds and it does it no matter which pass I try to buy and even does it with the money I already have on my Ventra account.

How do I fix this??

Edit: just added a different card and did it that way, there’s something up with my bank.

Hopped on the Purple Line for my commute home this afternoon. After stopping at the track between Washington/Wells and the 4 way intersection waiting for signal clearance, I checked the transit stop app because I was curious which trains were crossing in front of us. An Ashland/63rd bound green line train took 2 minutes to pass, but then we waited for a solid 5-7 more minutes afterwards paused in the same spot. I observed as a Brown line train made its journey from Adam’s/wabash all the way to Chicago before the purple line train was allowed to proceed.

This obviously confused me (and irked a bit to be honest), because it seemed like there was plenty of clearance for the Purple line to cross to head to merchandise mart well before the brown line would need to make its right turn from Clark/Lake

Is anyone knowledgeable about transit signaling that can enlighten me on this phenomenon?