Second day in a row of major service disruptions on CTA has riders frustrated
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you were late to work Tuesday morning because of CTA train delays, you were not alone. Switching issues on elevated trains in the Loop delayed thousands of morning commutes.
The switching problem near the Clark/Lake stop in the Loop led to significant delays on the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple lines on Tuesday morning. While the problem was fixed by midday, CTA officials still weren't sure Tuesday afternoon what caused the equipment malfunction.
Coming on the heels of a train derailment on the Green Line on the South Side on Monday, and a major snowstorm expected on Wednesday, CTA riders who rely on the mass transit system said they're losing their cool with the CTA's inability to pinpoint what's going wrong.
Caela Guera gave up on the CTA on Tuesday, after train delays doubled her normal commute time.
"It usually takes me an hour just to get to work, but today like almost two hours," she said. "That's why I'm taking an Uber to work. I'm not going to get to work on time today at all."
Guera was late to work and the CTA was late in pinpointing what led to major delays and service disruptions on the five lines that use the elevated tracks in the Loop during the morning rush.
The CTA warned riders Tuesday morning of "significant delays near Clark/Lake due to track switching problems," which prompted the transit agency to switch the Pink and Purple lines to the outer elevated tracks in the Loop rather than the usual inner track.
On top of the switching problem in the Loop, CTA riders Tuesday morning also faced an out-of-service elevator at the Linden stop on the Red, Purple, and Yellow lines, and Purple Line Express trains rerouted to the Red Line subway tunnels downtown.
"It can be hard sometimes to identify the problem. I think, though, today's problems were so widespread that we just need clear statements of possibilities of what might have gone wrong," said DePaul University transportation expert Joe Schwieterman.
Schwieterman said it's been a tough week for the CTA, with Tuesday's delays coming after one day after a Green Line train derailed on the South Side, forcing commuters to evacuate a train by emergency ladders.
For hours, the Green Line didn't run any trains between the 63rd/Ashland and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stops. While trains began running again as far south as Garfield by Monday afternoon, as of Tuesday, the Green Line still wasn't running between Garfield and 63rd/Ashland.
"Riders, I think, are reluctant to build a life around transit when you have these kind of uncertainties week after week," Schwieterman said.
That reluctance is only made worse as a major winter weather event prepares to barrel down on Chicago tomorrow.
All the CTA could say about the switching issues that created the cascade of delays on Tuesday was that they were not weather-related, but the result of malfunctioning equipment. Beyond that, there were no answers.
"A lot of riders, I think, are left hanging right now, and it's frustrating," Schwieterman said.
While Guera said her commute lasted about an hour longer than normal, CTA representatives said Monday morning's delays were "minor," with the Pink and Purple lines seeing delays of about 15 minutes.
CBS News Chicago has asked repeatedly to interview agency leadership about these issues, but requests have been denied.
As for Wednesday's winter storm, CTA officials said it's possible there could be "some unforeseen delays" due to the snow.
"Operations and maintenance workers will be dispatched throughout the CTA system during the night and into the morning to help ensure buses and trains are operating, and to address any potential impacts that the forecasted snow could have on service," a CTA spokesperson said in an email.
