Also, I think it would be better to route the purple line onto the Skokie branch. With this, the grade crossings on the Evanston/Wilmette branch would be removed, Noyes station would be closed, and red line trains would run on it. I would also make the red line train run express through Chicago, with stations at Howard, Loyola, Bryn Mawr, Lawrence, Addison, and all stations further south.
Truly excellent job guys, from a total transit nerd who is old enough to have ridden the Electroliners and other North Shore Line trains. One additional point to your history. The uniqueness of the Skokie Siwft has much to do with the LBJ administration. As part of his "Great Society" and "War on Poverty" program and the newly established Department of Transportation, the feds for the first time became interested in urban tranit and formed the Urban Mass Transit Administration. They had a good pot of meny and were looking for test projects to fund. Johnson was buddies with Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley. The North Shore had recently been abandoned (Jan, 1963) and the CTA saw using the right-of-way as a cheap option. The deal was done and the relativel few upgrades meant that by 1965 service began. Many planners envisioned extending the line northward along the North Shore's Skokie Valley Route but before they could act pieces of the right of way had been sold off and developed. This is the main reason that the Swift is such an outlier in transit, not just in Chicago but elsewhere.
@@jeanpabon2948 Always a fun ride! Can’t wait for those speeds to return, though this gives you a taste of how long it’d take with an extra stop or two
4:28 FYI your favorite rail fleet is only gonna operate for another year and a half, RTA is getting new trains... Looks like your gonna have to find another logo then 😢
If Purple takes over say one of the Green Line branches, then maybe just extend half of red line trains (all at peak) so everyone has a direct connection to downtown, Then make Yellow the Damon BRT running from Montrose Point to North Center, then Damen to Damen (pink), then Ashland to Ashland/63rd, parallel the Green Line Branches to Jackson Park
Nice video! (Though would argue Orange line not inspired by Skokie Swift and never leaves city/for airport and area which had no train prior/only bus routes). Many of the L lines used to go out further into suburbs past, including many in or near the near western suburbs, where the top four most densely populated municipalities in Illinois are located (Chicago is #5).
@ trains used to go further into Berwyn (what is currently now the Pink line), Was also a line which used to serve Westchester, Bellwood, Maywood and Forest Park too which was abandoned in the 1950s (perhaps ironically as many parts of those areas boomed in population after WW2 even as they were around long earlier). Berwyn, Stone Park, Cicero and Elmwood Park, all near West suburbs, are the most densely populated in IL. Only Cicero has L line now, through Metra, CTA and Pace serve these areas.
@@thehouseoftransit2719 Oh sure, if there's a train every 20 minutes, then it's surely packed. I'll go watch it. Here in Europe, the ridership came back and even exceeded 2019 in many cities, just slightly differently. Now, there are longer rush hours and more passengers during off-peak and weekends, and weekdays with uneven ridership. Like Tuesdays and Thursdays see the highest ridership and Mondays and Fridays usually have the lowest. With passengers complaining about some line having headways 15 seconds longer than before due to a lack of new trains...
@@joshuacook7458 some deep channel lore there (it was the first video we ever recorded so you’re not missing much) but perhaps we will make another one someday!
My grandfather helped with the planning process of the Oakton-Skokie station while he was the village clerk.
@UlisesShah Wow, very cool! Gotta say, it’s a pretty nice station…
This was awesome!
Just did a video on the Skokie Swift myself- so it was cool to see where we overlapped
Also, I think it would be better to route the purple line onto the Skokie branch. With this, the grade crossings on the Evanston/Wilmette branch would be removed, Noyes station would be closed, and red line trains would run on it. I would also make the red line train run express through Chicago, with stations at Howard, Loyola, Bryn Mawr, Lawrence, Addison, and all stations further south.
@UlisesShah in an ideal world this is probably the optimal way to run the lines, but the challenges of making that a reality might not be worth it
Truly excellent job guys, from a total transit nerd who is old enough to have ridden the Electroliners and other North Shore Line trains. One additional point to your history. The uniqueness of the Skokie Siwft has much to do with the LBJ administration. As part of his "Great Society" and "War on Poverty" program and the newly established Department of Transportation, the feds for the first time became interested in urban tranit and formed the Urban Mass Transit Administration. They had a good pot of meny and were looking for test projects to fund. Johnson was buddies with Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley. The North Shore had recently been abandoned (Jan, 1963) and the CTA saw using the right-of-way as a cheap option. The deal was done and the relativel few upgrades meant that by 1965 service began. Many planners envisioned extending the line northward along the North Shore's Skokie Valley Route but before they could act pieces of the right of way had been sold off and developed. This is the main reason that the Swift is such an outlier in transit, not just in Chicago but elsewhere.
Talking heads using Talking Heads. 😂😂 Love it! As a Chicagoan, I love seeing videos on our beloved but challenged system. Thanks for the vid!
I hope passenger service on the Former Skokie Valley (North of Dempster-Skokie) can be restored whether it be by CTA or Metra that restores this.
@maas1208: I'd like to see this line being made it to a Regional Rail Electric Line like SEPTA REGIONAL RAIL in Philadelphia.
RETVRN of the North Shore Line!!! I want it! 😭
Incredible research, incredible editing, and an incredible video
THEY'RE BACK
Was 55 mph until the November 2023 crash. Since it reopened, it had an immense speed reduction to 35 mph
they do that yet there are many crashes on highways daily which never results in a speed reduction
I ride the yellow line to get to work, even with speed reduction it takes me 10 minutes to get from howard to dempsrer
@@jeanpabon2948 Always a fun ride! Can’t wait for those speeds to return, though this gives you a taste of how long it’d take with an extra stop or two
A solid and entertaining history!
4:28 FYI your favorite rail fleet is only gonna operate for another year and a half, RTA is getting new trains... Looks like your gonna have to find another logo then 😢
@@jamess8504 😭
If Purple takes over say one of the Green Line branches, then maybe just extend half of red line trains (all at peak) so everyone has a direct connection to downtown, Then make Yellow the Damon BRT running from Montrose Point to North Center, then Damen to Damen (pink), then Ashland to Ashland/63rd, parallel the Green Line Branches to Jackson Park
They need to extend the green lines further south along with the orange line.
Nice video! (Though would argue Orange line not inspired by Skokie Swift and never leaves city/for airport and area which had no train prior/only bus routes). Many of the L lines used to go out further into suburbs past, including many in or near the near western suburbs, where the top four most densely populated municipalities in Illinois are located (Chicago is #5).
@@mic1240 Berwyn, Cicero,… Forest Park or Oak Park?
@ trains used to go further into Berwyn (what is currently now the Pink line), Was also a line which used to serve Westchester, Bellwood, Maywood and Forest Park too which was abandoned in the 1950s (perhaps ironically as many parts of those areas boomed in population after WW2 even as they were around long earlier). Berwyn, Stone Park, Cicero and Elmwood Park, all near West suburbs, are the most densely populated in IL. Only Cicero has L line now, through Metra, CTA and Pace serve these areas.
"too busy"? Is there any line that is busy on the CTA?
Cause the ridership numbers seem abysmal for a system of that size.
@@KyrilPG busy might not be the right word but crowded certainly-check out our dedicated L video for more :)
@@thehouseoftransit2719 Oh sure, if there's a train every 20 minutes, then it's surely packed. I'll go watch it.
Here in Europe, the ridership came back and even exceeded 2019 in many cities, just slightly differently.
Now, there are longer rush hours and more passengers during off-peak and weekends, and weekdays with uneven ridership. Like Tuesdays and Thursdays see the highest ridership and Mondays and Fridays usually have the lowest.
With passengers complaining about some line having headways 15 seconds longer than before due to a lack of new trains...
Where do you find the old-timey music?? I’ve heard it on other channels
@@tyleralberico This was mostly Kevin MacLeod tracks from the official YT music vault
Such an unfair tease about the PATCO video! Will we get to see one in the future?
@@joshuacook7458 some deep channel lore there (it was the first video we ever recorded so you’re not missing much) but perhaps we will make another one someday!