CTA adds four more routes to its short headway Frequent Network
Four new bus routes were added to the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Frequent Network, a set of bus routes that provide service every 10 minutes or less from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends. These additions began service with the network on Aug. 17 and brought the Frequent Network to 16 total routes, with four more planned in December.
Along with adding four more bus routes to the Frequent Network, the CTA says it is enhancing service on bus routes throughout the region to better serve riders.
“CTA’s bus system is critical to the lives of hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans who rely on transit every day,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The changes being made to CTA’s services through the Frequent Network benefit everyone by providing Chicagoans with a frequent and reliable network of bus routes that offer critical connections and access to resources such as schools, shopping centers, jobs and more that they need to thrive in our city.”
At the start of service, the following four bus routes will operate as part of the Frequent Network:
- #53 Pulaski
- 25% more service weekdays and Sundays/holidays, 10% more service Saturdays.
- #55 Garfield
- 20% more service weekdays, 30% more service Saturdays and Sundays/holidays.
- #77 Belmont
- 10% more service Saturdays, 20% more service Sundays/holidays.
- #82 Kimball/Homan
- 15% more service weekdays; 45% more service Saturdays and 60% more service Sundays/holidays.
"CTA's Frequent Network has been a game-changer for our riders, providing them with the kind of bus service and frequency that we know they deserve," said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. "The increased service frequency that our network provides means shorter waits for buses and higher ridership along routes that have received increased service. This is a great example of our commitment to think creatively about how we can best invest in the CTA travel experience for the people who use our system."
In June, the Chicago Transit Board voted to extend the #53 Pulaski and curtail the #53A South Pulaski routes to better serve the West Side of Chicago with a continuous north-south route. The #53 Pulaski route now extends to Ford City Mall (76th Street/Kostner Avenue) and the #53A South Pulaski route ends at the Pulaski Orange Line Station near Pulaski and 51st Street. In addition, overnight or “Owl Service” on route #53 Pulaski will be extended to the Pulaski Orange Line Station; overnight service previously ended at Harrison and Pulaski.
With the extension of service, the agency says the #53 Pulaski route will now reach 69,000 residents and provide access to 36,500 jobs. A benefit of the service realignment will better accommodate students and staff at Richard J. Daley College who commute north of 31st Street on Pulaski Road. In addition, the #53 Pulaski extension will now make a connection with 31 bus routes and four rail lines: Blue, Green, Pink and Orange lines.
In addition, Sunday service was implemented on the #93 California/Dodge. This service will close a gap of over a mile in north-south bus service on Sundays in the California/Dodge corridor.
The Frequent Network and other service investments build on CTA's Bus Vision Framing Report, where the agency analyzed CTA bus service and identified much needed service improvements on weekends, evenings and midday to ensure CTA’s buses better serve riders, especially low-income and minority riders. The CTA says the next phase of the Bus Vision Project will provide people in the service area an opportunity to share their input on how bus service can better serve their communities and the attributes of CTA bus service that are most important to them, such as frequency, hours of operation, routing and access to service, among other features.