Open thread: What changes do you want to see on the 'L'?

More people are using the CTA’s rail network than ever before, and to keep up with the growing demand placed on public transit, the city has been investing in station improvements and will even be adding new stops along some lines. There are so many changes to the ‘L’ system underway that it’s almost hard to keep track of it all.

While meeting with Trump White House staffers earlier this month, Mayor Rahm Emanuel pitched a request for more federal funds to make improvements to Chicago’s ‘L’ system, specifically overhauling a major portion of the Green Line. Regardless of what the White House offers—if anything—the city is moving forward with a Green Line station at Damen and Lake to offer rail service to businesses along the Kinzie Industrial Corridor and United Center visitors.

Before the Obamas left the White House, Chicago was able to secure $1.1 billion in federal transportation funds to be used towards Red Line improvements, specifically items like the ambitious flyover project near the busy Belmont station. Meanwhile, the Your New Blue program continues to see improvements and new investment going into Blue Line stations, like the Belmont Gateway project planned for the Avondale community. The mayor has also revived the idea of an express train between O’Hare and the city’s downtown—an ambitious but also likely wildly expensive undertaking.

Thousands of new apartments and hundreds of new for-sale properties are on their way to the busy Milwaukee Avenue Corridor, meanwhile, hundreds of workers now have offices in the West Loop. And while developers can’t seem to build enough residential units and office space in these popular areas, many are wondering how the CTA plans to keep up with the pace of new construction and the many residents and workers who will be using the Blue, Green, and Red lines in the coming years.

The way Chicagoans are using the ‘L’ is changing and the CTA is making changes to keep up with the demand. What are some changes you’d like to see made to Chicago’s ‘L’ system?

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