If Chicago were able to build a north-south subway down a major street, which street would you choose? (Evanston: apartments, hotels)

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by xsboost

That would be awesome.

I've often walked this, after visiting Chicago and seeing a Cub's game, but it does depend upon how hot it is. You get to know a city better by traversing it on foot.

[BigLake]

Originally Posted by frimpter928

Western for sure. First it's much needed and as many other's have said it's connects the train lines in some good spots. Aside from that Western once you get north of Logan Blvd, is very commercialized but not pedestrian friendly. I think it would definitely help make it much more walkable and only bring more to those neighborhoods.

To me Western is such a jarring street. I really wish improvements were made to it. It's such an eye sore from an urban perspective. Always felt it looked and felt more like it belonged in LA or Houston than in Chicago.

Yup, I kind of viewed Western as a street in Los Angeles. Wide, commercial, and not very attractive.

[frimpter928]

Originally Posted by BigLake

Yup, I kind of viewed Western as a street in Los Angeles. Wide, commercial, and not very attractive.

Right? Especially once you go north of Fullerton. Feels like it belongs in LA not Chicago.

[BRU67]

No doubt about it, Western. Not only is it a geographic center of sorts with several stops but it also divides the low income neighborhoods from the wealthy ones south of the Eisenhower. Such a line would help spur some development heading west and provide L service to some underserved neighborhoods.

[pvande55]

I'll go along with Western. It would link five L lines and three Metra stations serving five lines.
What has a possibility of getting built, however, is a Bus Rapid Transit line along Ashland. But it would not perform as well. Even its backers admit it would be slower than traffic.

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by compactspace

Western, the whole length of the city. It would connect all the other lines up and bring metro transit to some very underserved neighborhoods.

Then, if the South Side sees revitalization, we'd ideally see East-West lines along 51st, 63rd and 87th, along with an extension of ME from South Chicago to Hegewisch. ME should be rolled into the CTA and given a metro schedule.

That would really make Chicago's transit world class, IMO.

I'd love to see a Western line going from the Brown line stop in Lincoln Square and end at 119th Street

I'm in Bridgeport. From here, it's very difficult to go directly north to places like Pilsen and the Medical District. I usually have to get on two buses, or catch the L to the loop, then transfer to pink line. Not ideal. Having a Western L-train would mean I could walk/take a bus to the L, then head straight up.

[ChicagoMeO]

Harlem Ave.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

Harlem Ave.

Not enough there. What is now the Pink Line used to run out to Oak Park Avenue in Berwyn, and land was set aside to expand that out to Harlem. That land is in fact still there. But it was never realized and, in fact, the Pink Line was even scaled back to 54th and Cermak in Cicero in the early 1950s.

I remember when I was in Berwyn the idea being floated to bring the L back out to OPA or even to Harlem. I thought it would make sense to ultimately take it out to the Loyola/Hines medical facility in Maywood, and maybe even loop it up to the Blue Line. But that was met with a lot of indifference, some hostility over losing the parking in the Vacin Fairway, and certainly no serious proposals.

So until there's interest to do that, I very highly doubt you'll see any talk of a Harlem north-south line. It would basically be a train standing as an island by itself not connecting anything of note.

[NealIRC]

Western is a bit too far east imo.

And Cicero, it isn't Chicago between 1200 S. and 3900 S.

Red Line North side is mostly 1000 W., and South side, at 0. W.

So Western 2400 W. is too close on the North side, especially considering the part of the Brown Line that is north-south at 1800 W.

So more like Pulaski.

So I'd pick Pulaski for the North side, and Kedzie for the South side.

[paytonc]

Clinton! Not only is the West Loop already under-served by rail, given the huge Metra terminals and the huge-and-growing office market, but the riverfront to the north and south is also quickly filling in with new high-rise residential. Plus, it ties in very nicely to the existing Blue and Red Line subways.

Central Area Committee Pushing New Downtown Rail Transit (Again) – Streetsblog Chicago

Sorry to burst the neighborhoods' bubble, but adding new subways through low-rise areas isn't nearly as cost-effective as adding new lines in high-rise areas.