LINK TO CMAP'S NEW ENTER ACTIVE
SITE.
TO CAROL MARCH AND AND THE HEAD
OF ONE THE MAJOR TRANSIT
AGENCIES.
>> A BIT OF A BUMPY COMMUTE THIS
MORNING BUT LOOKING BACK THE CTA
HAD A GOOD YEAR IF 2014.
IN FARE HIKES AND MAJOR IMT
PROFLTS WERE MADE TO A NUMBER OF
STATIONS AND BRANCHES.
NEW BUSES AND TRAINS CAMEON
LANE, SO WHAT WENT WRONG THIS
MORNING AND WHAT IS AROUND THE
CORNER FOR THE CTA IN THIFT?
HERE WITH ALL THE ANSWERS,
FORREST CLAYPOOL, THE CTA
PRESIDENT.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING?
>> BROKEN SWITCH IN THE SOUTH
LOOP, REQUIRED US TO REROUTE
TRAINS AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT
DELAYS FOR WHICH WE APOLOGIZED
TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
IT IS ONE OF THOSE SWITCHES THAT
WE ARE NOW AS A PREEMPTIVE
MEASURE WILL REPLACE TWELVE
OTHERS IN THE LOOP OF SIMILAR
AGE AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE TO
HOPE TO MINIMIZE THE CHANCES OF
THIS HAPPENING AGAIN.
WHAT DO YOU DO, I'M NOT SAYING
THIS IS AN INSTANCE, IF THIS WAS
AN INSTANCE WHERE ONE OF YOUR
CONTRACTORS, ONE OF YOUR PEOPLE
THAT DOES THESE THINGS DIDN'T
PERFORM WELL ENOUGH, WHAT IS THE
LEVEL OF ACCOUNTBILITY THAT IS
IMPOSED ON THEM TO NOT MAKE
MISTAKES?
>> WE HOLD OUR CONTRACTORS TO
THE LOWER OF THE CONTRACT AND
STANDARDS AND OUR OWN EMPLOYEES
ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT THEY DO.
IN THAT RTA STUDY THAT WE FOUND,
36 BILLION IN CAPITAL OVER TEN
YEARS, OF THAT AMOUNT, WHAT IS
THE CTA'S CHUNK?
I'M NOT REALLY SURE.
THE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN BANDIED
ABOUT AND TO A FEW YEARS AND
THERE HAS BEEN DISINVESTMENT
UNTIL THIS ADMINISTRATION,
FRANKLY.
THE MAYOR CAME IN IN 2011 CTA
WAS TAKING CAPITAL TO FUND
OPERATING BUDGETS AND NOW WE ARE
WELL INTO A $5 BILLION
MODERNIZATION CAMPAIGN REPLACING
OUR BUS AND FLEETS AND WE ARE A
THIRD OF OUR STATIONS HAVE BEEN
REPLACED OR REHABBED AND ALL THE
WAY DOWN TO THE SUB-STATIONS,
OUR BUS AND RAIL YARDS WHICH
WILL INCREASE THE OPPORTUNITY
FOR RELIABLE SFGS.
>> THE LOW GAS PRICES THAT WE
ARE SEEING, A TRICKLE DOWN
EFFECT THAT PEOPLE FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE JUMPING IN THEIR CAR
AND THEREFORE NOT TAKING PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION?
AND THEREFORE DECLINING
PROVIDING THE CTA WITH LESS
REVENUE?
>> IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT WOULD
HAPPEN.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET.
SO WE WILL SEE, PARKING IS STILL
SHERIFF AND INSURANCE IS
EXPENSIVE, AND THIS YEAR WE ARE
ON TRACK TO HIT THE HIGHEST RAIL
RIDERSHIP IN CTA HISTORY IN 50
YEARS.
SO AN WE HAVE GOTTEN RECORD RAIL
RIDERSHIP EVERY YEAR SINCE 2013.
AS THE SOLICITED QUESTIONS FROM
VIEWERS TO SEE WHAT THEIR
EXPERIENCE IS.
A LOT OF CONTROVERSY, ON THE
ACTUAL, WHETHER THE CITY IS
TRYING TO PLOW FORWARD ON THAT
CENTER LANE OPERATION BECAUSE
THERE IS FEDERAL MONEY FENWAY
PARK IF THERE WASN'T THE CITY
WOULDN'T DO IT, FAIR?
>> I A SURE YOU WE ARE LOOKING
AT IT SAFELILY.
WE ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES,
STILL.
WE WILL TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT
IN THE FINAL DESIGNS.
THIS IS THE LONG WAY TO GO
BEFORE IT IS A DONE DEAL.
DOES THE COMMUNITY IF YOU HAD TO
PUT A PERCENTAGE ON IT, THE
COMMUNITY THAT YOU HEARING FROM,
HOW MANY ARE FOR IT AND HOW MANY
AGAINST IT?
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE
COMMUNITY BROADLY, PERHAPS WITH
WESTERN AND ASHLAND ARE THE TWO
BUSIEST ROWEDS AND THE SPEEDS
THAT THIS ROUTE MATTER, SPEED
MATTERS, WE KNOW THAT.
IT DETERMINES WHETHER PM RIDE IT
OR NOT.
THE COMMUNITY AFFECTED BY SOME
OF THE DECISION THAT IS PART OF
THAT, LEFT TURN LANE, OBVIOUSLY
THEY ARE MORE COMPACTED AND WE
HAVE TO TAKE THEM INTO
CONSIDERATION.
IF THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE NOT
ESSENTIALLY SACRIFICING FOR THE
LARGER COMMUNITY YOU HAVE TO
MAKE COMPROMISES.
ALONG THE SAME LINES THERE IS A
LOT OF FEROCIOUS RHETORIC AROUND
THE STATUS OF TEARING DOWN
SIXTEEN BUILDINGS AT THE BELMONT
F-FULLYOVER.
IS IT WORTH MONEY TO DISPLACE,
THE TIME TO MAYBE INKRAES TRIP,
OR DIMINISH A TRIP BY A COUPLE
OF MINUTES
>> THAT IS NOT WHAT THAT IS
ABOUT.
IT IS ABOUT CAPACITY ON THE
BUSIEST RAIL LINE THAT WE HAVE.
THE RED LINE IS GROWING
DRAMATICALLY, BARELY KEPT UP
WITH THE DEMAND, NEW RAIL CARS
AND ADDITIONAL SERVICE.
TO MEET THAT DEMAND AND IF WE
CAN'T UNLOCK THAT BOTTLENECK
THERE, YOU ARE PUTTING A CAP ON
THE RED LINE.
YOU WILL TUSH PEOPLE AWAY, THEY
WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET ON THE
PLATFORMS AND LEAVE THE SYSTEMS,
OR THEY WILL LEAVE THE
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE PROVIDING
SOME OF THE GREATEST ECONOMIC
BENEFITS IN THE CITY RIGHT NOW.
ARE THE TEAR-DOWNS INEVITABLE.
NOTHING IS INOFESTIBLE, IT TAKES
TIME AND WE ARE DOING
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS AND THERE
ARE ALSO NO HISTORICAL
PROPERTIES THERE, NOTHING THAT I
THINK WOULD, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES
THERE IS A COMPLEX PROCESS.
>> BUT IF IT'S YOUR HOUSE?
>> YOU TRY NO MINIMIZE ANY
TAKINGS, BUT INDIVIDUALS ARE
COMPENSATED AS GENEROUSLY AS
FEDERAL LAW ALLOWS AND IT GIVES
THEM MARKET S&L VALUE OR COSTS.
>> I WILL SEE AN OLD BUS, WITH
THE HOOD ON THE BACK, THERE ARE
STILL DESPITE THE REPLACEMENT A
LOT OF THESE OLD VEHICLES.
RIGHT?
>> ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE
TURNOVER?
>> THAT IS WHY WE ARE RAPIDLY
REPLACING THEM, IN THE MIDDLE OF
A 300-BUS DELIVERY AND IN THE
MIDDLE OF A GET REHAB JOB, EVERY
BUS IS TORN DOWN TO ITS STEEL
FRAME AND EVERYTHING IS
REPLACED.
WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO ALMOST
BRAND NEW BUS FLEET, AS CLOSE AS
YOU CAN GET AND THE SAME THING
ON THE RAIL SIDE.
>> AS A COMMISSIONER YOU ARGUED
AS A REFORMER, ARE YOU STILL?
>> SURE.
>> AND HOW DO WE KNOW?
>> I HOPE YOU LOOK AT MY RECORD
AND LOOK AT THE MAYOR'S RECORD.
THE CTA HAS DESTROY ORGANIZE
CHANGE.
THIS IS AN AGENCY THAT WAS
DISINVESTING AND HAD DOOMSDAY
SCENARIOS EVERY FEW YEARS,
RUNNING TO SPRINGFIELD FOR A
BAILOUT AND SERVICE INCREASES.
WE HAD BETTER MANAGE MGT AND
REAL REFORM, AND INCREASED
SERVICE AND HELD BASE FARES FLAT
AND WE HAVE DONE THAT DESPITE A
FINANCIAL NIGHTMARE THAT HE
INHERITED AND DESPITE THAT, WE
ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A $5
BILLION MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
THAT TOUCHES PEOPLE'S LIFES.
RED LINE SOUTH, PEOPLE ON THE
SOUTH SIDE WERE GOING 15 MILES
AN HOUR, AND EVERYBODY THOUGHT
THAT WAS ACCEPTABLE AND NOW THEY
ARE GOING 55 LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE
AND AS PART OF THE DEAL
THOUSANDS OF JOBS HAVE BEEN
CREATED, INCLUDING IN THOSE
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE
TRADITIONALLY NEGLIGENTED.
THAT IS REFORM.
YOU HAVE RUN FOR A COUPLE OF
POLITICAL OFFICES?
>> I ENJOY MY JOB AND I ENJOY
BEING A PUBLIC MANAGER AND
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
BECAUSE YOU CAN REALLY MAKE
DIFFERENCE AND WE HAVE SEEN
THAT, WITH A LEADER LIKE THE
MAYOR WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT HAVE
YOU TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES AND
WHEN YOU DO THAT YOU CAN MAKE A
BIG DIFFERENCE.
YOU HAVE KNOWN RAHM EMANUEL FOR
A LONG TIME.
GOING BACK BEFORE THE 1984 PAUL
SIMON SENATE RACE.
HOW HAS HE CHANGED?
>> HE IS MORE MELLOW THAN WHAT I
KNEW HIM.
>> MELLOW?
>> HE IS STILL A RELENTSLESS AND
GOAL ORIENTED AND STILL, AS
COMMITTED AS EVER, AND I KNOW
THAT CAN RANKLE SOME PEOPLE BUT
GIVEN A PROBLEM THIS CITY FACES
I WILL TAKE THAT TRADEOFF ANY
DAY OF THE WEEK.
AFTER THE ELECTION WILL WE SEE A
FARE INCREASE?
THE FINANCES AT THE CTA ARE IN
EXCELLENT STATE.
YOU DON'T HEAR THE TERM DOOMS