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