Transit Briefs: CTA, LACMTA, MBTA

Contactless fare payment is slated for rollout at MBTA this summer on subways, buses and any above-ground Green Line trains, according to Boston’s WBZ-TV, a CBS affiliate. (MBTA Photograph)

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) unveils under-the-track development plans as part of the Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One project. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) logs its 17th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth in April; and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority anticipates rolling out its contactless fare payment system this summer.

CTA

CTA addressed preliminary design plans under the new Red and Purple line tracks between the Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations, during community meetings that were held May 22-23 in the Chicago neighborhoods of Edgewater and Uptown. The tracks are being built as part of the $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project, consisting of a new bypass structure just north of the Belmont station; a complete rebuild of the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations; and the installation of a new signal system between Howard and Belmont—all in an effort to replace aging infrastructure, expand CTA’s capacity to increase train service as needed, and improve rapid transit service. It is the agency’s largest capital investment project under way.

“More than one mile of new, open space under the L tracks became available in a first-of-its-kind community transit project for CTA to the community as part of the RPM project,” CTA reported. The agency last year removed the 100-year-old embankment that had been part of the old Red and Purple line track structure “to create new, open spaces,” it said.

CTA partnered with Site Design Group, a Chicago-based landscape architecture, urban design and architecture firm, to guide the development of a block-by-block plan and to work with residents and riders to gather feedback.

Here’s what’s in store:

• Ardmore to Hollywood: “The block would offer a park-like setting with a play trail and stormwater feature that would collect and filter the rainwater collected from the track above,” CTA said. “Play trails could include undulating topographies and mounds, adding vertical interests to the site, as well as providing an alternative route to traverse through the space. At the southern end of the block would be an area for ground-play sports and games. The block may include planters, anchored by site furnishings of the community’s choosing.” 
• Hollywood to Bryn Mawr: “The block would include open, flexible spaces that could be used by various events in Edgewater, such as Edgewater Monday Market, EdgeFest etc.,” CTA reported. “Various seating nodes would be provided throughout with parking spaces included along the west alley. Stormwater features and play trails would zigzag through the space to create additional visual interest.”
• Bryn Mawr to Catalpa: Located south of the Bryn Mawr auxiliary station, “the programming of this block would make a connection with the Bryn Mawr retail corridor with open plazas next to the station that would be suitable for vendor events and market space,” according to CTA. “To the south, there would be an outdoor fitness space and dog park. A secondary boardwalk path could weave between different programs, creating various pedestrian experiences.”
• Catalpa to Balmoral: “This block would feature a nature play area and significant green space,” CTA said. “Buffered by planting, there would be some parking stalls in the middle of the block. There would also be a nature play area, offering a palette of nature materials with a pop of color—play equipment and play features made of wood with trails meandering through planted areas. Different seating nooks would be located in the park space. The south end of the block could include an entry plaza that would be characterized by colorful pavement and pockets of greenery and natural materials.”
• Balmoral to Berwyn: Located north of Berwyn auxiliary station, the block’s design would consist of planters on the north end and a sports and games area on the south. Similar to other planted areas throughout the site, CTA said there would be planters. “Greenery would create a naturalistic canvas and provide borders for seating areas, paths and trails,” it noted. “Within the outdoor fitness and games area, games and equipment would be informed based on the community feedback received.”
• Berwyn to Foster: A skate park would be located on the south side of the block to allow for activation highly visible to Foster Avenue. Small plaza spaces with parking available to serve the adjacent commercial corridor could be situated on the north side of the block, south of the Berwyn station, according to CTA.
• Foster to Winona: South of Foster, this block “would be dedicated to play and well-being, programmatically tied to William C. Goudy Public School on the east and the Bridge International School across the street,” according to CTA. There would be a nature play area north of CTA’s relay house, and to the south, an outdoor fitness area.
• Winona to Argyle: Making connections to the Argyle retail corridor, this block north of Argyle Street would include an open plaza behind the station that would provide flexible space for events like the Argyle Night Market and other vendor programs, according to CTA. North of the plaza space, an area would be dedicated to ground sports and games “buffered by stormwater gardens that showcase sustainable design and the flow of water through the garden.” Additionally, there would be parking spots along the west alley to supplement the available commercial street parking.
• Argyle to Ainslie: Open flexible plaza spaces would be created to support neighborhood events, according to CTA. “A dog park would serve daily community activities,” it said, and “[r]esponding to the community’s preferences, a playground would also be located this block.”
• Ainslie to Lawrence: Similar to the north end (Ardmore to Hollywood), CTA  said it would provide open flexible spaces to accommodate Uptown’s neighborhood events, as well as public space next to Aragon Ballroom to support additional queuing space during events. Other programs such as sports and games and outdoor fitness would anchor the north end of this block.

At the May meetings, CTA said neighbors and transit riders were asked for their opinions on the options for block features they would like to see in four categories, including but not limited to:

1. “Identity. Residents were asked what elements within their community they would like to highlight within the activation through wayfinding signage, lighting, murals and color.
2. “Play elements. Residents were asked to choose their top three preferences when considering play sculptures and structures, repurposed natural materials and striping for school yard games.
3. “Fitness and games elements. Residents were asked to choose their top three preferences when considering floor games and outdoor gym equipment.
4. “Plaza space. Residents were asked to choose their top three preferences when considering seating types, open market space and public sculptures/art.”

CTA said it anticipates sharing final block concepts and the construction plan at public meetings in late summer 2024.

“CTA continues to make significant progress in the final major stage of construction (‘Stage B’) of the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr portion of RPM,” the agency reported. “Stage A, which was completed in July 2023, rebuilt the northbound Red and Purple line track structures between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr. Stage B, now under way, is rebuilding the southbound Red and Purple Line track structures and building four new, fully accessible Red Line stations at Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr. Work on the new stations began in early 2024, with expected completion in late 2025.”

LACMTA

LACMTA on May 24 reported that total rail and bus ridership in April was up 10.8% from the same period last year—its 17th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Average weekday ridership saw a 9.2% increase in boardings over April 2023.

In April 2024, LACMTA had 26,210,300 boardings on its rail bus and rail services. A total of 21,286,056 rides were taken each weekday, with Saturday boardings at 2,702,268 and Sunday boardings at 2,221,976, according to the agency. Weekday ridership last month for rail and bus was at 80.5% of April 2019’s pre-pandemic level; weekend ridership reached 92.6% of the pre-pandemic level. Overall, combined rail and bus ridership in April reached 82.5% of April 2019’s pre-pandemic level.

According to LACMTA, the total number of April rail boardings was 5,705,850, with 4,504,214 trips taken on weekdays. Average ridership across the A, B, D, and E rail lines was up 2.6% on weekdays; 2.7% on Saturdays; and 1.4% on Sundays. In April, the A Line saw the largest total weekday boardings with 1,469,754 trips taken, slightly surpassing the B Line, which had 1,466,124 weekday boardings, as the agency’s busiest weekday rail line. On the A and E Lines combined, average weekday ridership was up 27.9%, LACMTA reported, with average Saturday ridership up 30.5% and average Sunday boardings up 25.7% over April 2023 ridership of the A, E, and L lines, which were combined as the new A and E Lines in June 2023.

On the bus side, LACMTA saw ridership grow 12.5% year-over-year; 20,504,450 rides were taken in April 2024. LACMTA said it recorded an average of 762,811 bus boardings on weekdays in April 2024 (up 10.9% from April 2023 and a new post-COVID record for weekday bus ridership), with an average of 512,520 boardings on Saturdays (up 3.7% from April 2023) and an average of 418,132 boardings on Sundays (up 4.5% from April 2023).

“Weekend riders continue to use Metro for travel to leisure activities, boosting weekend boardings and quickly closing the gap between pre-pandemic and current weekend ridership,” LACMTA reported. “Average Saturday boardings on bus and rail combined reached 91.5% of April 2019 levels, and on Sundays during the month, average combined boardings reached 93.9% of April 2019 levels. In April, weekend activities such as the Grand Prix of Long Beach, the LA Times Festival of Books, Anime Nation Fest, CicLAvia, and LAFC all saw participants opting to ride LACMTA, boosting weekend ridership.” Additionally, in the first 22 games of the season, LACMTA said it welcomed almost 81,000 Dodger fans onto the Dodger Stadium Express from both Union Station and the South Bay, and boardings have increased 17.2% compared with last season, “which is a higher rate of growth than Dodger game attendance overall (up 13.6% this season),” according to the transit agency.

Additionally, LACMTA said that it is continuing its reduced-price transit pass programs, such as the student GoPass program, which offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students, and its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, which provides free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers. In April, the GoPass Program saw 2,077,801 total boardings vs. 1,714,578 in April 2023, according to the transit agency, which said this reflected a 12% year-over-year increase. The LIFE Program saw an 18% year-over-year increase in April 2024 ridership, with 1,570,038 boardings vs. 1,260,155 in April 2023.

In comparison, in March 2024, total LACMTA system ridership was up 9.4% from March 2023 with nearly 26 million boardings. Average weekday rail ridership saw a 6.4% increase in boardings over March 2023, surpassing 200,000 boardings. Total rail boardings in March were 5,717,630, with 4,311,720 trips taken on weekdays. In March 2024, the agency recorded a total of 25,880,698 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 955,918 rides were taken each weekday, with Saturday boardings averaging 606,255 and Sunday boardings averaging 555,029. LACMTA said its total bus and rail ridership combined in March was at 81.5% of its March 2019 pre-pandemic level. Total March weekend ridership was 89.2% and weekday ridership was 79.5% of its March 2019 level.

MBTA

Contactless fare payment is slated for rollout this summer on MBTA’s subways, buses and any above-ground Green Line trains, according to Boston’s WBZ-TV, a CBS affiliate.

Commuter Rail and ferries will be offer contactless payment starting in 2026, the media outlet reported. MBTA, in a May 23 meeting, “also outlined plans to introduce a new CharlieCard, upgraded fare machines, and a mobile app sometime next year,” as part of a system-wide upgrade that WBZ-TV said will cost at least $920 million.

“The MBTA’s Fare Transformation [program] will make paying for transit easier and more convenient,” according to the transit agency. Upon completion, riders will be able to tap and board at any door with a fare card, smartphone, or contactless credit card; reload using cash or credit card at vending machines at all stations and some bus stops; and manage their accounts online 24 hours a day. “As part of Fare Transformation, we are upgrading fare vending machines across the system,” the agency said. “These upgrades make paying for transit easier and more convenient, allowing riders to tap and go quickly through our fare gates and fare boxes.”

In a related development, the MBTA Board of Directors earlier this year unanimously approved the implementation of a reduced fares program for riders with low-income.