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chicagotransit.bsky.social
Chicago Transit
@chicagotransit.bsky.social
Since bottoming out during the pandemic, transit ridership in Chicago and the surrounding region has steadily recovered.

Here, I try to post daily statistics that highlight an optimistic view of the city's transit future.
Pinned
The CTA November Ridership Report is out! Year-to-date ridership growth rate held steady:

Rail: +8.4%
Bus: +12.8%

Slightly down from the October report but still very positive!
January 21, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Top 5 Chicago community areas by percentage of commuters that take transit to work:

1. Lakeview (51.2%)
2. Uptown (44.9%)
3. Lincoln Park (44.0%)
4. Edgewater (42.0%)
5. Washington Park (38.6%)
January 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Saturday CTA bus ridership this October was up 18.1% from Oct 2023 and is now up to 89% of pre-pandemic (Oct 2019) levels.

One more year of growth like this and we will surpass pre-pandemic ridership!
January 9, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Just spent $2.50 on a 22 minute ride from 🟧Midway🟧 to the Loop.

I looked and an uber would have been $45 and taken 40 minutes.
January 6, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Downtown activity on the weekends continues to soar. This is reflected by an increase in ⬛Loop⬛ station entries (Oct 2024 compared with Oct 2023):

Avg Saturday: +16.1%
Avg Sunday: +21.2%
January 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
With 2 months left to count, here are the top 4 busiest bus routes of 2024:

1. 66 (Chicago) -
4,635,423 (+12.0%)

2. 9 (Ashland) -
4,438,777 (+24.1%)

3. 8 (Halsted) -
4,264,320 (+22.0%)

4. 79 (79th) -
4,208,255 (+18.2%)
January 4, 2025 at 5:38 PM
With 2 months left to count, here are the top 3 busiest L stations of 2024:

1. Lake (Red) -
2,857,684 (+10.5%)

2. O'Hare (Blue) -
2,627,085 (+13.3%)

3. Clark/Lake (Loop) -
2,332,950 (+10.9%)
January 3, 2025 at 11:35 PM
The Forest Park Branch of the 🟦Blue Line🟦 has seen huge growth in ridership following improvements to rail segments.

Oct 2024 growth from Oct 2023:

Weekdays: +24.4%
Saturdays: +30.0%
Sundays: +44.2%
December 24, 2024 at 6:26 PM
The CTA October Ridership Report is out! Year-to-date ridership growth rate held steady:

Rail: +8.8%
Bus: +13.4%

Unchanged from the September report.
December 24, 2024 at 3:56 AM
Reposted by Chicago Transit
The CTA says bus schedules will return to prepandemic levels during the last full week of 2024, marking the fulfillment of the agency’s plan to restore service by the end of the year.
CTA says bus schedules to return to prepandemic levels, one month after train service returns
Service could look different on individual routes and at certain times of day or days of the week than it has in the past, as the CTA adjusts schedules to reflect changing ridership.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 18, 2024 at 9:44 PM
More and more baseball fans are finding the most convenient way to see their team! Change in daily station entries through the first 9 months of 2024 (compared to same period in 2023):

🟥Sox/35th🟥: +11%
🟥Addison🟥: +8.2%
December 17, 2024 at 4:51 PM
Systemwide weekend Metra ridership is actually ABOVE pre-pandemic levels!

Daily average November 2024 change from November 2019:

Saturday: -1%
Sunday: +11%
December 16, 2024 at 6:27 PM
SUBURBAN SUNDAY

Total October Pace Bus Ridership was up 13.5% in Oct 2024 compared to Oct 2023
December 15, 2024 at 10:37 PM
Over 70 CTA Bus Lines have seen double digit ridership growth so far in 2024! 3 bus lines have seen growth of over 40%:

31 - 31st Street: +40.3%
37 - Sedgwick: +42.5%
85A - North Central: +46.6%
December 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM
🟦Clinton Blue Line🟦 has seen the largest year-to-date surge in daily entries of any station in the system, up 31% in 2024.
December 3, 2024 at 4:26 PM
December 3, 2024 at 2:53 AM
METRA MONDAY

Metra provided 3.4 million rides in October - the most in any month since the pandemic.
December 2, 2024 at 3:52 PM
More people are discovering the best way to travel into and out of the city! CTA boardings at the airports are up sharply in 2024:

🟦O'Hare +13.9%🟦
🟧Midway +5.4% 🟧
December 1, 2024 at 6:41 PM
Systemwide Metra ridership was up 10.2% in October 2024 compared to October 2023.

10 out of 11 lines have seen an increase in ridership over that period.
November 30, 2024 at 4:29 PM
7 out of the 8 CTA rail lines have seen an increase in ridership during the first 9 months of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023.

The Ashland/63rd Branch of the 🟩Green Line🟩 has seen a 19.4% increase, the largest growth of any branch on the system.
November 30, 2024 at 1:51 AM
Happy Thanksgiving! Reminder that the CTA Holiday Train is in service starting tomorrow! The Holiday Bus is already in service! Full Schedules and links to trackers here: www.transitchicago.com/holidayfleet/
November 28, 2024 at 6:54 PM
CTA bus ridership is projected to be slightly higher in 2024 than if it had stayed on its pre-pandemic (2012-2019) linear trajectory.

This suggests bus ridership is truly on a better trajectory now than it was in the 2010s, even with the pandemic.
November 27, 2024 at 5:36 PM
CTA ridership is up 11.5% in the first 9 months of 2024 as compared to the first 9 months of 2023.

Bus Boardings +13.4%
Rail Boardings +8.8%
November 26, 2024 at 5:32 PM