Author: spr1323kobrien

No South For You! CTA approves plan to close South Side Red Line Branch for Reconstruction

Posted on by spr1323kobrien

imagesOn September 28, 1969, the southern part of the Red Line was completed for the first time. This section has been worn down over the years and 44 years later, they are in dire need of repair.  Yet, where does one start?  This is a tough decision to make.  In the eyes of an operations manager, the entire section of track is completely in shambles, and there are sections that need repairing.  Yet, even if that track is repaired, how much is it going to cost?   That is the question that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) had to ask.

There was a lot of work that needed to be done.  The tracks haven’t been fixed in 44 years and “the limestone ballast is worn [as well], failing to properly drain water from the rail bed or keep the tracks securely in place” (Chicago Tribune).  So, that has to be fixed as well because it wouldn’t make sense to fix the tracks if the supports wouldn’t hold them.  Working with Kiewit Infrastructure Corporation, the CTA approved a plan in April to completely redo the entire track section between Cermak-Chinatown to 95th/Dan Ryan.  This company will completely disassemble the entire supports of the old track system and put in new tracks as well as a new drainage system under the tracks.  The total cost of this will be $425 million dollars.

This project is expensive, but it will give jobs to 1,200 workers that will work in two 10-hour shifts for 6 days for a total of 5 months.   imagesCAVNHMYQ Once this project gets finished, the benefits will show.  With the new track system, the South Side Red Line Branch will be able to increase speeds from 15 mph to 55 mph, make a downtown commute to 95th/Dan Ryan 20 minutes shorter, and make the Red Line in general have a much smoother commute as well.   This process can clearly create efficiency for the Red Line as well as the other CTA trains.

Yet, devil’s advocate is that a good section of the Red Line is being worked on and the people who live down there have to take longer to get to where they need to go.  There would be also traffic tie-ups as well.  Behold option #2. With this first option in mind, there happens to be alternative plan as well.  It would have all the necessary adjustments done on the weekends, and would keep the train running during the week.  The bad news?  $75 million more and four years extra to finish.  In my opinion, the first option is the better offer, and in the end, it will help out everyone and it also appears to be the most efficient, which is what the CTA believed to when they made this agreement.  It will also save money and time in the future even though it would cause headaches and tie-ups now.

Do you believe that CTA  was correct to go with their first option or should they have tried the second option?

Sources:

Hilkevitch, Jon. “Red Line Going Offline during Reconstruction.” Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2013. Web. 23 May 2013. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-10/news/ct-met-cta-red-line-south-rebuild-20130510_1_red-line-95th-street-stations-green-line>.

 

To Sell or Not To Sell? That is the Question.

Posted on by spr1323kobrien

            During these past few years, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has seen a significant decline in students attending their schools.  This has lead to drastic action to “close 54 schools, which will leave 61 empty”. Closing the underperforming schools and filling other schools help cut costs and make it more efficient for the schools if they are full.  Yet, the problem is what to do with the schools that are closed and empty.          

             In a business, or operations management, the manager or CEO’s job is to find ways to efficiently use products or make the most profit, but most importantly, efficiently run the business.  This means not letting money go to waste.  CPS is trying to do that by not running a school that has low attendance.  It would be more money wasted to heat that school and pay taxes if no one is using it.  Yet, what CPS is trying to do is also sell the lot that these former schools are on in order to make money to pay for their other schools.  This is a great idea because these schools, instead of being empty, can be used as a safe haven for kids who need a place to go, or like a senior center.  This actually happened in Milwaukee.  A former school called Jackie Robinson Middle School was sold in September of last year and turned into a senior center called the Sherman Park Commons Senior Living Center.  This is a place where seniors 55 or older that have a low income can have a place to live. Seniors who can’t afford housing have found a place to live and the city of Milwaukee was able to convert an old school into a beautiful place for others.  Yet, there is a catch.

            First of all, before this former middle school was sold to a developer, it was vacant for five years. Also, the groups that buy the school are mainly “[c]harter schools, other government agencies and nonprofits” who can afford to pay the money to first buy the property and then renovate it.  Yet, most importantly, there is a process that the qualified buyers must go through before they can buy the property.  The buyers go through meetings to describe about the renovations of the former school and what it will become, but also a selling price must also be negotiated as well.

            It is good that CPS wants to fix up these schools to cancel their debts and create efficiency, but who is getting hurt is the kids.  They are losing their relationships with their friends and teachers because they are forced to go to new schools because their old schools are underperforming.  Also, they are also scared to ask questions because they are not used to this new school and their new teachers which could hurt their grades in the future.   

 

Should Chicago Public Schools close and sell their schools so that that building could be used for other purposes or should the schools stay open?

Source:
Nix, Naomi. “Schools Often a Hard Sell.” Chicago Tribune 21 Apr. 2013, Final ed., sec. 2: 1+. Print.