CTA extends weekend access for Skokie Swift passengers

Today the Chicago Transit Board approved an extension of the test period for service enhancements on the Yellow Line and two other routes. In February, the Board approved a 180-day experiment to add weekend service for the Yellow Line.

Ridership on the Yellow Line recorded an average of 1,300 boardings on Saturdays and 1,000 boardings Sundays in July 2008. Yellow Line ridership to date is up 14.7 percent over the same period last year.

"Weekend ridership on the Yellow Line and increased ridership on the two bus routes demonstrates the need for the service,” said CTA President Ron Huberman. “By extending the test period, it gives us the opportunity to gather additional data and feedback, and make adjustments if needed. This will help determine if these services would make a viable and cost-efficient permanent offering for customers.”

"Although the CTA is faced with budget challenges, these service improvements demonstrate ways the agency is still working within the resources available to ensure that service matches the demands of increased ridership,” said Chicago Transit Board Chairman Carole Brown. “For these changes, grant funding is available to offset the costs of the increased service."

Yellow Line trains operate on Saturdays and Sundays from 6:10 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. at 15-minute intervals. Funding for the additional service is from a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) grant. Yellow Line boardings on an average weekday are just over 2,700.