STATUS: In Progress
Pace has been working with the Transportation Management
Association (TMA) of Lake Cook and Metra since 2004 to evaluate the feasibility
of shuttle services between suburban Metra North Central Service (NCS) stations
and nearby employers.
The inspiration for the North Central Service Shuttle Initiative
was Metra's expansion of service on the NCS line, including the addition
of "reverse-commute" trips that operate outbound from Chicago in the morning
and inbound to Chicago in the afternoon, that took effect in early 2006.
Shuttle services in the North Central Service corridor will
be similar to Pace's Shuttle Bug routes that connect many TMA of Lake Cook
employers with stations along Metra's Union Pacific-North and Milwaukee
District-North lines.
In order to evaluate the feasibility of shuttle services
in the NCS corridor, Pace and its project consultants asked area employers
to distribute surveys to their employees. Larger employers were targeted,
namely:
� employers with 50 or more employees and located in a zip
code within three miles of an NCS station
� employers with 250 or more employees and located in a
zip code within five miles of an NCS station
Survey questions focused on employees' current travel patterns
and potential use of shuttle service based on service characteristics. The
project team then developed routings based on the level of interest expressed
at each responding employer and the employers' locations.
An initial set of shuttle routes will begin operating on
Monday, November 20, 2006. Trips are scheduled to connect with rush-hour
Metra trains operating in either direction; however, the train and shuttle
schedules will offer more flexibility to employees living further north
along the North Central Service line.
In the future, Pace will implement additional shuttles and
reconfigure existing routes based on ridership levels, employer interest
and changes to Metra's North Central Service schedule. For more information
about the North Central Service Shuttle Initiative, please contact Tara
O'Malley, Pace Business Development Representative, at (847) 228-4282 or
timothy.dilsaver@pacebus.com.
Links to More Information
North Central
Service Information
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