Left: Officials unveil the real-time information marker at the first Pulse Dempster Line station in Des Plaines. Right (L-R): Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski; Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger; Pace Director Bill McLeod; Illinois State Senator Laura Murphy; Pace Chairman Rick Kwasneski; Pace Director David Guerin; and Pace Director Chris Canning.
Service represents Pace’s latest innovations, providing riders with fast, frequent service on modern buses with fewer stops to conquer congestion
DES PLAINES, IL – State and local officials joined Pace Suburban Bus leadership on Wednesday in downtown Des Plaines to showcase the first completed bus station along the new and innovative Pulse Dempster Line.
The Pulse Dempster Line is Pace’s latest service innovation that provides faster bus service with limited stops, accessible trip information, and modern amenities. Riders can take trips every 15 minutes most of the day when the service fully launches. Each Pulse bus that operates along the line comes equipped with advanced transit signal priority (TSP) technology that extends green lights and minimizes red lights to help Pace riders conquer congestion.
The celebratory station unveiling in Des Plaines also kick starts Pace’s “sneak peak” service of the Pulse Dempster Line. Starting August 13, riders can use the newest Pulse line on Sundays only and experience the increased service and stylish purple Pulse buses equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports before full daily service begins later this year.
Pace Chairman Rick Kwasneski opened the event on Wednesday by acknowledging the many partners and individuals who collaborated to make this innovative service improvement in the northwest suburbs a reality, including Illinois State Representative Marty Moylan for his support of this project. He also thanked Illinois Senator Laura Murphy and Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski for sharing remarks and helping Pace mark the opening of the new station.
“Pace is proud of our region’s investment in transit infrastructure in the northwest suburbs. It has made it possible for Pace to introduce this efficient and reliable service,” Chairman Kwasneski said, adding, “This is yet another example of how our region’s service boards collaborate and complement each other. Pulse truly creates a network of access across our region.”
Pace Directors Chris Canning, Bill McLeod, and David Guerin, who represent the communities that the Pulse Dempster Line will serve, also attended the station unveiling on Wednesday. Other guests included representatives from U.S. Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi’s office, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley’s office, Illinois State Representative Michelle Mussman’s office, the Northwest Municipal Conference, Des Plaines City Hall, and the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce.
Pace Director Chris Canning emphasized the importance of collaboration that helped Pace launch its second-ever Pulse line. The start of the Pulse Dempster Line follows the opening of the Pulse Milwaukee Line in 2019. Canning said the Pulse Dempster Line could not have happened without the support and partnership of Des Plaines, Evanston, Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, Park Ridge, and Rosement.
“Investment in transit infrastructure, like we see here today, spurs economic growth by creating immediate jobs and, in the long-term, increasing safe and reliable access to employment, shopping, dining, and entertainment while saving passengers money with an affordable and environmentally friendly transportation option,” Director Canning said.
Pulse Dempster service will travel along Dempster Street between Evanston and O’Hare International Airport, offering connections along the way to other Pace and CTA bus routes, the CTA Yellow and Purple lines, as well as to Metra’s Union Pacific North, Northwest, and North Central Service rail lines. Passengers will be able to get from Evanston to O’Hare in approximately 50 minutes, saving customers time over current Pace service.
“What a fabulous opportunity to help move people quickly throughout the northwest suburbs,” said Illinois State Senator Laura Murphy. “I’m really proud to work with Pace, proud to see how they interconnect with communities and other transportation systems, and how all these governmental agencies can work together and produce something that really helps people’s lives.”
“The Pace Pulse Dempster line will improve the lives of Des Plaines residents and beyond. With multiple stops for this line within our city limits, we are excited about the opportunity for more efficient trips around town and to O’Hare,” said Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski.
During the event Wednesday, Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger shared how the new Pulse Dempster Line represents Pace’s latest service innovation at a time when the future of transit remains uncertain following the COVID-19 pandemic. “Pace has worked tirelessly to maintain existing service and spearhead many innovative changes that can help riders meet their post-pandemic travel needs,” she said.
“Over the past two years, Pace has launched new transit options like VanGo and partnerships with ride-share companies like the DuPage Access Program and Pace Connect to increase service capacity and provide riders with more flexible connections,” Metzger said. “Pace also has leveraged new technologies to simplify trip planning and incorporate all of Pace’s transportation services under one easy-to-use app called Transit.”
The Pulse Dempster Line harnesses many of the same innovative technologies, Metzger said before she helped unveil a unique feature of the Pulse station in Des Plaines — a real-time information station marker that displays up-to-the-minute arrival times for Pace riders.
“Collaboration has been an integral part of achieving these goals. Collaboration with our communities, with our sister agencies, and colleagues at Metra, CTA, RTA, CMAP, and, most importantly, with those we serve. We are grateful for our partners, and I look forward to seeing what we achieve together in the coming years,” Metzger said, adding, “Life is good in Des Plaines, and we at Pace will continue to make it better for your residents and our riders.”
Pace encourages riders to share their experiences and help ensure Pace can best meet the needs of our communities. Riders also can visit the Pulse Dempster Line route page on Pace’s website to learn more about this innovative service.
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High resolution images available. Members of the media may contact Maggie.Daly@PaceBus.com.
Pace Suburban Bus safely and efficiently moves people to work, school, and other regional destinations with its family of public transportation services. Pace offers affordable and environmentally responsible transit options for the residents of 274 municipalities in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. The backbone of Chicago's suburbs, Pace serves tens of thousands of daily riders. One of the largest bus services in North America, Pace covers 3,677 square miles, an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut and about 15 times the size of the City of Chicago. Pace's innovative approach to public transportation gives the agency a national reputation as an industry leader.
