Transit Marketing in Chicago

Several rapid transit improvements were recently placed in service in Chicago, including the first real extensions within the city since 1907. An intermodal systems approach was used in planning these projects to increase productivity of the investment. The paper sets forth the general goals and policies which guided planning for the recently completed Dan Ryan and Kennedy rapid transit extensions and several other improvements in Chicago, all of which are financed by grants jointly from the City of Chicago and the federal government. This study gives an account of the historical background which shows the demand for transit shifting from surface vehicles, inhibited by street traffic problems, to free-operating high-speed rapid transit and explains how the planners set about to adapt an old-established system to these new needs. The projects themselves and their operating results so far are briefly described.