Final Report Submitted to Regional Transportation Authority REGIONAL TRANSIT COORDINATION PLAN: LOCATION STUDY prepared by BOOZ·ALLEN & HAMILTON INC. in association with WELSH PLANNING July 2001 This report is confidential and intended solely for the use and information of the company to whom it is addressed Table of Contents Disclaimer Page.........................................................................................................................1 Section 1 – Project Summary...................................................................................................2 Section 2 – Study Purpose .......................................................................................................5 Section 3 – Background............................................................................................................7 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................7 3.2 Assessment of Transit Coordination ...................................................................8 3.2.1 Physical Coordination.............................................................................9 3.2.2 Service Coordination .............................................................................10 3.2.3 Fare Coordination ..................................................................................10 3.2.4 Information Coordination.....................................................................11 3.2.5 Other Themes and Issues......................................................................13 3.3 Analysis of Regional Travel ................................................................................16 3.3.1 Travel Demand Projections ..................................................................16 3.3.2 Geographic Analysis..............................................................................17 Section 4 – Characterization of Transfer Locations..........................................................24 4.1 Existing Transfer Locations ................................................................................24 4.1.1 Locations with Two Service Types....................................................25 4.1.2 Locations with Three Service Types..................................................30 4.1.3 Locations with Four Service Types ...................................................31 4.2 Potential Transfer Locations ..............................................................................31 Section 5 – Analysis of Transfer Activity...........................................................................38 5.1 Analysis of Priority Transfer Locations ............................................................38 5.2 Summary of Interagency Transfers ...................................................................44 5.2.1 Interagency Transfers at Existing Locations ....................................45 5.2.2 Interagency Transfers at Potential Locations...................................53 5.3 Transfer Location Priorities.................................................................................58 5.3.1 Assigning Priority to Existing Interagency Transfers…………….58 5.3.2 Assigning Priority to Potential Interagency Transfers……………64 5.3.3 Assigning Priority by Comparison of Zonal Travel………………64 Section 6 – Priorities for Investment at Transfer Locations ...........................................68 6.1 Transfer Coordination Issues ..............................................................................68 6.2 Transfer Coordination Costs ...............................................................................72 Appendices (Under Separate Cover) A Description of Transfer Location Database.........................................................75 B Method for Estimating Interagency Transfers ..................................................80 C Data Sources for Estimates of Interagency Transfers at Existing Locations..91 DISCLAIMER PAGE This document summarizes work conducted for the Regional Transit Coordination Plan. This document was prepared by Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc., under contract to the Regional Transportation Authority. Preparation of this document was financed in part through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration under the Federal Transit Act, and/or the Illinois Department of Transportation. The contents do no necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, or the Illinois Department of Transportation. 1 SECTION 1: PROJECT SUMMARY The objective of the Location Study is to identify locations in the six counties of Northeastern Illinois where transfer activity occurs or could occur between services operated by the three service boards of the region: the Chicago Transit Authority (operating both bus and rail services), Metra (rail services), and Pace (bus services). Booz·Allen & Hamilton Inc., in association with Welsh Planning, has worked with management and staff from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and each of the service boards to compile data, estimate levels of interagency transfer activity and then summarize the information to chart the future direction for transit coordination in the Chicago metropolitan area. The first stage of the study involved an assessment of transfer coordination in the Chicago metropolitan region. This assessment had two steps. First, the study team engaged stakeholders from various transit agencies, transportation planning entities, and other groups in developing a general sense of the strengths and weaknesses of transit coordination in the region. Challenges and opportunities to improve coordination were identified. Respondents related that transit system coordination is generally strongest in traditional markets where services and frequency are high and travel patterns are more established. Information and service coordination for other travel markets may warrant extra attention. Second, regional transit travel estimates were analyzed to determine general trends in transit travel affecting transit coordination. Projections of transit travel show that the spread of development outside of the traditional boundaries of Chicago's downtown, the growth in suburb to suburb travel, and the growth of reverse-commute travel from Chicago neighborhoods to suburban counties, require attention to the types of transit trips and transit connections serving those markets. Findings for both of these efforts are presented in Section 3. The second major phase of the study involved the identification of priority transit locations. This effort involved identification of the "universe" of existing and potential transfer locations and compilation of transit service characteristics associated with those locations. These characteristics were analyzed in a preliminary screen to determine a priority list for which to estimate the number of interagency transfers. Data were collected and methodologies were developed to estimate interagency transfers. The enumeration of locations is presented in Section 4. The transfer estimates and ranking of transfer location priority are presented in Section 5. The final piece of this study involves a summary of issues related to improving transit coordination at the priority locations identified. Issues are analyzed and generalized costs are presented in Section 6. 2 This investigation into the characteristics of interagency transfer locations, and the estimation of the levels of use of transfer locations, set the foundation for the Regional Transportation Authority and its partners to enhance and improve transit coordination throughout the region. Future initiatives to coordinate transit services can be informed by three ideas revealed in the analysis performed for this Location Study. First, most locations served by the current physical configuration of transit services can be accessed through existing interagency transfer connections. Second, the examination of regional travel and estimates of interagency transfer activity reveal several ways to prioritize future investments to improve transfer connections. Third, locations in downtown Chicago play a significant role in connecting transit services in the region. Each of these ideas are explained further below. First, physical connections between the existing services operated by the three service boards already serve most travel markets. Bus services operated by both CTA and Pace provide robust physical connections between radially-oriented commuter rail and rapid transit services and the suburban and Chicago neighborhood locations. Given the dispersal of travel patterns throughout the region, especially in locations outside of Chicago's downtown area, these bus and rail connections will likely retain their role as the primary links in the transit system. Because CTA and Metra both operate radially-oriented rail networks that parallel one another and serve similar markets, opportunities to improve mobility by adding connections between existing rail services are limited. However, new rail services that are more oriented toward serving cross-town services (e.g., the proposed Mid-City corridor), however, would pose a significant opportunity for improving regional mobility through transit connections. Second, investments for improving transit connections can be prioritized according to a three-tiered approach – 1) invest in locations already demonstrating