The influence of policy and operating decisions on systems elements of the Chicago Circulator

Chicago´s Central Area Circulator was conceived over twenty years ago as a subsurface rail transit system designed to link commuter rail stations on the west side of the City, CTA subway and elevated stations within the City´s central loop and the expanding commuter and visitor destinations on the north and east sides. Heartened by the success of urban light rail systems in Europe and (limited) center city applications in the United States, City of Chicago planners have reinvigorated the Circulator as a surface light rail system with longitudinally exclusive lanes in the public right-of-way. At the onset of preliminary engineering, the design team developed a set of system criteria and policies, in an effort to formalize policies and concepts to guide the design process for a system which did not have a clearly identifiable and existing operator. Operating strategy was formally defined in comprehensive planning document, the transportation and maintenance operations plan. Both the policies and operating strategies identified in these documents have significantly influenced technical decisions and performance parameters for the “systems elements” of the light rail system. Affected systems elements include light rail vehicles, traction power conversion and distribution, train/traffic control and communications, and fare collection