The Platform with No Entrance

[@FunkyInnChicaGlo]

Chicago CTA skyline horizon during sunrise and sunsets are absolutely the best

[@bigaspidistra]

There used to be a railway station in Britain which had no entrances or exits at all - Trent. Its purpose was an interchange and it was a very complicated one. The phrase "a single to Trent" was used locally for a while for something that was useless.

[@raakone]

So it was the same concept as Manhattan Transfer in the USA, which, contrary to its name, was located in New Jersey. It had many platforms, but no entrances or exits. It existed because at the time Manhattan itself was a Steam Exclusion Zone, so steam trains would go there to allow passengers to change to third-rail trains to go to Penn Station in New York, or elsewhere in Manhattan (the Hudson and Manhattan, the ORIGINAL "H & M", ALSO stopped there, its trains, now PATH, still use 3rd rail) When overhead wiring was installed from Washington to New York, this station no longer had a need to exist, and so was closed in1937.

[@Thom-TRA]

There’s still a station in the Bay Area that’s for transfers only. I recently visited it and will upload a video about it later this summwr!

[@Thom-TRA]

@@metropod yes but it’s completely separated and functions as a separate station.

[@kwlkid85]

There was also Redcar British Steel Station which had it's entrance/exit closed and didn't provide any transfers but continued to get served for years before it's closure got approved. Between 2017-18 it had just 40 passengers despite being served 4 times a day.

[@jacktattersall9457]

@@kwlkid85 I think it still had a private entrance/exit for the steel mill's employees. Geoff Marshall visited it.

[@mrAhollandjr]

The line used to go all the way to Stony Island. But even then, the branch which was the Jackson Park branch was always inbound only with stations at King Drive, Cottage Grove. Abd University. In 1981 there was a ctack found on the structure directly over the Illinois Central ( Metra Electric) tracks just west of the diamond crossover just before the station at Stony Island. Since that was the only crossover south of 61st, the line was temporarily curtailed to 61st ( where there was a station) until a new crossover was built east of the University station. This became the new terminus of the Jackson Park branch and lasted until the Green Line was shut down in 1994 to be rebuilt. Initially the branch was to be restored back to Dorchester which is just west of the aforementioned Metra tracks. However there was community opposition ( mainly from the nearby church). When the Green Line reopened in 1996, it was decided to curtailed the service to Cottage Grove while they figured out what to do. Years later the structure between Dorchester and Cottage Grove was torn down. That is how King Drive became the only station that is inbound only. But actually Cottage Grove is also. Although most trains entering Cottage Grove crossover to the inbound platform before unloading, an occasional train may still use the old outbound platform to disembark passengers if a train is occupying the inbound track. This is extremely rare as most of the time the incoming train will wait for the outgoing train to leave.

[@rosarioyeen1371]

You mean there was church opposition. It was the church that didn't want the train tracks. The rest of Woodlawn did but not the church. Don't speak on behalf of Chicagoans if you don't know the full story.

[@mrAhollandjr]

@@rosarioyeen1371 yes I meant the church. They were the loudest group against it. But remember they had purchased property around the church and tracks as they built homes along 63rd. However, while I don't disagree that there were many many that wanted the line extended back to Dorchester, the community failed to galvanize the support needed to make this happen. T.W.O didn't do enough. They missed a golden opportunity by not enlisting the support of the University of Chicago. With their political and financial resources, I think that extension becomes reality. Of course now there's talk about extending the line back to Dorchester again. Of course that church is leading the charge against it. And guess what? They are purchasing more property and building an apartment building near 64th and Dorchester. When asked about extending the Green Line back to Dorchester, they said the new residents can use Metra. Never mind a new apartment building is going up near 63rd and Cottage Grove. Personally I believe the extension is a great idea. I didn't live there. But I think the residents who support the extension would partner with the University of Chicago, the Obama Presidential Library, i think it could become a reality despite the church opposition.

[@chicagocarless]

@@mrAhollandjr The church didn’t want it, the Alderman sided with the church, and because of Chicago’s fucked up aldermanic prerogative gentleman’s agreement, mayor Daley ordered the CTA to tear down the newly built, partially federally funded track. It’s perhaps the city’s most obscene example of aldermanic prerogative.

[@chico7469]

@@rosarioyeen1371right!! Which was the dumbest shyt they ever folded on.

[@KenS1267]

@@chico7469 Now the same church wants state money for neighborhood development because everyone moved out when the transit left.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

The NYC equivalence of this is 145th Street on the 3! The station opened in 1904 as one of the northern termini of the original subway operated by the IRT. Harlem-148th Street station, aka Lenox Terminal and the current terminus of the 3, was built in the 1960s. When Lenox Terminal was built (which btw is a pretty weird station was it's below a parking structure for a public school called Frederick Douglas Academy), 145th Street was supposed to close for good. However, due to a lot of community opposition, the station remained open. So like King Drive, 145th Street is the second-to-last stop northbound and because of how close it is to Lenox Terminal, entry is provided only to the southbound platform. A similar station is Aqueduct Racetrack on the A (which isn't the second-to-last stop). The station was first built in 1959 to serve the racetrack and on racing days the station would be open with "Aqueduct Special" trains running nonstop from 42nd Street. This service was replaced by the JFK Express, and then service ended altogether in 1990. The station reopened in 1997 and today, it serves the Resorts World casino. But there's only a platform for trains heading northbound, and the MTA has no plans to build a southbound platform. Though back in the 2010s, to serve the new Resorts World casino, the station was rebuilt to provide better access and an elevator was installed to be ADA-compliant.

[@thedriver4038]

The northbound platform at 238th Street on the 1 is exit only as well.

[@marcitos_9329]

⁠Was. Entry access to the 242 St bound side was added during renovation of the Manhattan bound platform.

[@ChicagoHerpetology]

Thank you for the videos. I am from Chicago and have been living abroad for four years. The views bring back so many memories

[@Thom-TRA]

Where are you living right now?

[@ChicagoHerpetology]

@@Thom-TRA I'm in Mexico City right now. But for the past four years I lived in South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Colombia and Mexico. I actually moving back to Chicago on June 1st, it will be an adjustment living back in the states but im ready. I've been watching your videos for about a year now, especially your CTA videos, I'm from the south suburbs of Chicago and never lived in the city. But I'm taking the leap and moving to the Northside. I'm leaving my former suburban life behind and decided not to buy a car and use public transportation like a real Chicagoian.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

A station built with no entrance OR exit was the former Manhattan Transfer. The background for it is the corridor between Philly and NYC wasn't always electrified. And before 1910, no railroad that crossed NJ went to NYC, they opted to build their terminals on the NJ waterfront. The Pennsylvania RR built theirs at Exchange Place. But in November 1910, they opened the New York Tunnel Extension, a line that ran through a pair of tunnels under the Hudson River to New York Penn Station. This new line branched off the original line two miles east of Newark, then ran northeast across the Meadowlands to the tunnels. Just west of the split, the PRR built the Manhattan Transfer station. Passenger trains bound for New York Penn paused there so that their steam locomotives could be replaced by electric locomotives that could run through the tunnel under the river. The station also allowed passengers to change trains, which riders on the main line could transfer to local trains to Exchange Place. The H&M, the precursor to the PATH, started operating to Newark in 1911, with a stop at Manhattan Transfer. It closed in 1937, so what happened? Penn chose to electrify to Philadelphia, making the need to switch locomotives obsolete, and the PRR and Newark government chose to build Newark Penn Station. Manhattan Transfer was so famous, a 1969 jazz vocal group named themselves after the station!

[@Thom-TRA]

There is a similar station on the BART network that I visited a few months ago! Video coming soon

[@ck4426]

You always discover all of the “awesome” details of the El!!! Thank you!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

My pleasure!

[@sd8313]

Funny how none of these other comments are saying that King Drive Station just so happens to be right where O block is!!

[@Thom-TRA]

There are quite a few comments that say that

[@sd8313]

@@Thom-TRA haven’t seen any myself but good to know

[@jacktattersall9457]

Some subway/metro systems have unstaffed stations. Here in Toronto, all subway stations are staffed but many have secondary unstaffed entrances. Why not just do that for the few outbound boardings at King Drive Station. There can be a help intercom for people to talk to the agent on the other side of the station or central customer service.

[@CaradhrasAiguo49]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Seiryu Mirahashi station in Yamaguchi Pref., SW Honshū. No entry or exit from the platform, only way to access it is the train

[@R160A]

I’m reminded of Aqueduct Racetrack station here in NYC. Not quite exit only, but served solely by Manhattan bound trains on the A line.

[@andyidk]

145th street station on the Lenox Avenue line is a perfect example of this station but in NYC, with the 148th street platform being exit only and you can only board downtown trains from 145th

[@ninthwardchicago]

You might know this but the Cottage Grove branch used to go further east towards Jackson Park. It was truncated back to Cottage Grove at the behest of the community who believed it contributed to blight. It seems like a mistake but then it's also about money less infrastructure for CTA to maintain. I had the thought that King Drive was set up that way for that reason, just my hunch though yours is as good a reason as any. And as other commenters noted the area is changing thanks to UChicago. If the residents there were smart they might lobby CTA for more L service and perhaps they might have to extend the line beyond Cottage Grove.

[@Thom-TRA]

I don’t understand your reason. King Drive is the way it is because they shortened the line? Where’s the correlation?

[@akis.4493]

​@Thom-TRA Because letting people board at King Dr. to go to Cottage Grove would be kinda pointless and/or redundant. It's a walkable distance and there's the 63rd St. bus.

[@ninthwardchicago]

@@Thom-TRA I could be wrong it's just my thought on this. Perhaps a shortened line has nothing to do with King Drive being one of the least used on CTA

[@Thom-TRA]

@@akis.4493 so is taking the train from Kedzie to Kimball or Cicero to 54th. Did you even watch the video? Doesn’t sound like it.

[@ninthwardchicago]

@@Thom-TRA there is a good distance between Cicero & 54/Cermak. That isn't a good example for Cottage Grove & King Drive.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

So with your Soundcore and Miles's Manta, I can not only sleep on the train with Manta, but can also block out all of the noise with Soundcore! Having a station with no entrance on one side is one thing, but there are stations that exist with NO entrances at all! Like Smallbrook Junction on the Isle of Wight off the coast of England. It opened in 1991, and it's unique because it exists as an interchange between the Island Line (which is part of the National Rail network) and a HERITAGE railway, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway! However, the station is expected to close, as the Isle of Wight Steam Railway has gone between Wootton and Smallbrook Junction, but their long-term aim is to go to Ryde St John's Road, thus no need for the station. Another station with no entrances whatsoever is Manulla Junction in County Mayo, Ireland. It is only for passengers travelling to or from Foxford or Ballina on the Commuter service, who transfer to or from Dublin-Westport trains on the InterCity service. The station originally opened in 1868 with entrances. Their original signal cabin was destroyed during the Irish Civil War! The station closed their entrances in 1963.

[@843Reboot]

i love how king drive had 63000 boardings in 2022. wonder how many of them were not from 63rd.

[@Thom-TRA]

I never made that connection lol but now you say it, that is funny

[@Steven_Williams]

I used take what is known as the Red Line today from 95th Street to Downtown where it elevated all the way to Harlem & Lake ( Oak Park). Used to also take the Green Line to Stony Island before they tore down the tracks, because cracks appeared in parts of the elevation that crossed over the Illinois Central tracks @ Woodlawn Ave. Used to also catch Illinois Central's "City of New Orleans " passenger train with my grandmother to go down south at the 63rd and Woodlawn station.

[@jackwtat]

Not really the same thing, but on the MBTA, the outbound platforms at Wonderland on the Blue Line and Ashmont on Red Line are exit only. They are termini with side platforms. After unloading all passengers, trains proceed past the station into the yard to either reverse directions or go into storage.

[@843Reboot]

New Lots Avenue on the 3 is the same way.

[@this51man]

@rebootnyc no it isn't

[@843Reboot]

@@this51man the trains proceed past terminal and into yard for reversal or storage

[@this51man]

@@843Reboot not at New Lots. They come in and go right back out on the same track unless they're going to the yard

[@arthurmillet8023]

The same is true for the Cottage Grove station which is basically exactly the same as King Drive.

[@ChrisFisher-hz5cy]

Laramie on the Green line was once a Loop bound entrance only station. Also, do a history of the stations east of Cottage that were demolished in 1997; University and the newly built Dorchester platform...that was torn down without being used

[@ChrisFisher-hz5cy]

A history of closed cta stations since the 1970s may provide insight as to why King Drive is how it is today.....

[@mynorthshore]

And at one time North Shore Line trains to Milwaukee, with diners, travelled the Green Line (Then the South Side "L") to Dorchester.

[@legerdemain]

That's pretty unique. I wonder if there are plans for an expansion. Other CTA stations have unattended entrances, like Blue south branch stations on the Ike.

[@Thom-TRA]

But they still have Island platforms so you can’t really stop a group from boarding in that direction.

[@legerdemain]

@@Thom-TRA that's true, and on top, the attendant doesn't have to go out to street level and walk around to get to those turnstiles.

[@goldenstarmusic1689]

Awesome video! In the Twin Cities, though this is BRT and not LRT, there is a station on the Orange Line at the end of the route that is only for northbound buses. Because the buses loop around only one direction to get back onto I-35W, there is no need for a station on the other side. Similarly, in downtown Minneapolis, the Orange Line stations are spaced apart between two different streets, Marquette and 2nd Ave, due to being unidirectional.

[@NHGMitchell]

Your videos are getting better, keep up the good work!

[@chicagolandrailfan143]

Thanks for making this video, I’ve always wondered what the least used cta station is. Also, when you get a chance, could you make a video covering the progress of the south shore line construction? Thanks! Fun fact: the least used Metra station is 27th Street on the Metra Electric line.

[@Thommygun-qv7um]

That's fascinating to me. When I think about most metro systems here in Germany, it is hard to come up with a staffed station at all. Most of them are monitored by CCTV, but only the major hub stations have staffed ticket offices and there is hardly any personnel on the plattform. In general I noticed that trains in the US have much more staff. In a german commuter train there is usually just one guy, the engineer. Some times, ticket inspectors show up at random. And that is it. Customers get their tickets via machines or an APP, learn about their journey by displays (or an APP like DB Navigator) and announcements and there is hardly any interaction with personnel from the railway companies. Seems to be wildly different from a journey on Metra or CTA for example. And I learned all that mostly from your videos. Thanks for that @THOM-TRA.

[@Thom-TRA]

Some countries have much more staff than others! In Japan, for example, when there is road construction they even have men waving signs announcing the road block, instead of just putting up a sign!

[@thickernell]

Wow. Has that realignment been 30 years already? I still remember the educational promotions. They created two caricatures called HoDaR and LE Jack to help people remember the new orientation. HoDaR - Howard Dan Ryan. LE Jack - Lake Englewood Jackson Park. It was all about efficient load balancing. The Dan Ryan demand was on par with the Howard demand (high demand) and the Lake Street and Englewood/Jackson Park demands were on par with each other (much lower). One of the best decisions the CTA ever made.

[@Thom-TRA]

I wanted to include HoDar and LE Jack in the video but I couldn’t find any pictures of them online with high enough resolution!

[@thickernell]

@@Thom-TRA www.chicago-l.org/operations/lines/images/line_maps/HoDaR-LEJack_brochure.jpg

[@thomasthompson2899]

An odd penultimate station is 145th Street on the 3 Train in New York City. It was never extended to 10 train car length, so only the front 5 cars are opened on the trains that stop there. Another odd station is Aqueduct Racetrack on the A Train. It has one side platform, so it is only served in the northbound direction.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for these suggestions! Will be visiting them for sure next time I'm in NYC.

[@robotx9285]

145th Street never had it's platforms expended because the Junction of the Harlem yard and terminal was just to the north, while the Junction to the Broadway 7th Ave mainline, merging with the 2 train, was just to the south.

[@santoshNarayana]

@@Thom-TRA also checkout the 238th Street station as it is the same case

[@gregorylparks5739]

Great Video!! I was born and raised in Chicago. When I was a kid, The Green Line back then, use to called Jackson Park-Howard, use to start at 63rd and Stony Island, after 63rd and University, and Now 63rd and Cottage Grove as the Green Line. 😊

[@colihon3552]

when the green was basically the red line late 80s early 90s I was a kid

[@hughbarringer184]

This actually isn't the only place this has ever happened and wasn't the case when the line opened. As others have noted, the line originally extended another mile east to Jackson Park. It wasn't made one way until 1970, along with Cottage Grove (not the terminal at the time) and University (now closed) on the same branch and Isabella station on the purple line (closed just 3 years later).

[@TehOcto8000]

On the Metra BNSF line, there are stations really close to the city center, so most of the time the trains don't stop there because it mostly be a waste of time going to that station when most people would be going into Chicago Union Station, closer to the city center.

[@albert3801]

In Sydney no such arrangement exists. Many stations do not have any employees at all on them on weekends or at night so it’s not an issue. However we do have a station wholly within an industrial complex where you can’t exit or enter the station if you are not a worker at the industrial complex. I love these oddities of transit systems. Thanks for the video Thom.

[@rynsacc]

Curious to know what station this is!

[@albert3801]

@@rynsacc Lysaght's

[@89volvowithlazers]

Lol u are talking about my neighborhoods lol grew up by the ashland stop. Remember the east line went to stony island further east than Cottage grove

[@davidburrow5895]

Nice video. A few years back I went here myself to check out the same anomaly in the 'L' map. It actually surprises me that this is the least used station, since a lot of neighborhood residents and UC people use it. I've found some of the purple line stations in Evanston to be much quieter. There also seem to be fewer people in some of the more abandoned areas on the south and west sides, as opposed to lively, gentrifying areas like around the University of Chicago.

[@Thom-TRA]

I think the Evanston stations are used a lot more by the “traditional” commuter in the mornings and afternoons. At least, that would be my guess.

[@thefareplayer2254]

I wonder if Woodlawn gentrifies a lot more if King Drive will get a lot more ridership?

[@ttopero]

The idea of limiting service to exit only to limit the number of service attendees is odd especially since most people need service when boarding, not exiting. Seems backwards and odd but the outgoing rush of commuters is seen in car infrastructure engineering too.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@ttopero I think you unintentionally made a contradiction in your comment. If people need service when they board, there is nothing strange about eliminating a service agent at a platform where most people exit.

[@g-manonthego6678]

The NYC Subway's 1 and 3 trains has a similar station at 238th Street and 145th Street, due to them being only three and four blocks away from their termini at Van Cortlandt Park 242nd Street and Harlem 148th Street.

[@maureencora1]

Back in the 1970s the Green Line Used to Go All the Way to Stoney Island Avenue Near the 63rd Street Beach.

[@Thom-TRA]

I wish it still did

[@maureencora1]

@@Thom-TRA Me Too.

[@ARod4374]

The 238 St (1) train station in the Bronx was this way until 2018; the next stop north on the line is the terminus at Van Cortlandt Park-242 St, which is a five- or ten-minute walk and a two-minute bus ride away. It only changed in 2018 because they were rebuilding the southbound platform, so allowing people to enter on the northbound side meant that passengers could just board a northbound train and ride it up one stop and then down to their destination.

[@stephenkeever6029]

Great shots of the tracks and switches.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks!

[@carlselders443]

Love your transit videos. Keep up the good work. They are infomational and entertianing. Too bad the Jackson Park branch doesn't go past Cottage Grove anymore. The CTA has no plans on extending it either because of neighborhood developement further east on 63rd

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you! I wish the line extended as well. It would be great to connect to the Metra line.

[@doomsdayrabbit4398]

​@@Thom-TRAIn my ultimate fantasy, it would *become* the Metra line, and take over for the South Chicago branch of the Electric District... and they could bring back the north Paulina connector and Humboldt Park branch, add transfers Green/Pink at Ashland/Lake and Blue at Damen, and call it the Indigo Line.

[@cfbastian]

Explanation is more complicated. Into the 1980's, there were three additional stations on the line (University, Dorchester, and Jackson Park). Because of low ridership on the entire branch (and security concerns for customers waiting on empty platforms), King Drive, Cottage Grove and University were all made inbound boarding only.

[@F40PH-2CAT]

NYC subway had a similar station until recently, the uptown platform at 145th St/Lennox Ave

[@JustonHall]

In NYC we have 3 platforms with no entrances, all one stop from the terminus. In the majority of stations there are only one station agent, even with stations without a shared mezzanine.

[@williamyoon7660]

In New York City, Dyckman Street on the A Train has a nearly identical layout to King Drive in Chicago; the only difference is that you can access the northbound platform via an underpass connecting the two platforms.

[@bluetheta]

54/Cermak (Pink) is configured as a single track and has a odd exit platform and the train moves forward (towards the loop) to the boarding platform. Skokie swift (Yellow) also has an exit only platform but not sure how the trains are move since the recent rehab. These are left overs from their original configuration when there was a one way commuting - inbound (to city) in the morning and outbound (from the city) in the evening. The CTA is constrained by property rights (including air rights) which prevents construction of the mezzanine level or island platforms in this area.

[@Thom-TRA]

The yellow line trains continue to a turnaround track and then pull back into the boarding platform.

[@RyeT5]

There is a station called umi shibabura in Japan along the tsurmi line there is no exit but there's a park once you exit to wait for your next train but only people who can internally get put the system is the people who work in toshiba

[@Thom-TRA]

Love the tsurumi line. Excited for the E127 series on the Nambu Branch line.

[@RyeT5]

@@Thom-TRA Yes its from niigata which is very far from kanagawa

[@arthurmillet8023]

The same is true for the 145th st station in New York on the 3 line, as the uptown platforms are exit only. However, the map doesn't say this and the exits from the uptown platforms just says to enter across the street (which would bring you to the downtown platform) not even telling you that it's not possible to board the uptown train there.

[@edmann2970]

I love the Cta, it’s a good subway system

[@michaelb9629]

I was wondering why the King Drive Station is an exit only for trains heading eastbound to Cottage Grove, knowing those two stations are really close to each other and that there’s a bus to get to them. I’ve rode on the green line to Cottage Grove once because I wanted to check it in its entirety, then I went to Ashland/63rd after that. Ever since I was young, I started riding the green line from Oak Park to get to the city when I wouldn’t take the Metra all the way on the UP West.

[@Thelifeofmre]

I love this video I never noticed the arrow on the map ❤

[@MarkBustos2]

The 3 Train's 145th Street Station has something similar to King Drive Station. The uptown bound (Harlem 148th Street) platform is just exit only & downtown bound (New Lots Avenue) is both entrance & exit. The 145th Street Station is the last station in the system to have only the 1st 5 cars to enter or exit the station.

[@Thom-TRA]

I want to check this out next time I’m in NYC!

[@MarkBustos2]

@@Thom-TRA I totally forgot about the Dyckman Street Station on the A Train. Otherwise the 2nd to last stations here in NY are normal. Thanks for the video and continue the good work.

[@SynchroScore]

Amtrak does this on several services. For instance, you can't board the _City of New Orleans_ at Homewood and ride one stop over to Chicago. The _Empire Builder_ is also restricted. You can't get off the westbound at Glenview or Milwaukee, and you can't board the eastbound at Glenview or Milwaukee. In all those cases, there are other trains (Metra Electric and _Hiawatha,_ respectively) that cover the gap.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yes, but those are ticketing restrictions, and not actual, physical barriers.

[@AndreiTupolev]

So every station has a number of staff on duty to assist customers? Well that's very laudable

[@Geotpf]

Not exactly the same, but it is common for Amtrak long distance trains to not let you board on the second to last stop and not get off on the second stop. IE, on the Southwest Chief, you can only board at Fullerton east bound and only get off there west bound, and the opposite of that at Naperville.

[@P0w2you]

I'm surprised you didn't mention in the video what year the line was shortened to Cottage Grove, it just showed in the graphic. I bet the station was set up like this cause the automatic turn styles started in the early 90's? before then conductors collected fairs on the train.

[@ianweniger6620]

Thanks for this uncharacteristically creepy tour of the L. McCormick Place is always freakishly quiet like an airport after a neutron bomb. And then a wide wood-floored platform meant only for disembarking? Spooky. Plus references to King Drive aka MLK Jr Drive AND Harlem? Eeriely bereft of socioeconomic context, which commenters may or may not provide. Thanks again!

[@kevanhubbard9673]

There's a few stations around the world with no public access from outside the station.Limerick Junction in Ireland was designed for passengers changing off the Dublin Cork line on to the Limerick branch obviously for Limerick but there was no access into the station from the area outside it.I don't know if it's still the case?

[@roberthansen2008]

I remember before the green line was rebuilt cottage Grove was boarding inbound only. The part that used to be called Jackson Park used to end at University which was east of cottage Grove. So before that cottage Grove and King drive were boarding inbound only. Also back in the day on the green line Laramie used to be boarding inbound only but I think that's been changed years and years ago after they rebuilt it.

[@Thom-TRA]

Ah, so it was multiple stations on the branch. Thanks for the info!

[@roberthansen2008]

And I moved to Chicago in like 1990 or so. I remember Englewood Howard Jackson Park Howard. And I remember writing lake Dan Ryan. I was on one of the first trains that flipped over to Howard Dan Ryan.

[@jamesf791]

​@@Thom-TRAhere some old video footage of the cottage grove branch back in the 1990s, before they rebuilt the green line in 1994-1996. All 3 stations you couldn't get off and get right back on, you had to get off all 3 stations, pay another fare to ride it back. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYiVpoKdpc2Voqs But there is another station like that, Dempster on the yellow line.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@jamesf791 Dempster is a terminal station, there are no revenue trains departing from that station

[@JeffMiletich]

You refer to the elevated trains in Chicago as "the L". Growing up in the 1960's in Wisconsin & having family in the Chicago area it was referred to as " the EL" (as in "elevated").

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s officially the ‘L’

[@user-lz3ut8qp5j]

It's sounds bizarre to have an agent at every entrance. Here in New York there are plenty of entrances to the subway that are unmanned

[@Thom-TRA]

I don’t think it’s that wild, people need help with tickets all the time, and theoretically it would help with fare evasion (if the agents ever did anything).

[@user-lz3ut8qp5j]

@@Thom-TRA You're right of course. I've been to Japan and there was a person at every station. They would let me in or out of the station when I requested it (such as to use the restroom inside the station or step out to grab some food while I was waiting for my transfer). A station agent is one of the things (including a restroom and elevators) that I found to be standard in all Japanese train stations, which greatly impressed me.

[@KongDavidNow]

Man, as a New Yorker, I find it super confusing why King Drives only excuse is no customer Service area because in New York, the IRT (1-7) have a ton of stations with 2 side platforms which puts a lot of the Customer service area on one side.

[@TheDEANGELO27]

63rd king drive once had a entrance to catch trains

[@PeterWarner-yz7tb]

CTA should combine the Pink and Cottage Grove Gren Line segments.lto a Cermak-Cottage Grove train

[@honajtransit]

i'm starting to binge all of your chicago content (planning a trip there in a couple months), really enjoying it! specifically for this video, where was the shot at 0:14 filmed? it looks really cool!

[@Thom-TRA]

Roosevelt station! Northern end of the platform.

[@honajtransit]

@@Thom-TRA great, thanks so much!

[@transitcaptain]

In New York 145th Street on the 3 line has a similar situation

[@SomeTrainEnthusiast]

Others have likely mentioned these, but just in case, in NYC we also have a few exit-only penultimate stations: 145th Street on the 3 and Dyckman-200th Street on the A. 238th Street on the 1 used to be this way as well, but that was changed sometime in 2019. 145th St on the 3 is especially odd in the sense that it's only long enough to accommodate the first five of ten cars. Also, what station was the B-roll at 0:14 shot at?

[@Thom-TRA]

Roosevelt

[@patrykplayz7]

THE TURNSTILES LOOK LIKE THE NYC SUBWAY ONES

[@Canleaf08]

The Deutsche Bahn has a rule, once you are in the destination metropole area, like Berlin, you can only exit the train. Like you are in Berlin Südkreuz and your train ends at Berlin Ostkreuz, you can’t enter the train to travel to Ostkreuz, by official Fahrgastwechsel rules, the ICE train will be displayed as “Nur Ausstieg” - Exit only. The train won’t stop at a platform designed for that, just a regular one.

[@landon176]

Can you please send a video of the silver line extension to Ashburn

[@SpaceboyYT]

Isn’t the new Portland MAX Gateway North kinda similar? It only goes downtown, not to airport.

[@BBBuilds12]

Did you ever do a full system run of the CTA rail system when you were in Chicago?

[@Thom-TRA]

No, between work, family, and friends, I had plenty to keep me busy in Chicago.

[@ianweniger6620]

sounds like a full-system experience to me...

[@drbob3]

Why not just let people ride for free from King Drive to Cottage Grove? That would eliminate the need for a second agent at the station.

[@Thom-TRA]

Because then they could ride the whole thing for free

[@nashorn9745]

There used to be two bus lines that had a only exit station it was before an big highway interchange there was an other station after the interchange this was a normal station so they did this that people could get of bevor the interchange if there was traffic . Today they will pick you up from there to it is still only served in one way. And there is a second funny thing happening with these two bus lines at the terminus they stop twice to pick up passengers.

[@BDavinci06]

Well like everybody said here they're a few examples of exit only stations like King Drive on the Green line on the NYC Subway. Many of them a very close to the terminal station. There is an exception, though. On Dyckman Street on the A line, there is a underpass where you can go from the downtown side to the uptown side and ride up to 207th Street. Otherwise great video on the Jackson Park branch of the Green Line. As you probably know, it went much further to Stony Island, and after it was rebuilding the 90s, there was opposition due to a local church in the area to rebuild it to its original terminal at Stony island. Hopefully, when the Obama Center opens up, people's minds will change about having transit connections to the new Obama Presidential Library!

[@adamknott7830]

Trains are awesome

[@miamora01]

That’s probably why it apparently has low ridership besides Kostner pink line

[@princessmiaxo]

The green line???? having low ridership???? On what planet😂

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoyed the video👍👍

[@1290Li]

Similar to the 3 trains at 145th St station in New York.

[@a81517]

Why does the green line have so many yards? after all, it runs hourly.

[@Thom-TRA]

Lol true

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

when someone in a wheelchair or baby buggy gets off the train and takes the elevator down, how do they get through the turnstiles then?

[@Thom-TRA]

They’re pretty wide but I’m not sure

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

@@Thom-TRA besides those I kind of wonder how e.g. EMS would get a patient on their stretcher downstairs? Well obviously the elevator is too small for that, but even if they carry them, without the stretcher, there needs to be some sort of gate that they can avoid and get around the turnstiles.

[@colihon3552]

i would argue alot of the green line like that especially out west

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Fascinating video ! Always good to see some of Chicago !

[@ugoibe6113]

Were those in-n-out socks? lol

[@Thom-TRA]

Yes!

[@stevesummers2462]

You forgot to mention that until the 1970's the end of the line was at Stony Island, and the branch was built to go to THE CHICAGO WORLDS FAIR, or that the end of the line was just west of the White City now The Museum of Science and Industry

[@Thom-TRA]

I didn’t forget to mention, just didn’t find it relevant enough for this video.

[@kwlkid85]

Is the all station entrances have to be staffed a union thing? Seems a ridiculous rule given how many unmanned stations there are on the world.

[@danielhyppolite8065]

Laramie and Ashland stations are also like this.

[@Thom-TRA]

No they’re not

[@danielhyppolite8065]

@@Thom-TRA you have to enter on the inbound side at Laramie Greenline and crossover via the bridge if you want to take the outbound train going west to Oak Park. You can only exit on that side. You can't enter with the farecard.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@danielhyppolite8065 but there’s a crossover. So you can enter the station and go westbound. There is no way to go towards Cottage Grove at King Drive. So it’s different.

[@James.YouTube]

Can you please show how the trains turn around?

[@Thom-TRA]

They go to the station. The operator walks to the other end of the train. The train moves in the opposite direction.

[@johndemcko8585]

Great video! I have never seen that station arrangement, let alone one with one platform for each track (unlike NYC's Aqueduct Racetrack Station). Keep up the excellent work.

[@neilevans6331]

top 10 transport to airport

[@theexcaliburone5933]

Nice phone case

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Pretty crazy to think that a nickle fare paid for the operation of something as complex and maintenance intensive as a steam train.

[@Thom-TRA]

I think streetcars were a nickel for decades, even long after it was financially feasible.

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

@@Thom-TRA An electric train requires much less maintenance than a steam locomotive. Not only that the tools to maintain a steam loco are huge and expensive.

[@sannh]

Does that station happen to be located in a mostly black area? It would explain the hostile architecture.

[@Thom-TRA]

It looks no different than any other cta station

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

I’ve enjoyed your Chicago content greatly - not looking forward to DC content so much, even if those ear buds help you to edit nice features there. 😂

[@Thom-TRA]

DC has a better transit system than Chicago by far though so maybe I can change your mind

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

@@Thom-TRA You just gonna make me jealous of that better system then. Actually I’ve known worse service pile-ups in DC, but then I avoid the CTA when I can.

[@EvanLindstrom]

What app do you use to edit videos on your phone?

[@Thom-TRA]

iMovie

[@juanakiseales3181]

Why tho ? Why is it an exit only station

[@JBS319]

I'm pretty sure 238th St on the 1 in New York also only boards Manhattan-bound passengers. The terminus of the line at 242nd St is very close: close enough that the switches onto the middle track for the crossover and yard access are just north of 238th St. There might be others along the IRT in the Bronx, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

[@detroitpeoplemover]

238th Street used to be that way, but in 2018, they changed the fare gates on the northbound side to people could take it to Van Cortlandt.

[@guyfaux3978]

@@detroitpeoplemover They needed to do that so the Manhattan-bound platforms at W 238, W 231 and W 225 could be rehabbed. In other words, rather than have people ride a bus one stop and then change to the Manhattan-bound train at W 242, they changed the exits at W 238 to HEET's with a fare card reader, so you could board at W 238 and stay on the same train if it were the next out, or walk across the platform for the train already sitting in the station and about to depart. The stations at W 225 and W 231 were already equipped with HEET's, and W 238 was the only "missing link."

[@matteoluisrizzo]

be safe out there. thats a bad spot.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thankfully the crime statistics have been trending significantly downward in that area for the past 3 years.

[@AndreiTupolev]

1:05One Charles Tyson Yerkes wouldn't have been involved in that, by any chance?

[@Thom-TRA]

He most certainly was…

[@sammymarrco2]

dang the L seems really slow and rickety compared to the only system ive used, DC metro

[@Thom-TRA]

DC metro is way better

[@zephyrus2219]

@@Thom-TRA Kind of shocked to see such a flippant comment like this from you after all of your other great content. That said, CTA does have a lot of room for improvement, though I'm sure the L being significantly older than the DC metro is part of the issue. Glad they are finally starting to rebuild the Blue Line at least.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@zephyrus2219 did I offend you? Flippant, that’s funny. I’d call it realistic. Listen, I’ve been on transit systems around the world my entire life. The CTA is hands down one of the worst. Doesn’t mean I hate it, but let’s not act like age is the only reason the L is so dirty, late, slow, and nonsensical. They need a management overhaul. I see what the DC metro people are trying to do with their system. It’s just insanely better.

[@zephyrus2219]

@@Thom-TRA I think it's more that your videos (the ones about the CTA specifically) seem to be an appreciation of the system despite its quirks, but your comments seem to just be mean about it. It's just a weird dichotomy. Maybe you felt differently about it a year ago, but I'm just a bit sad that you went from appreciation to full on hate. I'm not saying that the system is amazing (it's far from it and the CTA could benefit from a new leader for sure) but your videos kind of come off as an appreciation of the weird system that is the CTA, and it makes me sad to see you hate it so much after appreciating your content over the years.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@zephyrus2219 the dichotomy exists in your brain and nowhere else. Let’s remember, all I said was “the DC metro is better” than the CTA. That does not equal hating the CTA. I never said I hated the CTA. You put those words in my mouth. Similarly, you’re right, I have made a lot of videos pointing out some cool parts of the CTA. That doesn’t mean I “love” the CTA. Honestly, don’t understand where you’re getting this love/hate dichotomy from. If I, as a transit lover, spend a year living in Chicago and then point out its many flaws, that means it’s time for the alarm bells to go off at CTA management. It does not mean I’ve had a change of heart or that am now some mad hater. You honestly might want to grow some thicker skin if that’s your takeaway.

[@Jackyliu009]

3:26 "Date of filming: July 9, 2023" right after this video was made 😂

[@Thom-TRA]

It says 2022…

[@chicago-l9125]

You provided an excellent video about the Cottage Grove (formerly the Jackson Park "B" train) branch of the Green line! I used to ride this line many a day when I lived near this area nearly 30 years ago. However, I kinda cringed knowing that you were exploring and explaining the King Drive station, you were also near "O Block", one of the MOST dangerous areas on the southside. This area is straight-up gang infested. Random shootings and innocent folks getting caught in the crossfire is definitely not uncommon. And by you not being from there, and you're being white, you definitely took a risk. So, keep your videos comin'! But please, please be careful.

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s why I went in the middle of the day and did not leave the station. I’ve lived in the city my entire life, I know how to take care of myself.

[@maureencora1]

Will the CTA Green Line Expand to the New President Obama Library?

[@Thom-TRA]

Sadly probably not

[@maureencora1]

@@Thom-TRA That's Too Bad.

[@001kkwong]

I am not from Chicago but has heard the crime level in the South Side has been difficult. And the green line before 1990s the Cottage Grove branch used to go all the way to more eastward and terminates at U of Chicago (University station). I wonder why they would demolish the whole tracks and did not reopen it after renovation in 1990s. Is it only crime? The University of Chicago station guarantees thousands of ridership per day and it is just mond blowing to see the city has the original infrastructure but decided to upend the station witb stable and good ridership? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_station_(CTA)