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What Elon Musk is proposing runs parallel to a train that costs $2.25

7 points by spenrose 8y ago

toomuchtodo 8y ago
What the author of this tweet doesn’t mention is the reliability of the blue line between downtown Chicago and ORD is absolute garbage. You can routinely be stuck on a train for 45-60 minutes at a time because of technical difficulties. https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/why-are-cta-trains-stopped-495110281.html https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/why-are-cta-trains... > Responding to an open records request, the CTA said between January of 2017 to May 2018, there were 471 disruptions of 10 minutes or longer. Of those 469 breakdowns, 162 were on the Blue Line. The Red Line was second with 94, followed by the Green with 55. > We are running, right now, as many trains as possible, on the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line during the am/pm rush,” he says. “We are running as many trains as possible, and we are running them as closely together, as we can.” If Boring Co can offer consistently reliable 12 minute trips that parallel the Blue Line for $20, sign me up. Cheaper than a Lyft, but more reliable than what the CTA can deliver. TLDR Edgy Chicago journalist uses baseless complaints to push mediocre podcast on Twitter and sidestep that Chicago politics and no will to fix systemic city level financial issues are the core issue.
- WheelsAtLarge 8y ago
  Ok, then use the money that would be used by Musk's tunnel to improve the blue line. Musk's 1 car system is great for a few but long term it adds nothing to solve the problem and drains money from the transits system. Musk is a businessman and he's looking to make a buck. I applaud him for that but he's not humanity's savior and his solutions need to be properly evaluated.
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    The Boring Company isn’t asking Chicago for any money to build it (which is great! Chicago is broke due to pension obligations and historical graft/patronage), and will support itself off of use fees. It will be 100% privately financed. This is no different than how the Illinois Tollway is operated (and while the tollway is plagued with oversight, governace, and corruption issues because Illinois, Musk can have the benefit of the doubt). Sidenote: If the CTA is chronically underfunded, and the city is broke, perhaps the $2.25 fare the author mentions is structurally unsustainable. I’m not going to judge so fast and say that he’s not humanity’s savior, because I don’t see a lot of folks with his resources pushing in the right direction like he is (despite him appearing to be on the spectrum and occasionally a shit person). To be determined. https://www.boringcompany.com/chicago/ https://www.boringcompany.com/chicago/
    - jijojv 8y ago
      yeah but he also overpromises and under-delivers - Thousands prepaid into his FSD vaporware since Oct 2016 #"driver is just there for legal reasons" on tesla.com/autopilot #ScamOfTheDecade
      - toomuchtodo 8y ago
        Sorry to hear you’re aggrieved about a preorder that hasn’t been delivered yet. I bought my Model S without FSD because it’s not proven yet and I’m happy to pay a higher price in the future for it.

7 points by spenrose 8y ago

What the author of this tweet doesn’t mention is the reliability of the blue line between downtown Chicago and ORD is absolute garbage. You can routinely be stuck on a train for 45-60 minutes at a time because of technical difficulties. https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/why-are-cta-trains-stopped-495110281.html https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/why-are-cta-trains... > Responding to an open records request, the CTA said between January of 2017 to May 2018, there were 471 disruptions of 10 minutes or longer. Of those 469 breakdowns, 162 were on the Blue Line. The Red Line was second with 94, followed by the Green with 55. > We are running, right now, as many trains as possible, on the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line during the am/pm rush,” he says. “We are running as many trains as possible, and we are running them as closely together, as we can.” If Boring Co can offer consistently reliable 12 minute trips that parallel the Blue Line for $20, sign me up. Cheaper than a Lyft, but more reliable than what the CTA can deliver. TLDR Edgy Chicago journalist uses baseless complaints to push mediocre podcast on Twitter and sidestep that Chicago politics and no will to fix systemic city level financial issues are the core issue.

WheelsAtLarge 8y ago
Ok, then use the money that would be used by Musk's tunnel to improve the blue line. Musk's 1 car system is great for a few but long term it adds nothing to solve the problem and drains money from the transits system. Musk is a businessman and he's looking to make a buck. I applaud him for that but he's not humanity's savior and his solutions need to be properly evaluated.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  The Boring Company isn’t asking Chicago for any money to build it (which is great! Chicago is broke due to pension obligations and historical graft/patronage), and will support itself off of use fees. It will be 100% privately financed. This is no different than how the Illinois Tollway is operated (and while the tollway is plagued with oversight, governace, and corruption issues because Illinois, Musk can have the benefit of the doubt). Sidenote: If the CTA is chronically underfunded, and the city is broke, perhaps the $2.25 fare the author mentions is structurally unsustainable. I’m not going to judge so fast and say that he’s not humanity’s savior, because I don’t see a lot of folks with his resources pushing in the right direction like he is (despite him appearing to be on the spectrum and occasionally a shit person). To be determined. https://www.boringcompany.com/chicago/ https://www.boringcompany.com/chicago/
  - jijojv 8y ago
    yeah but he also overpromises and under-delivers - Thousands prepaid into his FSD vaporware since Oct 2016 #"driver is just there for legal reasons" on tesla.com/autopilot #ScamOfTheDecade
    - toomuchtodo 8y ago
      Sorry to hear you’re aggrieved about a preorder that hasn’t been delivered yet. I bought my Model S without FSD because it’s not proven yet and I’m happy to pay a higher price in the future for it.