CTA adding more L service throughout spring, summer

CHICAGO - The Chicago Transit Authority says it’s taking an important step toward boosting the frequency of rail service to pre-pandemic levels and addressing enduring complaints of inadequate L service.

The CTA is implementing a "dynamic" schedule starting Sunday that will immediately introduce more trains and allow the transit system to add more trains as new operators are trained in the coming months.

An agency spokesperson could not immediately say how many trains would be added to the schedule.

The CTA anticipates adding up to 67 newly trained rail operators over the spring and summer, the agency said. Trains will be added to schedules as operators become available.

The announcement comes as the CTA continues to improve the frequency of service after years of customer complaints.

Customers became accustomed in the post-pandemic years to "ghost" buses and trains — service that was scheduled on CTA trackers but never showed up in person. The CTA has blamed a shortage of bus and rail operators. The agency said it struggled to hire operators to cover the rate of attrition.

But the agency says it has improved its staffing levels. This year, CTA plans to train up to 200 new bus and train operators, double the number in 2023, the agency said.