Late Night Purple Line Express Train Won't Be Permanent: CTA

The Chicago Transit Authority will not add a permanent late night Purple Line Express train after a pilot program came up well short of the numbers needed to justify it.

The recently conducted trial period produced an average of only 89 passengers per train for a round trip, and an average of 468 passengers would be needed to make it permanent, the Evanston Review reports.

Related on Patch:

City Officials Urge Residents To Pack the Purple Line

Purple Line Express Tests Additional Train This Summer

“At the conclusion of the pilot, the CTA’s ridership analysis showed that unfortunately, the ridership fell short of the pilot’s goals,” said Jeff Tolman, the CTA’s spokesman.

The pilot program took place earlier this summer, with Evanston officials encouraging residents use the train, in hopes of it becoming permanent and encouraging visitors to remain in Evanston later before returning to Chicago.

more via the Evanston Review