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starlinechicago.bsky.social
Star:Line Chicago
@starlinechicago.bsky.social
3.5K followers 120 following 9K posts
Suburbanite. Sustainable transportation advocacy, for Chicago and Chicagoland. #BuildTheTunnel

“The smart, transit-oriented [social media] account” -Chicago Tribune

Planning, building, breaking, rebuilding.
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starlinechicago.bsky.social
Anyway, you want to know what would be golden? We need to #BuildTheTunnel
December 8, 2025 at 6:23 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Eric’s ordeal this morning could’ve been a single train that ran every half hour, which is why we need to #BuildTheTunnel
CrossTowner regional rail service diagram showing 2034sight and CRCL Plan improvements.
December 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
CMAP has a good explainer about “inner” and “outer” patterns and how it benefits a regional rail operation cmap.illinois.gov/wp-content/u...
Screenshot of an “inner” (ISS) and “outer” (OSS) service paradigm from the linked CMAP report
December 7, 2025 at 12:50 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Good evening, I think we should #BuildTheTunnel
CrossTowner regional rail downtown project map 🔵 TUNNEL LINES The Tunnel would connect the Metra Electric to the Union Pacific North and Northwest Lines, under Roosevelt Road and Clinton Street. The Tunnel would create a core trunk with trains every 7.5 minutes from 67th Street to Clybourn via Union Station: – X1 (93rd/South Chicago – Highland Park) – X2 (93rd/South Chicago – Palatine) – X3 (Harvey – Des Plaines) – X4 (Blue Island – Winnetka via Hyde Park) 🟢 SURFACE LINES Supplementing the Tunnel Lines would be two additional lines through the Union Station trainshed, creating a single unified transfer point between all six lines. – X5 (Downers Grove-O’Hare Transfer) – X6 (Blue Island-Elmhurst via Beverly) CrossTowner regional rail service diagram with the CRCL Plan
December 6, 2025 at 11:30 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Network so far
Subway Builder map of Chicagoland (north) Subway Builder map of Chicagoland (south) Subway Builder map of Chicago (downtown detail) Subway Builder Chicagoland regional mode share screenshot (22.1% transit)
December 6, 2025 at 8:54 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Help
Screenshot of Subway Builder. Ten lines (L20, X2, X3, B, C, L80, L14, L71, S25, S26) meet at Mayfair on Chicago's Northwest Side.
December 6, 2025 at 8:42 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
It’s an MOU, not an operating agreement
December 6, 2025 at 4:16 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Can't argue with that secretchicago.com/cta-chance-t...
The partnership will dually celebrate the history of Chicago transit and Chance’s recent album “STAR LINE,” as well as his personal connection to the CTA. “I think this partnership is so important because I grew up taking the Red Line train from 79th,” said Chance. “All of the train lines create a pathway to connection and an opportunity for people to build community, and that’s what STAR LINE is about. It’s about us forming together to fight anything that’s going against us. This is an important time in the city for people to stand up, be brave and protective of each other.”
December 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
We’ll be making regular offerings to the Sun God in the new one, that’s true
December 5, 2025 at 2:27 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Oh right, we built this cathedral for $75 million eight years ago
Washington/Wabash (source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Orange-Green-Purple-Pink_Line_platform_at_Washington-Wabash.jpg)
December 5, 2025 at 2:18 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
At what are apparently Chicago-acceptable costs – $444m per station (State/Lake) + $1B per mile (Red Line Extension) – we could still #BuildTheTunnel for less than RLE

(5 stations (not counting Division/Elston) x $444m = $2.22B, 3.1 miles of tunnel at $1B = $3.1B, $5.32B vs $5.75B RLE)
CrossTowner Regional Rail Project Map
December 5, 2025 at 1:14 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Text is updated, video is not
December 5, 2025 at 12:28 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
$444 million and they can’t afford to update their sizzle reel
December 5, 2025 at 12:26 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
A new way to visualize CrossTowner regional rail: the 🔵 Tunnel Lines ( #BuildTheTunnel ) create a north-south spine from Clybourn to Hyde Park via Union Station, and the 🟢 Surface Lines add additional connections by thru-running Union Station itself.

🔗 PDF: yardsocial.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
CrossTowner Regional Rail Project Map: CrossTowner Regional Rail lines are split into two groups: Tunnel Lines (shown in blue, including routes X1, X2, X3, X4) and Surface Lines (shown in green, including routes X5, X6). The Tunnel Lines (blue) all use the proposed Clinton-Roosevelt Connector Line (CRCL) tunnel to connect the Metra Electric to the Union Pacific North and Northwest lines. With these four half-hourly service patterns, the larger north-south primary corridor from Clybourn to Hyde Park via Union Station would operate at 7.5-minute headways all day long. The Surface Lines (green) would make use of thru-running within the existing Union Station trainsheds, without needing any tunneling. These two routes would largely serve as regional connectors to the north-south trunk line at Union Station, but would also provide direct connections between the western suburbs and Beverly/Morgan Park/Blue Island, as well as directly connecting Metra's busiest line (BNSF) to O'Hare Airport via the Northwest Side of the city. CrossTowner regional rail service diagram showing the six individual lines, including the 8 trains-per-hour north-south Tunnel Lines trunk from Clybourn to 67th, and the two Surface Lines thru-running the Union Station trainshed. All six lines converge at Chicago Union Station to create a unified hub of operations for the entire region. "CrossTowners connect Chicagoland" sticker concept. Design is circular, split in half by a horizontal white line. In the top half, a red stylized regional rail train is heading towards the right, with red text "CrossTowners connect Chicagoland" on a light blue background. On the bottom half, the color scheme is inverted with the train pointing to the left. The project website (yard-social.com/crosstowners) and the #BuildTheTunnel hashtag are in white text, along with the Star:Line Chicago logo.
December 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
When you write an article about something you definitely know what you’re talking about
“Find in Page” for “Metra” yields no results
December 4, 2025 at 1:12 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
And another version with the Ohio-Columbus Tunnel option as a far future phase
CrossTowner Regional Rail Project Map + 2034sight Ohio-Columbus Tunnel
December 4, 2025 at 6:18 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
That sticker (or whatever it'll end up being) was a byproduct of this map that's been living in my head for awhile but now is finally down on paper. A different way to visualize the new infrastructure needed for CrossTowners, and better detail as to where the new intermodal transfers would be
CrossTowner Regional Rail Project Map
December 4, 2025 at 5:53 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Fighting anxiety by making more #BuildTheTunnel stuff
A circular graphic with two regional rail trains passing each other. The top half has red linework and a light-blue background with the text "CrossTowners Connect Chicagoland"; the bottom half is mirrored with the colors inverted, with the project website (yard-social.com/crosstowners) and the hashtag #BuildTheTunnel in white text. The Star:Line Chicago logo is also in the bottom half between the train and the text.
December 4, 2025 at 2:52 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Musing aloud about CHIP SCAL alternatives
Grand Crossing Connector: restoring the extant abandoned double-track flyover connection between the CN/MED and NS at Grand Crossing, combined with a new flyover at the NS Park Manor yard leads, to connect to the Metra Rock Island and the north side of the Englewood Flyover Sox Park Connector: new elevated structure between the Metra Rock Island near 37th Street to the NS Chicago Line near 31st Street through entirely publicly-owned land (Dan Ryan ROW and Sox Park parking lots). A new passenger station at 35th could be integrated with the existing Sox-35th CTA Red Line station as well as provide gameday service.
December 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Hot take:
From north to south: Bryn Mawr to Bowmanville to Western to Foster to the North Shore Channel to the North Branch to the Main Branch
December 3, 2025 at 8:02 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
CrossTowners can be the keystone to creating the unified regional transit network NITA will be empowered to create. Leveraging our legacy infrastructure with strategic connections allows us to create a “new” 140+ station transit network bringing fast and frequent trains far beyond the urban core.
CRCL Plan project map CrossTowner regional rail diagram showing 2034sight + CRCL Plan improvements Chicagoland rail transit map showing CTA ‘L’ service, Metra suburban rail service, and CrossTowner regional rail service
December 3, 2025 at 2:27 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
The report notes that automobile traffic worsened in most of the world in 2025. About 88% of all U.S. cities reported increasing time wasted in traffic. Nationwide, the typical driver lost 49 hours in 2025 due to traffic jams, up six hours from 2024, according to the report. Some cities were outliers. Congestion stayed relatively flat in NYC, London and Paris. NYC likely bucked the trend of worsening traffic globally, in part due to Manhattan’s new congestion pricing. Trump "wow, I didn't know that, you're telling me this for the very first time" meme
December 2, 2025 at 9:03 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Just one more lane bro, we can totally solve congestion if we just add another lane chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
“As the demand for vehicular travel continues to grow faster than the supply of roadway[s], traffic congestion and delay[s] tend to grow,” the authors wrote in the report.
December 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
NITA needs a keystone project to demonstrate what a unified regional approach to transit in Chicagoland can achieve, and CrossTowner regional rail can be that transformative vision.

Tell @govpritzker.illinois.gov to sign SB2111 as-is, and tell the future NITA board: let's #BuildTheTunnel.
#BuildTheTunnel thru-running sticker. Four light-blue lines with radiant arrow heads on each end combine and connect under four red six-pointed Chicago stars. The project hashtag and project website (yard-social.com/crosstowners) are shown above the graphic, with the Star:Line Chicago logo below. #BuildTheTunnel interlining sticker. A gray clockface has eight colored wedges at 1/8th intervals, with pairs of wedges 30 minutes apart from each other to demonstrate four half-hourly trains combine to provide 7.5-minute headways along the core. In the center is a light blue circle with the Star:Line Chicago logo, with "It's time to #BuildTheTunnel" in circular text above and the project website (yard-social.com/crosstowners) in circular text below.
December 2, 2025 at 1:25 AM
starlinechicago.bsky.social
Just four projects would create the backbone of this regional network:
1️⃣ Reconfiguration of the A-2 Interlocking
2️⃣🅰️ Direct RI-CUS connection with riverside thru-running
2️⃣🅱️ Flyover to connect BNSF trains to the riverside tracks
3️⃣ A 3-mile tunnel under Clinton and Roosevelt to connect MED to UP-N/NW
CRCL Plan downtown area map. The CRCL Plan first calls for more minor improvements to allow BNSF trains to run through Chicago Union Station (CUS) and out to O'Hare via the NCS as well as connecting the Rock Island to the UP-W line via CUS, but the keystone of the plan would be a 3-mile tunnel from near Soldier Field to near the new casino site southeast of Chicago/Halsted that allows Metra Electric trains to connect to the Union Pacific North and Northwest lines, with convenient connections to CTA Red/Orange/Green Line trains at Roosevelt; CTA Blue Line trains at Clinton (Congress); CTA Green/Pink Line trains at Clinton (Lake), Metra trains at Ogilvie, and Metra/Amtrak/CrossTowner trains at CUS.
December 2, 2025 at 1:16 AM