12 Hours on the Red and Blue Lines. What Happened?
Last week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, and CTA President Dorval Carter to announce a $71 million plan to increase security on trains and buses. That's the city’s response to increased reports of violence, unsanitary conditions, and smoking on the CTA. Reporter John Greenfield from Streetsblog Chicago rode the Red and Blue lines last weekend for 12 hours straight to document whether the CTA really did feel dirtier and less safe. He tells us what he saw.
Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicago
Sign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Stay connected to City Cast Chicago and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
What Are Mental Health Courts? Plus, United Center Tax Break and Obama Center Gentrification
Mental health courts have proliferated in Illinois, but how effective are they? Grace Hauck with the Illinois Answers Project joins Justi...
Churches Build Housing, Maxwell Street’s Loss, and It’s Patio Season!
Lawmakers in Springfield are considering legislation that would make it easier for churches to build multifamily housing on land they own...
The DNC in Chicago ... Again?! Plus, Best Late-Night Bites
DNC officials are wrapping up a three-day visit as the city is a finalist to host the 2028 and 2032 conventions. We talked with contribut...
Are Chicago’s Scooters Safe? Plus, How Bad Will Mosquito Season Be?
Are more regulations coming to the city’s scooters and ebikes? Following several fatal accidents involving minors, lawmakers have propose...
A Rare, All Good News Episode
What sets Chicago brick apart? Why are bald eagles returning to Chicago? What would you wait in line for? City Cast Chicago contributors...
Why Is Mayor Johnson In Springfield? Plus, Chicago's First Baby Eagles in a Century
Why did Mayor Brandon Johnson go to Springfield? Will state police actually investigate the killing of Silverio Villegas González by ICE...
What Chicago Kids Want Us to Know
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Earlier this year, we visited the Carole Robertson Center for Learning at their Albany Park site to talk...
Will Chicago Hospitals Resume Trans Youth Healthcare? Plus, What is the RIFL Act?
In April, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration could not cut Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals providing gender-affirm...
Immigrant Families Facing Evictions. Plus, CPS Manages May Day
A new report shines light on how immigrant families in Chicago continue to suffer months after the height of Operation Midway Blitz. Many...
Your Guide to May 2026 in Chicago
May flowers are blooming all around us as summertime Chicago is on the horizon. We’ve got your guide to what’s happening in Chicago this...