Fun With Trains

I live in a suburb of Kansas City, and for years I’ve felt that KC really needs a decent public transportation system.  More and better buses, light rail, something.  Now I’m not so sure.

This week I’m in Chicago for my seemingly endless quest to visits every office our company has on this planet.  If you’ve never been to Chicago in late November, please be advised that it’s apparently impossible to find a downtown hotel room unless your company is willing to spring for something like $600 per night at for the W at Chicago City Center.  I knew this trip was coming and started looking for a room seven weeks ago, and the best I could do was the Days Inn Lincoln Park. 

There’s not a thing wrong with the hotel, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with staying in the middle of a quaint Northside neighborhood.  That said, our office is right next to the Sears Tower, and Lincoln Park is a bit removed from downtown Chicago.  Not wanting to spring for a cab every single day, I decided that riding the train into the Loop would not only be economical but somewhat fun as well.  And it was energy conscious!  Long live green power!  Or whatever.

Well, here’s another tip about Chicago in November.  It’s cold.   Really friggin’ cold.  Don’t forget a hat, turn up your collar, really regret a half-mile walk to the closest train station cold.  The train stop closest to my hotel is closed for construction (of course), so I have a better than half-mile walk to the next closest stop.  For most people, that’s not a problem.  For a fat, out of shape slob like myself, six-tenths of a mile induces shinsplints and blisters on my feet from wearing dress shoes instead of sneakers.  It also induces a lot of sweat, as I have on three layers of clothes – shirt, sweater, coat. 

Now, sweat is great.  Works out the toxins and so forth.  But it really sucks when it’s 30 degrees outside and you can feel it freezing to your body as one of Chicago’s famous Lake Michigan winds blasts against your spine.

What sucks even more is the cattle-pen nature of the trains themselves.  At peak travel hours finding a seat on the train is a luxury, one that I seemingly have been unable to come by.  This morning I stomped one poor guy’s foot into oblivion when an unexpected turn (sorry, I’m not from Chicago) combined with heavy breaking by the driver and a tenuous grip on the handrail caused me to take a pretty heavy step backward to keep my balance.  The odd mixture of teary-eyed pain and rage on the guy’s face was disconcerting to say the least.

On top of all this, it doesn’t save me a bit of time.  My hotel is roughly four miles from the office.  Here’s the sequence I go through when I leave each morning:

1. Walk six-tenths of a mile to the train stop (10-12 minutes)
2. Line up to go through the turnstile and climb the platform (2 minutes)
3. Wait for the train (5-8 minutes)
4. Ride train into Chicago, eight stops away (20 minutes)
5. Walk from stop to office (3 minutes)

I’m at 40-45 minutes and I haven’t even gone through building security, waited for the elevator, ridden it up 23 floors, and gone through security at the office itself, let alone found my guest office, taken off my coat, booted up my computer and logged into our system.  From leaving the hotel to actually being ready to work, it takes me a solid hour, minimum.  Then I get to do nearly all of it again in reverse when I go back to the hotel.

Compare that to my commute from my home, 12 miles away from my office in KC:

1. Drive to office (20 minutes)
2. Park, walk to front door, go through security, arrive at desk (5 minutes)
3. Boot up computer, log into system, get breakfast from cafeteria (5 minutes)

The end.  Despite traveling three times the distance I’m ready to work in half the time.  And the drive to and from work probably cost me about $3.00 worth of gas compared to $4.00 in train fares in Chicago. 

So let’s see; driving is faster, driving is cheaper, driving is more comfortable, driving doesn’t cause me to stomp the toes of innocent bystanders, and if I trade in my current car for a hybrid, driving will likely be better for the environment too.  (And yes, I do recognize that driving in Chicago would cost me more once parking is factored in.  Humor me.)

I think this trip has made me officially change my mind.  Given the issues I’ve experienced, and given Kansas City’s tradition of corrupt, screwed up government, I don’t think light rail, or any other large public transit system, would work properly.  Consider me a convert.

A tired, overweight, footsore convert.