Greyhound sounding Chicago alarm

[PVD]

Groo, runs shuttle vans from Columbus ga to ATL airport. Stops in Newnan, Ga and LaGrange GA,

Groome bought Arizona Shuttle which does the Flag to Phoenix and Flag to Grand Canyon runs

 

[MARC Rider]

Bayrunner shuttle runs van service between BWI and Western Maryland/Eastern Shore. They stop at the the Cumberland Amtrak station, the BWI Amtrak station and the Baltimore Greyhound station. I think they can be booked as a Thruway service connecting at the BWI Rail Station.

https://bayrunnershuttle.com/locations/

It seems like they're vans, which would not be my favorite choice for a 2-4 hour trip from BWI to the extremes of eastern and western Maryland.

 

[NorthShore]

Some interesting angles in this article about how a challenge to service conditions affect pasengers' real lives and transportation options.

https://abc7chicago.com/post/expect...d-affect-women-seeking-abortions-il/15275036/

It looks like the city is, rhetorically, shooting back at Greyhound about their need to abandon the station, while simultaneously negotiating with Amtrak. The national passenger rail service appears to be on board about sharing Union station, from what the article now implies.

In a statement, Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson said:

"The Johnson Administration continues, as it has over these past months, to work with Greyhound and other stakeholders to find a viable solution for intercity bus services and its passengers in downtown Chicago. While we have looked at a number of different options, it should be noted that Greyhound has an option to renew its lease at its current Harrison Street location under the same terms and conditions that it currently operates under.

"The City has had productive conversations with Amtrak, which has agreed to work in partnership to solve Greyhound's problem of providing a clean and safe terminal facility for intercity bus passengers. These conversations are ongoing, and the City continues to work in close partnership with Amtrak and other stakeholders on a long-term comprehensive solution for travelers and Chicagoans."

 

[NorthShore]

https://wgntv.com/news/traffic/greyhound-chicago-bus-station-west-loop-09202024/amp/

Earlier this summer, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) introduced a resolution calling attention to the terminal dilemma. He said Friday that he remains hopeful that a short-term solution is on the horizon, including extending Greyhound’s lease through next spring.

“I think it’s in the best interest of these private entities to come to an agreement and to figure this out. I think they can figure it out. I’ve heard from people involved in these conversations, both inside and outside of government, that a short-term solution is possible. And that’s what I want to happen right now,” he said.

 

[NorthShore]

But, meanwhile, the jockeying for position has continued:

It seems the fallout has already begun.

Amtrak, the train operator that owns Chicago Union Station, accused Greyhound this week of moving more buses to the curb outside the station than allowed.

There are now triple the number of buses scheduled to stop on Jackson Boulevard outside the station — 12 instead of four, Amtrak said.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/transportation/2024/09/19/greyhound-bus-union-station-amtrak

 

[NorthShore]

As the end date of Greyhound’s lease at its downtown Chicago bus station approaches, the company has begun routing more buses through Gary, Indiana, a new analysis of bus schedules shows.

The changes suggest a proactive response to the potential closure of the downtown station, according to the report from DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.

The institute’s latest report, based on an analysis of bus schedules, found changes that have seemingly made Gary a hub for bus service. The city has been added as a stop on several routes, in some cases adding miles and time, the analysis found.

“Even a few years ago, the prospect of Chicago losing its role as a connecting hub to Gary would have seemed, at best, improbable,” the report noted. “Now, that prospect appears likely.”​

​

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024...n-could-be-gary-indianas-gain-analysis-shows/

While Gary Metro isn't adequate or equipped as a major intercity hub, it has also been recently used as the transfer point for South Shore Line's bus bridge, while that railroad was shut down for miles during construction for double tracking. So, there is some reasonable argument for using it on an increased basis as a transfer station to Chicago and NW Indiana, at least.

Perhaps, what this really highlights, however, is whether Chicago should remain as the major transfer hub for interciy bus services, which it long has been. For instance, if more terminus transfers were scheduled at Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Milwaukee could service to Chicago be more regionalized with only stopovers at local transit centers (such as those that now exist at Gary, 95th Red Line, and Cumberland Blue Line, and at Union Station) serving the local Chicago metro population and those actually traveling to the area as their destination?