More L-bow Room on the CTA

By Ali Trachta in News on Sep 25, 2008 6:30PM

Have you found squishing your way onto the L train a little less difficult? If so, you may have already ridden one of the new reduced-seat "MAX" L train cars the CTA has been testing out on the Brown Line during rush hour since September 12. The number of seats on these new cars has been reduced by 12 or 14, freeing up space for an additional 20 passengers.

The CTA reports that riders with strollers, suitcases and the like are grateful for the extra wiggle room. (We’ve all gotten dirty looks for shoving our luggage onto an already packed train on the way to the airport. What else are we supposed to do?) This has prompted the transit agency to look into adding these cars to the Blue and Orange lines. (Please!) The Sun-Times called praise from passengers with bicycles “curious,” since bikes aren’t allowed on trains during rush hour. Ok, maybe they still deserve the dirty looks.