The Impact of Weather on the Ridership of Chicago's Rail Transit System
Document Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
20-4-2018 3:30 PM
End Date
20-4-2018 4:45 PM
Keywords
Weather, Transit, Chicago
Biography
Hello, everyone, I’m Mike Andry. I’m 23 years old, I’ve attended Marshall since Fall 2013, I’m a Student in the University’s Geography Department, and a Bachelor of Science in Geography is my Major. I’ve been highly interested in weather, transit, and travel, which is why I selected the a project about weather’s impact on the Chicago L’s ridership. Enjoy, all!
Major
Geography (Bachelor of Science)
Advisor for this project
Dr. Anita Walz
Abstract
Mike Andry
Geo-499 Abstract
The Impact of Weather on the Ridership of Chicago's Rail Transit System
The United States differs greatly from region to region; how people get around is not an exception. This study’s primary objective is to evaluate whether city-operated rail transit systems can be made more efficient and resistant to weather by comparing daily ridership to daily weather, using Chicago as an example. Therefore, transit systems in the U.S. are operated by their respective cities rather than the Federal Government. While efficiency is simpler in less adverse weather, more challenges arise during inclement weather. Protecting passengers from the elements makes this issue important. This report uses short-term and long-term weather data from the National Weather Service and the National Centers for Environmental Information. It also uses 2016 transit ridership data from the City of Chicago. By visual interpretation, Chicago’s transit ridership held steady over half of that year, even during occasional precipitation. However, there were ridership spikes during the summer months and November of 2016. In the next step, correlations between higher ridership and temperature deviations from the norm are examined. The study did not consider maintenance and capital construction, nor did it take train derailments and other incidents into consideration. Therefore, further evaluation is needed on a station-by-station for stronger understanding of how weather impacts transit ridership.
The Impact of Weather on the Ridership of Chicago's Rail Transit System
Mike Andry
Geo-499 Abstract
The Impact of Weather on the Ridership of Chicago's Rail Transit System
The United States differs greatly from region to region; how people get around is not an exception. This study’s primary objective is to evaluate whether city-operated rail transit systems can be made more efficient and resistant to weather by comparing daily ridership to daily weather, using Chicago as an example. Therefore, transit systems in the U.S. are operated by their respective cities rather than the Federal Government. While efficiency is simpler in less adverse weather, more challenges arise during inclement weather. Protecting passengers from the elements makes this issue important. This report uses short-term and long-term weather data from the National Weather Service and the National Centers for Environmental Information. It also uses 2016 transit ridership data from the City of Chicago. By visual interpretation, Chicago’s transit ridership held steady over half of that year, even during occasional precipitation. However, there were ridership spikes during the summer months and November of 2016. In the next step, correlations between higher ridership and temperature deviations from the norm are examined. The study did not consider maintenance and capital construction, nor did it take train derailments and other incidents into consideration. Therefore, further evaluation is needed on a station-by-station for stronger understanding of how weather impacts transit ridership.
