Posted May 16, 11:27 a.m.

As you know, I love a good rider letter.  That's why I had to immediately post this rant I received this morning from a rider named Brandie Renae.  She absolutely went off on the CTA today after some serious mass transit miscommunication.  Check out what she has to say, and let me know if you've ever had a similar experience. Ready, set, vent!

"WHAT.THE.HELL!!??!  I walk all the way up to the Lunt entrance of the Morse stop....scan my card (PAY) at 6:15am ...  go up to the platform and walk to where I normally catch the train, and wait....and watch .... as an *EMPTY* Redline train - zooms by on the OUT-SIDE-TRACK!!... EMPTY .... it was.... EMPTY!!!  I have to be TO WORK at 7:30am (not later than).  I say, out loud "what the HELL?!!?" a gentleman waiting on the other side of the platform answers me.  "The trains aren't stopping here today - we have to ride to Howard and then catch the train downtown"  Funny -- nothing was posted on the website -- there are no signs on the UN-MANNED entrance of the station, there were no "oh yeah by the way -- you need alternate plans" notices posted anywhere -- even in the Red Eye; god forbid it be mentioned on the "commuting" segment of the Morning TV news.........I reply "how do you know?"  "oh, they announced it a little bit ago over the sound system".....  Yet - the entire time it took me to walk from the Lunt entrance to the opposite end of the platform - I heard the "mic cuing" noise - but no announcement. I've gone to the Howard station before -- that station is the largest mishmash of disorganization I have ever encountered in trying to get *anywhere*.  Workers standing in clusters chatting, laughing...doing nothing...I rarely see any actual - REAL work being done by anyone NOT wearing a hard hat. It LITERALLY takes me 45 MINUTES....to get from MORSE....to SOUTH BOULEVARD!!!  Anyway, I quickly do the math, based on personal past experience and realize that, if I want to get to work -- ON TIME -- I have to run back up to Sheridan Road, and catch.....A CAB to downtown (a $25 ride) !! (this, on TOP of ... paying $2 to get INTO the Morse Stop)  Furious, much?  yes.  I can honestly say I am livid. I know this letter is tantamount to screaming in a hurricane....there's already so much ignored 'noise' it's not going to affect anything to make any change; it'll just be added to the other screaming going on.  Lily Tomlin did a character back in the 70's ... it was a spoof of the Phone Company in those days - Large, bloated, ineffective - but; "the only game in town" ... the painfully true comment I remember most? "We're the Phone Company - we don't care ...We don't have to" ..."We're the CTA ... We don't care, We don't have to"....hm...  somehow - it fits."