... as of October 29, 2023, the Pulse Dempster Line is now operating full daily service, offering Pace riders a significant increase in service frequency seven days per week! This is service is offered in addition to the regular Route 250 bus service.
Communities served include communities Evanston, Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Rosemont.
Pace's second Pulse rapid transit service operates on Dempster Street providing premium limited-stop service every 15-20 minutes featuring attractive purple branded buses equipped with modern high-tech amenities that quickly get riders from Evanston to O’Hare International Airport - and many other destinations along the way.
Additional benefits are free Wi-Fi on buses, easy-to-find branded stations with heated shelters, real-time bus tracker information and improved ADA accessibility including raised bus platforms at all stations that conveniently melt ice and snow during inclement weather.
Riders can now easily connect to other Pace and CTA bus routes, the CTA Yellow and Purple lines, as well as to Metra’s Union Pacific North, Northwest, and North Central Service rail lines providing passengers with an abundance of local and regional travel options.
Pulse Dempster service also improves access to a variety of major destinations, schools, places of employment and more, including the O’Hare Multi-Modal Facility, Lutheran General Hospital, Maine East High School, and Notre Dame High School.
Station locations were selected in collaboration with local communities and transportation and environmental agencies, as well as with input from the public.
The Pulse Dempster Line's Sunday-only "sneak preview" started on August 13, 2023 and full daily service kicked off on October 29, 2023.
The Dempster Line project was initiated in 2015, the environmental analysis was completed in 2018, the final design phase was completed in 2020 and construction began in 2022.
Construction was funded by a Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning $10 million grant through the Federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) 2018-2022 program.
As part of the development of the Dempster Line, Pace refreshed the standard Pulse station design to fit a variety of local needs and site constraints, as well as to minimize impacts to adjacent properties. The Dempster Line feature compact Pulse stations and vertical markers that require less space, while still providing all Pulse amenities such as heated-shelters and real-time bus tracker information.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all Pulse stations are fully complete and any temporary boarding locations will be located near the soon-to-be-completed station and will be clearly marked with Pulse logo signs.
Riders will be able to recognize the arrival of Pulse buses with the service’s signature purple branding and Pulse logo on the exterior of the bus.
With the start of Pulse Dempster's full launch service, Route 250 service frequency reduced to 30 minute and 60-minute frequencies depending on time of day.
The Pulse Dempster Line complements existing Route 250 service by providing faster, more frequent service to the most popular destinations along the Dempster Street corridor. Most of the new Pulse stations are located at or near the current Route 250 stops and will be roughly every half mile between Evanston and the O’Hare International Airport.
Pace anticipates that many current Route 250 riders will use the Dempster Line because of the faster travel times, increased frequency, and improved on-time performance.
We encourage riders to share their experiences to help us provide the highest level of satisfaction and meet the needs of our communities. Let us know what you think!
We appreciate our riders' support, understanding, and patience as we continue progress on station construction to create a fast, frequent, and reliable new rapid transit service.
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