Why has Chicago stuck largely with transverse seating for the last 50 years?
Electric Railway Journal would seem to suggest that Chicagoans preferred it, at least back in the 1920s. In large part, its continued use seems to stem from two things. One is that the “L”TM has smaller passenger loads, relatively speaking, than many other subways systems like the London Underground and the New York subway. Longitudinal seats provide fewer seats per car, but allow for more standing room (which ultimately allows more people to be packed into a car), making it ideal for busier lines. Many systems have different types of seating arrangements on cars assigned to lines with differing passenger loads. But, in spite of some very heavy loads as rush hour on many lines, including the Red and Brown Lines, it is felt that the “L”TM doesn’t usually have sufficient loads to require all or additional longitudinal seats.
