The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) abruptly canceled a Brown Line “Rave Train” event that was scheduled to take place in the Windy City on June 15.
Event organizer Redline Chicago sold out what was billed as an “exclusive charter train experience” complete with a DJ performance on three multiple cars as it looped through downtown stations.
Redline Chicago characterized the last-minute cancellation as “shocking” and maintain that they had been in talks with the CTA since November to launch the experience. They allege that the agency had approved the event, called “Redline Express,” after negotiations and that the two parties have a contract in place.
“CTA's last-minute cancellation is both shocking and disappointing, as CTA has hosted similar rave events in the past, including a multi-train charter event in 2001,” organizers said in a statement.
However, a statement from the CTA suggests that the event was never approved.
“The CTA learned of additional details of the proposed event through the organizer's promotion that raised concerns regarding rider safety, as well as ticket sales for the event, which do not align with CTA policy. CTA to rent trains only for private and non-commercial purposes,” the organization said. “After careful consideration of all of these factors, this application could not be approved and no formal agreement was entered into between the two parties.”
As the dust settles, questions remain about how the line of communication between Redline Chicago and the CTA was broken, and whether the dream of a mobile rave will one day leave the station in the future.
Redline Chicago has suggested they will process refunds, but they have not yet issued them as of this writing.
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