Results tagged “metra”

It's almost spring, the season for bicycle commuting, leisurely weekend bike rides, longer bike trips - and sudden afternoon rainstorms. In these situations, you have three choices: suck it up and get wet, leave your bike wherever it was and seek shelter, or haul yourself and your bike onto a CTA bus or train. Here's a handy-dandy list of rules and some tips for all of your emergency biking needs this spring and summer. more ›

The CTA trains are another story, but if you use Metra and Amtrack trains to get around Chicagoland area, your ride may soon get a little faster. more ›

Folks coming into the city from Schaumburg may find themselves riding the Good & Plenty Express if a Metra idea goes through to start selling naming rights to lines, train stations, and bridges. Metra recently raised fares to try and close a projected $60-70 million budget hole that they claim are due to a drop in sales tax revenues, the free rides for seniors program, and a decrease in ridership by workday commuters because of high unemployment rates. Selling naming rights could bring in needed revenue and help prevent more fare hikes in the near future. more ›

New Metra fares roll out tomorrow though the transit agency claims most regular riders won't be affected. There will be no changes to monthly passes as well as the 10-ride passes. But there will be an increase in one-way fares as well as the agency's first increase in weekend fares. Metra says the one-way increases is an effort to "encourage customers to use 10-ride tickets and monthly passes, which already offer a significant discount over one-way fares." The one-way increases vary by zone and you can see a complete list of increases here. Weekend passes, which are for unlimited rides during over the weekend, will increase from $5 to $7 and the penalty for buying tickets on-board a train if boarding from a manned station will increase from $2 to $3. A full breakdown of all Metra fares based on zone can be found here. more ›

A woman has filed a lawsuit against Metra after a toilet exploded and caused her "injuries of a 'personal and pecuniary nature,'" WBBM 780 reports. Specific details aren't discussed at great length but the word "splattered" is mentioned so you can use your imagination. Julianna Mandernach claimed the January 2009 incident occurred when she flushed a toilet on board a car on the the Chicago-to-Joliet/Rock Island line. The amount of damages sought was not announced and her attorney refused comment on the specific nature of her injuries. more ›

Public transit funding that over-funds Metra and under-funds the CTA is racial discrimination, says a class-action law suit filed today with the U.S. District Court in Chicago. The suit, filed by plaintiffs Dorothy McGhee (who is African-American) and Manuel Munguia (who is Hispanic), is a class-action on behalf of all black and Hispanic CTA riders, reports the Tribune. The suit places the blame for the funding disparities as motivated by racial discrimination on the State of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation Authority and Metra. more ›

• A community organization on the South Side is fighting for the right of local commuters to get access to Metra's inbound South Shore train which city commuters are currently prohibited from boarding.
• Authorities are blaming a space heater for a fire that killed two and injured two in the Austin neighborhood.
• New evidence and charges in the murder of Melissa Bridgewater.

A Metra passenger train in Bensenville struck a car on Friday that apparently slid on ice into the train tracks. Bensenville Fire Battalion Chief Larry Karp said the car slid on ice around 7:30 p.m. on Friday and came to stop between two sets of tracks. A train coming into the station clipped the car, injuring three adults inside. Karp said that those three were taken to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital with minor injuries and two other people were checked at the scene. [Chicago Sun-Times] more ›

• Two Metra workers have been suspended after a weekend incident in which a young boy's foot got caught in a train's closing doors.
• Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of Sergeant Albert Ware, a Chicago soldier killed by an IED in Afghanistan last week.
• Edward Stapinski, the Lockport police officer involved in a deadly car crash on the Stevenson Sunday night, is being held on $750,000 bond. Stapinski's blood-alcohol level was allegedly three times the legal limit upon his arrest.

• Prosecutors now allege that Tahawwur Hussain Rana - who was arrested with David Headley on charges of planning a terror attack in Denmark - also knew of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks; Headley has already been charged for helping to plan the Mumbai attacks.
• Police have charged a local man in a "weekend killing spree" that has left two dead and one critically hurt.
• Celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma is joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a creative consultant for the next three years.

• A CTA bus driver was injured last night when his bus got caught in the crossfire from a shoot-out; the driver's injuries were cuts caused by flying glass.
• The three teens charged in the beating death of Derrion Albert all pleaded not guilty at a hearing today.
• Shocker: Daley defends TIFs.

Today Gov. Quinn called on the CTA and Metra to not raise fares in exchange for state aid. Meanwhile, with just a little over 24 hours left in the fall session, state legislators are considering a bill that would cut back on those free senior rides that Blago forced the CTA to institute. The new bill would set a threshold that only those seniors who earn below a yearly income of $22,218 would qualify for free rides. As the Trib points out, though, Quinn didn't say if he would refuse to sign this new legislation should the CTA and Metra raise fares anyway. more ›

Though more delays should be expected, service on Metra's Southwest and Heritage lines was set to resume this afternoon after two days of havoc thanks to derailments. Four different trains derailed yesterday and investigators are still trying to figure out how much damage may have been done. Be sure to check the Metra website for the latest information. more ›

Bad news for Metra commuters on the SouthWest Service line: a freight train derailment today will more than likely cause some delays tonight. No one was hurt in the derailment but fluids leaked from the train into the Chicago River, resulting in a hazmat response. Metra has already canceled some afternoon trains and it may take as long as 12 hours to completely clear the scene. more ›

While we wait to see if the CTA will indeed make good on its threat to raise fares and cut services in an attempt to close a budget gap numbering in the hundreds of millions of dollars, at least one high-ranking government official is ready to do his part. With the RTA already supporting such a measure, Gov. Pat Quinn is also giving some thought to repealing the free CTA rides for senior programs infamously instituted by then-governor Rod Blagojevich. Speaking to WGN Radio today, Quinn supported the idea of reviewing program and possibly altering it to offer free rides to veterans, active military, and seniors whose income falls below a certain threshold. Said Quinn: more ›

• There's still some skepticism as to whether or not President Obama will make the trip to Copenhagen on the eve of the IOC's October 2nd vote for the 2016 Olympic games.
• Speaking of the Olympics, in the latest edition of one poll that measures where city's rank with their bids, Chicago is now second behind Rio.
• WBEZ talked to local Congressmen to see where they stand on health care reform in the wake of President Obama's speech last night.

On Wednesday, Metra will roll out a new website offering riders the convenience of buying tickets online by credit card. Revolutionary, given that for more than 150 years you could only buy a Metra ticket with cash or check. The "Ticket-by-Internet" feature will allow a rider to order up to two monthly tickets and three 10-ride tickets per transaction which Metra sends to you by mail. Regular commuters can go to the website and create a "My Metra" account to manage billing information, create a custom view of train schedules, and set up personalized e-mail alerts for service updates. You won't be able to buy tickets with a credit card at stations yet, but Metra says we can expect that in March 2010. more ›

The MetraMarket, which broke ground last year, is finally taking shape in the 100,000 sq. ft. space on the street level of the Ogilvie Transportation Center (bordered by Lake, Canal, Washington and Clinton streets). The developer recently announced at least half of the tenants who will occupy the Chicago French Market, a part of the MetraMarket retail development that promises to be reminiscent of European open-air markets. Among the tenants signed on for the French Market's late October opening are local favorites Pastoral, Flip Crepes, and Vanille Pastisserie, as well as Chicago Organics who will offer an array of locally grown and certified organic produce, meats, and dairy. Other purveyors on the list are Albano's Deli, Canady Le Choclatier, Completely Nuts, Espression by Lavazza, Fraternite Notre Dame, Sweet Miss Giving's, and Wisconsin Cheese Mart. more ›

With all the talk of fare hikes, doomsdays, and state funding shortfalls we've heard about our public transportation system since the beginning of the year, well, there's going to be even more talk over the next several days. Starting tomorrow and running until next Tuesday, September 1, the RTA will conduct 13 hearings to help them set next year's budget. WBBM 780 has more on the meetings as well as a break-down of the schedule. more ›

• Another teen was charged today in a string of armed robberies at South Side Metra stations.
• Investigators are taking another go-around at tips and evidence from the Lane Bryant shootings hoping to get a break in the case.
• WBEZ has an excellent story on Hands of Peace, a program in Glenview that brings together Israeli and Palestinian teens with local teens.

It looks like the CTA could be on its way to introducing a new fare card. First up for the agency will be seeking proposals for studies on the change and then will be implementing the change itself. If all goes as planned, the CTA - who has been joined by Metra and Pace - could implement the new system which would allow riders to pay fare via just a credit card by mid-2012. CTA President Carole Brown told WBBM, "It's quicker boarding, we think that we will be able to increase ridership because it's just an ease of ridership so that they don't have to find the media. It takes us out of the fare-media business which we think will save money." more ›

Metra trains will soon have additional federal security on board. Metra insists the new plan is not in response to any threat but rather for the benefit of passengers.

The TSA patrols will "augment existing security resources, provide deterrent presence and detection capabilities, and introduce an element of unpredictability to disrupt potential terrorist planning activities," Metra said in a statement. more ›

• The B.F. Shaw Printing Co., parent company of the McHenry County-based newspaper Northwest Herald, has sued Cal Skinner Jr. of the McHenry County Blog for damages based on a post Skinner made regarding an alleged loan to the paper, claiming such a loan never happened.
• The City has filed applications for grants that would provide upwards of $106 million meant to hire 400 new police officers. But the grants, good for three years, contain the provision that the officers have to remain on the city payroll for at least one additional year after.
• At yesterday's Pride Parade, Sen. Roland Burris supported civil unions but stopped short of endorsing gay marriage - a view shared by Pres. Barack Obama.

As expected, the Regional Transportation Authority board agreed this week to slash public funding for Chicago-area transit services by $67 million over the next six months. The nine board members in attendance voted unanimously for the cuts, in the hopes that they will bring the transit agencies' growing budget deficits in line with lower tax revenues. more ›

An update on yesterday's strange story of a mother leaving her baby on a Metra Train, via NBC 5. It seems the woman had another child, a 3 year old toddler, with her and that child bolted off the train as soon as the doors opened. The mother chased after that child and the train moved out of the station before the woman could get back on and pull the stroller, with the 10 month old baby, off the train. more ›

We'll admit, we've left plenty of stuff on trains before: papers, books, umbrellas, even a scrap of paper with the phone number of a young woman who was way too pretty for us anyway. But we've never left a baby on board a train as a woman did last night on a northbound Union Pacific North Line train. No charges have been filed against the woman who left the baby on board when she got off at North Chicago. And yes, mother and baby were safely reunited. [CBS 2] more ›

In a refrain which is growing tiresome yet still just as worrisome, it seems the CTA is once again threatening service cuts ahead of an RTA vote. The vote, happening Thursday, would cut $61 million worth of services to make up for a drop in sales-tax revenue. If approved, overall cuts would breakdown to $35 million for the CTA, $19 million for Metra, and $7 million for PACE. CTA President Richard Rodriguez has warned that cuts would result in about a five percent reduction in service for every $10 million lost. There's no indication which specific services the CTA would be cut, but officials have said whole bus routes could be lost in addition to overall reduction in service. PACE will look to reduce services on routes with low ridership, focusing on late nights, early mornings, and weekends. As for Metra, officials for that agency seemed to be downright sunny in comparison, saying the cuts wouldn't result in lost services as the agency did not fill some vacant job posts and have held tight on spending. [Tribune] more ›

• Metra found out today they're the recipient of $46 million in federal cash.
• The Parking Ticket Geek has shots of today's Parking Meter protest.
• Cook County Commissioner Willaim Beavers took a cheap shot at departing commissioner Forrest Claypool, calling him a, "born loser."

Metra officials have their panties in a wad, but commuters will be singing for joy: beginning in September, Metra will begin accepting credit cards for monthly passes and 10-ride tickets. Thank you Sen. Michael Bond (D-Grayslake) for pushing through legislation that now requires Metra to accept credit cards. more ›

Seriously, the CTA should totally look into such a thing. A proposed redesign for the 35th Street Metra stop struck some as looking similar to a Donkey Kong Screen. This is brilliant. For the next redesign, we'd suggest Q-Bert. [Windy Citizen, Gapers Block] more ›