Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Metra

Chicago's Union Station. Photo: John Greenfield

Mayors CHIP in to win Chicago Hub Improvement Program upgrades to Union Station

By John Greenfield | Nov 14, 2022 | No Comments

If the funding is approved, Amtrak would use the cash from a federal Mega Grant to upgrade the terminal, create more rail routes into the city, and launch a variety of new services.

An inbound Union Pacific North train at the Rogers Park Metra station. If this line had been shut down, the CTA Purple and Red lines would have been a fall-back for some riders. Photo: Igor Studenkov

Yay, Metra service is spared! What were options for riders in the event of a strike shutdown?

By Igor Studenkov | Sep 15, 2022 | No Comments

There was good news today as the potential shutdown of four Metra lines due to a threatened freight rail worker strike was averted. But what would have happened if it wasn't?

Metra Electric District trains at Millennium Station. Photo: John Greenfield

Why it’s difficult for newbies to navigate Metra, and how it can be made easier

By Chris Russo | Sep 12, 2022 | No Comments

The low quality of wayfinding and information design throughout Metra stations and onboard the trains is totally inexcusable.

A Chicago-bound Amtrak Lincoln Service train arrives at the Joliet Gateway Center station, the north end of the stretch of tracks between St. Louis and Chicago that is being improved for higher speeds. Photo: Igor Studenkov

IDOT’s multiyear plan supports intercity rail, bus-on-shoulder… and lots of driving projects

By Igor Studenkov | Aug 29, 2022 | No Comments

On August 12, Governor JB Pritzker announced the Illinois Department of Transportation's new multiyear plan, a blueprint for spending $34.6 billion on transportation infrastructure over the next six years.

Mayor Lightfoot speaks at a lectern in Chicago Union Station

Mayor Lightfoot, state officials, and federal electeds advocate for Union Station upgrades

By Courtney Cobbs | Jul 15, 2022 | No Comments

On Thursday, July 8, Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined federal elected officials Senator Dick Durbin and Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-4) alongside state transportation officials in asking for federal funds for improvements to Chicago’s Union Station and nearby tracks that would make the station a more comfortable and spacious place for passengers and reduce delays on […]

Looking west down Highland Park's Central Avenue from a UP-N train yesterday afternoon in the wake of the shooting. The shooter was standing on the roof of the Ross Cosmetics Building at Central and 2nd Avenue, about a block west of the tracks. Photo: Igor Studenkov

What it was like riding Metra the day the U.S. gun violence epidemic reached Highland Park

By Igor Studenkov | Jul 5, 2022 | No Comments

Even amid death and trauma, people still have places to get, and public transit will, hopefully, still be there to serve them.

A Metra train departs from downtown Chicago. Photo: Jeff Zoline

For $100 you can take unlimited rides on Metra this summer, anywhere in the region

By Courtney Cobbs | Jun 1, 2022 | No Comments

The full-fare pass is $100, and discounted passes for eligible seniors, K-12 students, and riders on the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines will be $70.

Detail from a proposed redesign on the Milwaukee/Kilbourn bridge. Image: Philip Santos

2 cyclists were killed near Milwaukee/Kilbourn bridge. Let’s rebuild it to make it safer.

By Sharon Hoyer | May 23, 2022 | No Comments

Engineer Philip Santos notes that upgrading the area below the bridge would be more expensive and challenging, but well worth the trouble. “There have been two fatalities here. If you’re going to fix a bridge, do it right.”

A Pace bus approaches the Harvey Transportation Center, as seen from the Harvey Metra Electric station. Photo: Igor Studenkov

Report: Fair Transit South Cook pilot helped ridership recover from pandemic lows

By Igor Studenkov | May 17, 2022 | No Comments

Cook County’s review of the first full year of the Fair Transit South Cook confirmed some of what Streetsblog Chicago’s earlier dive into Metra ridership numbers suggested.

The Des Plaines Metra Station and Pace bus terminal. Photo: Igor Studenkov

Pace field-tests leased e-bus, will probably cancel redundant Pace/Metra PlusBus Pass

By Igor Studenkov | May 15, 2022 | No Comments

The suburban bus system is already using a leased electric bus to do some field-testing. It also plans to eliminate the now-superfluous PlusBus Pass, which allows Metra monthly pass holders to ride Pace buses for an extra $30 a month.

Brenda Barrie, who led the charge to demand a town hall format, and other residents at last week's meeting. Photo: Igor Studenkov

Mutiny at the meeting: Lakeview neighbors hijack Metra hearing to voice UP-N concerns

By Igor Studenkov | May 2, 2022 | No Comments

“We’ve been growing, gentrifying, changing the North Side, and you’re endangering everything we have done,” said one neighbor.

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