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Metra may revamp fare structure, introduce new passes
As Metra prepares its 2021 budget amidst a 90-percent ridership drop, the commuter railroad is considering substantial changes its fare structure and service patterns.
September 28, 2020
Idiocy or genius? The South Shore Line tries quarantining anti-maskers in a separate car
Is the commuter railroad's unique approach to dealing with COVID deniers on trains completely misguided, or so gosh darn irrational that it just might work?
September 23, 2020
An electric boost made a long-distance bike trip to the ‘burbs a breeze
Since Metra policy made it impossible to bring a longtail electric cargo bike on the trail, having an electrical assist was helpful for shrinking the commute.
September 18, 2020
Financially struggling Metra launches a marketing blitz to coax riders back onto trains
The new media juggernaut, dubbed "My Metra," includes ads on TV, traditional radio, streaming radio, billboards, social media, website, mailings and other formats.
September 15, 2020
Does relatively high Metra Electric ridership while fares were free show latent demand?
In its mid-year ridership report, Metra also said systemwide ridership is still nowhere near normal, and it won’t be normal for quite some time.
August 24, 2020
That’ll play in Peoria: Trump’s Illinois transit funding tweet is stale news
While Trump's transit tweet was relatively inoffensive and truthful, compared to his usual depressingly low bar, it wasn't actually saying anything new.
August 14, 2020
Metra adds express trains to BNSF and Rock Island lines
In another sign that Chicagoland transit is slowly coming back from dramatic ridership losses during the pandemic, Metra announced this week that it is adding express trains to its Rock Island and BNSF lines.
July 29, 2020
Metra releases ridership data to help customers avoid crowding
Metra launched a Ridership Dashboard to give riders a heads-up about crowding issues, so that they can make an informed decision when planning their commutes.
July 8, 2020
Despite COVID headwinds, study recommends ways to expand Metra NCS service
Metra North Central Service Line riders want weekend service and more frequent weekday runs. But that was a tall order even before the pandemic decimated transit ridership and revenue.
June 8, 2020
Uncharted territory: RTA leaders discuss how Chicago transit will survive COVID-19
How with the CTA, Pace, and Metra transport more people to work when the state reopens, while maintaining social distance, with a lot less money? That remains to be seen.
May 21, 2020
