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Amtrak’s Boarding Procedure Brings the Stress of Airports to Trains
While intercity and long-distance train travel is on the rise in the United States, Amtrak could still do a lot more to improve the customer experience and boost ridership further.
December 2, 2013
Mariano’s Contractor Builds Temporary Walkway For Metra Commuters
After Streetsblog reported on Leopardo Construction's poor pedestrian accommodations during construction on Lawrence Avenue next to the Ravenswood station, where the contractor is building a Mariano's grocery store, a company representative wrote to say that building a temporary walkway in the road wasn't feasible. Soon after, however, a temporary walkway was added.
November 11, 2013
Metra and Pace Maintain Support for Illiana at the Expense of Transit
Yesterday, 11 members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization policy committee, including Metra and Pace, voted to add the Illiana Tollway to the GO TO 2040 regional plan. This enables the Illinois DOT and Indiana DOT to move forward with the project approvals necessary to receive federal funds.
October 18, 2013
Will Transit Reps Repeat Their Misguided Support for the Illiana Tomorrow?
Funding for major Chicagoland transit projects will be at stake tomorrow, when regional representatives convened by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning vote on whether to move forward with the Illiana Tollway. Even though approving the Illiana will jeopardize CTA and Metra improvements by adding competition for the same pot of funds, all four Chicagoland transit agencies – and the Chicago Department of Transportation – either voted for the project or abstained in an advisory vote earlier this month.
October 16, 2013
Metra Headaches Continue While Quinn Forms Committee to Reform Transit
A fifth Metra board member gave up his post Thursday after the Chicago Tribune wrote that Stanley Rakestraw no longer lived in suburban Cook County – as required – and the person who appointed him, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, asked him to tender resignation. Board members are resigning after allegations of double dipping (for being on two governmental boards simultaneously), patronage hiring and promoting, and for giving former Metra CEO Alex Clifford a severance package potentially worth over $700,000 in exchange for keeping quiet. The full amount would be available to Clifford if he fails to find a new job.
August 16, 2013
Families Encouraged to Ditch Their Cars and Take a “Traincation” Instead
When people in Chicagoland think about taking a summer vacation with their family, the plans often involve an automobile. However, in an era of high gas prices, in a region blessed with a 500-mile commuter rail system, it makes a lot of sense to rethink the concept of the family getaway to include car-free excursions.
July 10, 2013
Bike Access on Metra: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Anne Alt is president of the Chicago Cycling Club and works in the Law Offices of James Freeman, a sponsor of Streetsblog Chicago.
April 19, 2013
Share Your Bike on Metra Experience
Chicago Cycling Club president Anne Alt is collecting information from Chicagoland residents about their how they combine bicycling with Metra trips, for a survey that will be open until next Wednesday. She explains the survey's purpose:
February 27, 2013
Metra to Potential Customers: Come On and Take a Free Ride
People who ride Metra commuter rail regularly know that it’s a relatively comfortable and dignified transit experience. The cars are clean, you almost always get a seat, the ride is smooth and the trains usually arrive exactly when they’re supposed to. You can read, talk on the phone, use a laptop, snooze or even legally enjoy a beer during your trip. It certainly beats the heck out of driving across the Chicago region on many counts: safety, cost, reliability, stress reduction, environmental sustainability and more.
February 26, 2013