Metra

Changes to North Central Service, Milwaukee West schedules are coming.

In June, Metra and local elected leaders celebrated the opening of a new station on the Union Pacific North Line at Peterson and Ridge. It’s already a success, with up to 300 daily riders during rush hours on peak days. But as Streetsblog noted, the project took much longer than expected. At the ribbon-cutting, Metra officials cited budget holdups during the Rauner Administration, and challenges getting permits from the Water Department.

A series of four community meetings the Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting this week keeps the flame alive that Governor JB Pritzker's promise of Metra service between Chicago and Rockford was not just a cheap trick.

SBC's Igor Studenkov and John Greenfield competed against each other on the Blue Line and the temporary O'Hare shuttle train.

Walker, a consultant with the two systems, talks about how to improve service. He won't "disagree with their managements in public," but says he's genuinely against the proposed merger.

RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace chiefs said they need more funding but are opposed to unification. The chamber leaders said the agencies shouldn't get one without the other.

The Regional Transportation Authority recently discussed the bright sides of the local bus and train picture. But looming in the background is the $730 million Chicagoland transit fiscal cliff.

According a survey focused on bike parking, respondents overwhelmingly preferred the addition of secure, indoor bike storage at Union Station.

The commuter rail system provides easy, generally ADA accessible, access to suburbs like Geneva that offer shopping, dining, and other activities within walking or rolling distance of the station.