No Surprise: International Report Says Region’s Transit Not Up to Par
 

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2014/10/0...not-up-to-par/

Last month, a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development validated what Chicago researchers, a task force convened by the governor, and millions of customers have all said for years: Transit in Chicagoland is fragmented, inefficient, and far from adequate to serve the region’s transportation needs.....

Lewis would be a complete disaster as Mayor. My guess is with her current health issue, she will not be running.

I'm most afraid of Lewis bankrupting the city.

^ Yes, I agree. She should focus on her health first and foremost, and then getting back to her job - one in which she is well-suited for - as teacher's uniion president. A nice and interesting person, very smart, but not right for mayor....

Aldermen seek O'Hare express train to Union Station, McCormick Place
 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...008-story.html

Five aldermen well-versed in Chicago's transportation issues on Wednesday called for yet another study to examine the feasibility and cost of launching high-quality airport express train service for O'Hare International Airport, Union Station and McCormick Place.......

^ wishfull thinking isn't self funding . Only way is fed money from on high..... which only DC gets limitless. Parochial cities get scraps.....

Does anyone know what is going on with the 18th street Metra station?

It appears as though a temporary bus transfer station is being put together along the McCormick Place busway. My guess was to route the passengers that get picked up and dropped off up onto the bridge to allow them to cross over to Soldier Field without having to do a grade-level crossing of the railroad tracks as they do now.

On the subject of distance to transit, which often comes up in Chicago discussions, apparently in Manhattan the farthest you could possibly live from a subway entrance is .8 miles. And that's a building with $20m penthouses. A 17 minute walk, according to google.

Average Metra fare to jump 68 percent over 10 years under proposal
 

http://breakingnews.suntimes.com/chi...nder-proposal/

The average Metra fare could jump 68 percent over 10 years under a $2.4 billion modernization plan that would bankroll upgrades to virtually Metra’s entire fleet and cover a new federal safety mandate........

Didn't they just jack up Metra rates 1 year or 2 ago. Getting kind of tired of this. But i guess they have other upper management people they need to pay to go away or something.

There are buses that stop on the Busway at 18th?

Maybe intial construction staging, even the first parts (demolition of existing facilities) will require hundreds of workers daily, and tons of heavy equipment.

They might be planning to run shuttles to/from worker parking areas.

For Bears games, sure.

Buses provided by whom, or from what service?

Auburn Park/79th Metra station to break ground on Spring 2015
http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/ne...l#.VDsbTYm9LCQ

If everything goes well, we could have Auburn Park and Peterson/Ridge under construction next spring. The long-promised renovations to Healy are out for bid right now, too.

Plus, the west side of the new Ravenswood station is about to open, after which the work will shift to the east side. I keep waiting for a renovation of Clybourn, which desperately needs work...

Shuttle buses - from various parking lots, I would assume.

I looked out the window this morning and noticed that the southern portion of the platform was being reconstructed with no apparent staircase (like there used to be) down to ground level. More evidence that they are planning to make all bus passengers use the pedestrian bridge, which also gives flexibility to add CTA bus service there - the busway has space at the spot for buses to exit the roadway for drop offs and pick ups.

Well this sounds like a fairly big deal:

More Here: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...billion-revamp

God I hope there is at least SOME conversation about electrification. If precedence is any indication theyre discussing purchasing diesel hauled coaches that may be around for 40+ years. Does anyone else think it sounds crazy to be running diesel commuter trains in 2050? 2060?

No, I really think we need to think about going back to coal fired steam engines.

Metra could start with a pilot program for the Milwaukee district mainline, using dual modes until the funds are in place to complete the entire length of the lines. The Rock Island line also seems an obvious one as there are so many closely placed stops where quick acceleration would prove very beneficial.

No, fixed-plant electrification is an enormous cost for the tiniest of increments in greenhouse gases (that electricity has to be generated somewhere, somehow). In fact, when you consider transmission loss from distant power plants, it's doubtful there's any improvement at all. Lots of other things—natural gas or turbine prime movers, regenerative braking—could be done for a fraction of the cost, if emissions is your worry.

I think it will be an interesting discussion when the time comes—soon—to reconstruct the Metra Electric overhead.