I can't see the Dept of Aviation caring about protecting CTA, a completely separate unit of government. I think it's more that a) this is a facility for rental cars, paid for by rental companies, and the proximity to the NCS station is an accident; and ii) any real Metra O'Hare service—if it ever comes—is more likely to use MD-W, which Metra actually controls and could add more trains on.

The smart short-term Metra Express play would be to simply run a shuttle bus from the terminals down (usually free-flowing) Mannheim Road to the MD-W Mannheim station.

Metra is also competition for rental cars.

No it's not. . .

. . .

Very slight competition. Out of hosting about 700 Airbnb bookings, exactly one used Metra for a trip to the suburbs, to visit Burt's pizza before they closed.

And you know this because...? Maybe they slipped away and took Metra somewhere. I book Airbnb all the time with a rental and then take local public transportation during my visit. Unless they're spying on me my hosts never know.

Well the thing is - as we all know - Metra doesn't really function as "public transportation" so much as simply "commuter rail". . . I mean sure, people /could/ be using Metra in lieu of renting a car but that seems very unlikely. . .

. . .

Any direct experience of how well arterial rapid transit is working in Chicago? Do the buses run full enough to justify it?

^We don't have any routes running yet. The first line (Milwaukee Ave. from Jeff Park to Golf Mill) begins operation in August—supposedly.

Exactly how do you justify defining public transportation as not including commuter rail?

Public transportation: anything that is not a single occupancy personal vehicle and is owned by the public for the public's use on a mass scale. Commuter rail is public transportation. It transports the public on a mass scale. It is owned by the public. It just happens to be public transportation for a group of people who you are clearly biased against: suburbanites.

Context, man. Context. No one is claiming that suburban rail service isn't public transit in a theoretical sense.

But Metra is virtually useless for any travel other than rush-hour commuting from suburbs to city. Certainly no tourist will be headed anywhere, except possibly Pullman or the Museum of Science & Industry, that can easily be reached by Metra. Even if they are headed to MSI, or to Oak Park for Frank Lloyd Wright, they'll find CTA much more convenient.

I think you're missing the point. . . my original comment was directed at someone who was suggesting that the Metra station at O'Hare was in some ways competing against the car rental facility to which it abuts. . . which it doesn't. . . any further extrapolation to suggest that I'm biased against "suburbanites" is so unfounded that it puts your sanity into question. . .

. . .

^ I thought Burt's Pizza is still open under new ownership.

I hope it's not closed! :(

Any ideas or hints on what transit funding might be in the new capital spending bill? All I see is nearly 40 billion for roads, a bunch of buildings and schools and then maybe a passing comment about transit. I really wish they could throw a bone to transit and not always have 90%+ of the spending go to roads.

The RTA got $3.6B that will be divvied up between CTA/Metra/Pace. Metra will surely spend a lot of that on new power and rolling stock (as they should), possibly an A2 bridge also. CTA I know specifically got some cash to upgrade traction power on the Blue Line and will probably exercise its option for the extra 400 CRRC cars.

The rest of the 75th St CIP appears to be funded also which will make it possible for Metra's SWS to use LaSalle Station instead of Union south which is overcrowded. Also the freight improvement is substantial.

Sundry Amtrak projects including some Quad Cities/Rockford money. I am curious if the connection from CN to NS that would eliminate the backup maneuver on/off the Air Line made the list for the upgrades to the Champaign and Carbondale route but haven't found anything specific.

I think that number got revised upward

From Streetsblog:

Also, the Grand Crossing project to eliminate the reverse-move over the SCAL doesn't really jive with the One Central vision that calls for Amtrak to serve the new lakefront transit center. For the crazy amount of money they're requesting for that development (separate from the transit money in the capital plan) maybe they can fund a direct track connection from the SCAL into Union Station through Amtrak's yards, maybe using the abandoned north span of the SCAL bridge. Such a connection would honestly have some serious regional benefits and basically enable the CrossRail proposal or Metra's proposed O'Hare Express to serve McCormick Place directly.

I didn't notice the bumped transit share, that is good news.

Agree on this but I don't know how bought into One Central Amtrak is, if at all. As a whole I'm skeptical of the development's viability but am content to wait and see. I have long desired a direct electrified connection via the Air Line to Union for the same reasons.

I guess you're right:
https://chicago.eater.com/2019/4/9/1...tion-deep-dish

Some more details about transit investments coming out of our budget from the Midwest High Speed Rail association. I'm especially happy that $400 million has been committed towards CREATE. We need to keep that going:

I do look forward to taking my son on a train trip to the QC to see the grandparents. Won't be a time saver as I have to go downtown first (or drive to Naperville) but it'll be fun.

Are the QC worth a visit? I would consider visiting for a weekend if I can go by train.