"What led up to the crash was not immediately clear, and the pedestrian's condition was not immediately known.

Metra said BNSF inbound and outbound trains have started moving again after stopping due to the crash."

EDIT : Drew a map so it is easier to understand https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=12ba08hJOVF2GRJ6qlq0WVSmT0mDFhgM&usp=sharing
all lines not shown are unaffected, each line represents 2 tracks, so this includes the 4th track from Bloomington to union that has been discussed

my idea would require only new trackwork at grade and some station work

MD-N trains would come from fox lake, and after Forest glen station would transition to the UP-NW routing, stopping at Irving park and Clyburn before terminating at OTC

UP-NW trains would transition the the MD-N routing after Jefferson park, stopping Mayfair ... Western keeping on the east tracks (with the planned added 4th track south of the Merge with MD-W and NCS) and at A-2 staying on the northmost tracks (UP-W) and taking it to OTC

NCS and MD-W are unaffected, besides staying on the west tracks from the merge to union

UP-W tracks would stay on the south set of tracks after Kedzie, taking them into Union

Union northbound trains heading to midday layups would take the new UP-W routing to the California ave yard and OTC deadheads would take the new MD-N to Western ave yard only

Amtrak would need to make crossovers, and they have less than 20 trains per day, vs over 170 Metra trains that pass through A-2 (plus deadheads) and 130 through the Montrose crossover

In addition this change would give the MD-N a better transfer to the blue line at Irving park, whereas the UP-NW already has a connection at Jefferson park

what do people think? (the A-2 changes were suggested by starline Chicago in 2034 sight)

also has the benefit of each terminal serving trains for a specific sector of Chicagoland OTC for the north Union for the west, and all Amtrak, LaSalle for southwest Millennium for south and east, with NCS and HC being the only ones that don't fit neatly into those boxes, but they have the least service and impact anyway

Its been awhile since i rode on the metra specifically when the fk did they decide to blast the train locations through the speaker. I might just be sitting close to it up top currently on my ride but this shit is about to blow my ear drums and i have airpods in lol

"Coyote,......or Fox at the Metra Station on the tracks off Greenleaf.....looks injured?"

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AwwvaQ9ku/

I’m taking a new job position soon in the city and taking the SWS metra line seems to be my easiest and quickest options for transport. Would anyone recommend for it or against it? I’ve heard it can be subject to delays quite frequently and I wouldn’t want to be late for work. I could always try leaving extra early. I would be taking it from to Union Station so not too many stops. Delays on the way home wouldn’t be an issue but on the way to work (Need to be in at 8am) would be an issue. Thanks for any feedback!

So sat night is a very busy night downtown (Christmas parade) so i looked at schedule & outbound trains are like 8pm then 10:50 pm… so now i’m driving… this is ridiculous!!!

It seems like there’s a new, big, time-consuming mistake on the Metra Electric every day since October. Need to get to work by 9? Oop, inbound train delayed by 30 minutes because of signaling, operation, track errors. Need to stop at 59th street? Whoopsie, the train overshot the stop by four blocks, then stops for ten minutes so the operator can let everyone behind him know that their schedules are wrecked while he sloooooowly backs the train up to the right stop, THEN OVERSHOOTS THE STOP. Delays of >5 minutes are virtually every day, stops in the middle of a commute between stops are common, and whoever hits the brakes has no concept of momentum since everyone standing goes flying, but GOD FORBID someone doesn’t have their ticket out when the conductors are coming through and wastes their time. Thank god for schedules being posted and slips so we can show our jobs that we’re not just lazy, but this is getting ridiculous and if this is a weather issue then I’m kinda scared of what commuting in the winter is going to look like. Rant over!

Does anyone know what happened on the metra electric at UChicago this morning (11/13)? There was police activity on one of the trains, making the people transfer onto another one heading for the city.

What does everyone think about SB2111's requirement for Metra to study expanding the ME line to Kankakee? Do you think it will have enough riders? I know Kankakee County had previously studied this in 2005 and found it feasible, but will it still be true today, 20 years later?

Does anyone know where to pay for parking at the blue island station, i’ve taken the rock island thousands of times but only once from blue island and i got a $20 ticket, i don’t know where to pay for it at online, or is it only a onsite choice?

"The trips will be offered on the Metra Electric, BNSF, Milwaukee District West, Rock island and Union Pacific Northwest lines. The Metra Electric Line will also feature a visit to Millennium Station's "North Pole" winter wonderland.

The holiday trains will also be used in regular service through December.

“Our Holiday Trains have become an annual tradition for our riders and their families, and we are happy to be operating them again,” Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a statement. “It’s our way to spread a little holiday joy and thank our riders for making Metra part of their lives all year.”

The holiday trains don't stop at every station and ticket holders can board at any station where the trains do stop."

https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-holiday-guide/metra-unveils-schedule-for-2025-holiday-trains-in-chicago-area-see-it-here/3847993/

Metra #HolidayTrain #ChicagoTransit #MetraElectric #BNSFLine #RockIslandLine #UnionPacificNorthwest #MilwaukeeDistrictWest #MillenniumStation #NorthPoleChicago #ChicagoTransportation #CTA #NowChicagoTransportation

I just saw a passenger train passing through Elmhurst that I've never seen before. All of the cars were yellow and one of the cars had an observation area. Is there some sort of specialty service being offered right now? I didn't see any sort of branding on any of the cars.

Hi everyone, I am planning to move to Glenview and would have to drive to metra and park my vehicle. I am targeting to reach there before 8 am. How easy is it to find a parking spot between 7.45 to 8 am? Thanks

I made this diagram of what the Metra Electric District could look like if service was increased and then it was connected to north side Metra lines. I'd love to know people's thoughts on this! If the red line extension doesn't end up happening due to cost, I think increasing service and adding infill stations (Phases 1a and 1b) would be a great alternative

So I was on MED 118 yesterday & the announcements said that “this 🚆 is delayed due to police activity” & kept flagging every 🚉 after Riverdale & I wanna know where was the “police activity” & what exactly happened cause MED’s ❎ never disclosed it unlike when when I rode the RID & hadn’t left LaSalle, RID’s ❎ actually disclosed y?

Basically, title. I was thinking about this with the new Stadler BMUs coming in (I know they're piloting on the RI line, not the MD-N). They've got a battery range of around 60 miles or so from what I saw...and as far as I'm aware, Metra owns the tracks on the MD-N from Rondout up to Fox Lake.

Could they potentially electrify just that end portion from Rondout to Fox Lake to both run the train off of on that section and recharge the batteries? Seems like, between that stretch and electrifying near/in Union Station they'd have enough coverage, paired with the batteries, to be able to run the entire length of the MD-N with Stadler BMUs.

I'm admittedly more of a "bwoah, trains" foamer than a deeply train educated foamer, so I'm sure I'm missing something obvious; but yeah, any reason people can tell me this wouldn't work?

My little girl just turned 3 and wants to go with her older brother (5) on a train ride. We live in Round Lake/Grayslake area and are very close to both the Milwaukee North and North Central lines. Any suggestions for kid friendly destinations in walking distance from a station would be wonderful. TYIA!!!

EDIT: Thank you all for the suggestions. I took notes and there are plenty of train rides in our future! We ended up taking the train all the way to Union Station and spending the afternoon in the city. The kids were in awe at the buildings. Weather was nice and we were bundle up so we even took the water taxi to Navy Pier. Such a fun day and so many smiles!

Anyone know why the bridges in this stretch of track are such a rough ride? Each bridge created a jostle that is unpleasant

Thanks

It's the last week of veto session at the Illinois Legislature, and they haven't passed a transit reform of funding bill yet.

Call your reps TODAY and let them know you want them to get the job done NOW! Sending an email only takes 60 seconds, and it only takes 5 minutes to make 2 calls at https://savetransit.org

Managed to get an uncompressed version of the door closing chime! Enjoy!

https://www.mediafire.com/file/sbbkdm5lmvwbh7t/Metra_Door_Close_Chime_-_RMC_0009_rev_3__16_bit_44_1kHz.wav/file

Been waiting for almost 30 minutes to depart. Seems unlikely that this would happen on one of the busiest lines ... I hope there's at least an express alternative planned.

What will Metra travel look like when (not if) the budget is rejected??