NATO-related bus reroutes begin this afternoon. more ›

Metra released its security plan for the NATO summit. Let's just say riders who rely on the Electric Line to get to and from downtown should start planning their travel alternatives. Also, riders who like to enjoy a beer on the ride home will be sorely disappointed. more ›

The Secret Service announced yesterday that rail lines under McCormick Place will remain open during the NATO summits in May, though commuters should expect delays. more ›

If you want to piss voters off, mess with their commute. Those concerns might explain some surprising action taken by local pols related to a bill in DC that could have big impacts at home. more ›

Tomorrow is the day that Metra's new fare hikes go into effect, which could see ticket prices to ride the rail system increase by up to 35 percent. more ›

Metra officials say what should've been a simple signal fix caused a 42-minute delay during rush hour on Monday. more ›

From the "Our Litigious Society" Desk: An appellate court ruled that a woman could sue the estate of a man who was killed by a train three years ago after she sustained injuries when a part of his body struck her. more ›

Now that Metra has its fare hikethey're beginning to crack down on fare collections to ensure passengers are paying their fair, um, fare. more ›

Metra's Board of Directors is set to vote today on fare increases an average of 25 percent they say are necessary to close a budget gap of $53.6 million. more ›

Morning service on Metra's Milwaukee West line came to a halt this morning after a freight train derailed and caught fire in Bartlett. more ›

The Tribune reports today Metra has decided to slow their roll on a fare hike after hearing complaints about it from, well, damn near everyone. more ›

Metra wants to hike fares by about 27 percent, and U.S. senators Durbin and Kirk want an explanation. more ›

It's no secret that a Metra rider can sometimes hop aboard a train and not see a conductor, thereby getting a free train ride. This was news to Metra. more ›

RTA warns of service cuts if they don't receive the $400 million owed them by Springfield by next month. That's news to Metra and CTA. more ›

A lack of engineers is the "equipment failure" Metra said led to the cancellation of six Union Pacific West Line trains this morning. more ›

Last week we linked to reports on the $3 million and counting Metra spent on investigating the finances of former chairman Phil Pagano. today Crain's Greg Hinz takes a look at the territorial pissings happening as various Metra board members and their sponsors try to position themselves to succeed outgoing chairwoman Carole Doris. It's a doozy of a read that makes one wonder how Metra's board manages to take the time to make sure trains are on the tracks and running, they're so busy protecting their turf and blocking each other. more ›

Police say the truck driver blamed for causing the collision with a Metra train in Mount Prospect Friday had a spotty driving record with over 50 citations since 1986, including one DUI. The driver, Kazimierz Karasek, 59, was killed in the crash after disobeying a no-turn sign and driving around crossing gates onto the tracks. more ›

Former Metra Chief Phil Pagano committed suicide a year ago May 7. We'll admit we found Pagano's story like peeling back layers of an onion, and the revelation that Pagano took $475,000 in vacation pay was just the beginning. Later it was discovered that Pagano's financials weren't square because he was supporting multiple homes. Then there was the fight for his pension, which his widow eventually won. more ›

A U.S. official is stating that information that was gathered in the raid of the compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was shot and killed indicates that train systems in several U.S. cities were planned targets for al-Qaida attacks, including Chicago. more ›

A female coyote "trapped" in a Loop Metra Station at 414 S. LaSalle was rescued by workers this morning after a call came in around 7 a.m. about the "sad-looking" animal trotting about. The coyote was discovered by a tunnel where patrons get off the trains. more ›

Metra is investigating allegations from a movie production supervisor that a now-retired official with the transit agency allegedly demanded money from her in exchange for facilitating the usage of Metra stations during filming of the movie Source Code. more ›

In the new sci-fi thriller Source Code, a Metra train blows up again and again. Okay, so actually it's a CCR (Chicago Commuter Rail) train, the half-heartedly fictional stand-in. Metra agency spokesperson Judy Pardonnet said, “While it is a movie and movies are based in fiction, the images are of great concern.” Frankly, that's silly. It's a movie; and a damn good one too, which should at least be some kind of consolation. more ›

Police had to remove a military mortar shell from the Metra Milwaukee District/North Line tracks near the Mayfair station on the Northwest side today. If that was someone's idea of an April Fool's Day prank, we don't see the humor. more ›

The head of the House State Government Administration Committee, Marengo Rep. Jack Franks, has called for the entire board of directors at Metra to resign, saying that they've failed to properly rein in spending at the transportation agency, mainly on themselves. more ›

Sometimes the fat government paycheck equipped with benefits and pension just isn’t enough for local lawmakers. So like any hardworking Joe they grab another job, a government one, that is also equipped with a fat paycheck, benefits and pension paid by taxpayers. more ›

House Republicans are targeting $6.8 billion in transportation spending cuts across the country. Among the programs facing a removal in funding is $133 million allocated to build a bridge at 63rd and State which would allow Metra trains to pass over the Norfolk Southern tracks that also serve Amtrak lines. Dubbed the "Englewood Flyover," the project, when completed, would reduce a bottleneck affecting 80 Metra Rock Island Line trains and 60 Amtrak and freight trains a day. more ›

OK, we admit it. Our bellies, rather than our lungs, are the reason for the continued interest in the filth-spewing diesel engines on Metra’s trains. We don't take light commuter rail regularly, but our daily walk through the Ogilvie train shed on the way to yummy lunch at the French Market is hold-your-breath-foul from the diesel haze of idling trains. Earlier this year, the Trib confirmed what anyone who walks past Metra’s downtown tracks had probably already guessed---those choking fumes ain’t healthy! more ›

Last year, the "Polar Express" train that takes children and their parents on a ride to see Santa at a pretend North Pole in Elburn made a serious error when they left 135 kids out in the cold for an hour after a conductor mistakenly turned them away from boarding the train at the Glen Ellyn train station. Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis blamed the mistake on miscommunication at the time, explaining that the conductor was unaware that he would be running a popular theme train. Still, by the time the boarding error was discovered, most the crying children had already gone home. more ›

You really want to know why we find the story of former Metra boss Phil Pagano's tumbleweed finances so interesting? It's because a new wrinkle comes out every time we think the story is done, like trying to fight termites. more ›

A bankruptcy filing by the widow of former Metra Chief Phil Pagano paints a portrait of a man with enormous debt in need of immediate access to cash, and raises questions about how that all came to be. more ›