Ride and dine in style aboard five mid-century train cars. more ›

At 8:30 p.m. last night, a southbound CTA Blue Line train struck and killed a man at the Chicago Blue Line stop. Blue Line service between Damen and LaSalle was on hold until about 10:25 p.m., when service returned to normal on the Blue Line tracks. more ›

The CTA is finally putting those fancy digital screens at some train stations to use. The CTA Tattler reports that the agency is testing for a second pilot of the arrival time program at the Chicago Brown Line station as well as the Fullerton and Polk stations. They're planning on launching an actual pilot of the program "in the near future." The CTA warned in a statement that the arrival times listed will be available intermittently and they're not to be trusted for now: more ›

It's almost spring, the season for bicycle commuting, leisurely weekend bike rides, longer bike trips - and sudden afternoon rainstorms. In these situations, you have three choices: suck it up and get wet, leave your bike wherever it was and seek shelter, or haul yourself and your bike onto a CTA bus or train. Here's a handy-dandy list of rules and some tips for all of your emergency biking needs this spring and summer. more ›

On January 9, 2008, a tornado struck northern Illinois, leaving a trail of damage from Poplar Grove (Boone County) all the way to Harvard (McHenry County). The timing of the tornado was just right as to run across some tracks right when a train was passing by. Thanks to a camera mounted on the train, we see what happens when a train battles a tornado: Mother Nature wins. more ›

A blazing train derailment in Rockford, Ill. resulted in one death, power loss and the evacuation of hundreds of residents. The Chicago-bound freight train had 74 of its 114 cars filled with ethanol, according to the Associated Press. As of Saturday morning, five rail cars were still burning, with officials concerned other cars may catch fire. Cars on the train hydroplaned in standing water as it approached a railroad crossing, according to witness reports to the Rockford Register-Star. However a Canadian National Railway Company spokesman said claims the derailment was “caused by a washout of the tracks” were under investigation. more ›

All South Shore train service, which carries passengers between Chicgao and South Bend, Indiana, has been cancelled for at least the remainder of today due to damage caused to the rail line by a freight train. John Parsons, spokesman for the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, said the service might not resume until tomorrow morning.

The damage was caused when a Union Pacific freight train ran a damaged wheel for several miles along the South Shore track in East LaPorte County, Parsons said. The wheel broke welds along the line, and several miles of track will have to be replaced, Parsons said. more ›

Power was restored to the South Shore Line late yesterday, after a passing train damaged nearly a mile of wire between the Dune Park and Michigan City stations on Saturday. Metra said riders were experiencing 45-to-60 minute delays while borrowed diesel powered locomotives were used to pull the trains through the unpowered area. more ›

The only thing worse than being on a Greyhound bus at 3:15 a.m. is having that bus spin out of control and crash. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously hurt, but 17 passengers were injured when a bus from Chicago wiped out in Indiana. more ›

Investigations are still ongoing in Friday's Amtrak crash, but preliminary reports indicate that the train was going 25 mph faster than it was supposed to be. (The video is a lot less exciting than we were hoping for.) The Amtrak train's engineer told investigators he realized the speed limit was 15 mph in that stretch of track but accelerated to 40 mph anyway, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters Sunday. The... more ›

The cold weather - and holiday festivities - descended upon Gothamist. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was lit, Broadway stagehand finally ended their strike, and NASCAR decided to run their victory lap through Times Square. There were disturbing photographs revealing the working conditions in which many city manholes are produced and ninjas were also a hot topic, either robbing homes or entering into alibis. But the city was really rocked by how Rudy Giuliani's visits... more ›

Train update: "Fire Commissioner Ray Orozco said five people were in serious to critical condition and at least 30 people suffered less serious injuries. That number could rise to 50, he said." The NTSB is investigating. Storm watch this weekend. Cold, icy, rainy, blerg. RIP, Evel Knievel. America's Legendary Daredevil was 69. Check it out: local steampunk wedding. Congrats! Here's our favorite part of this Freakonomics interview with Sin in the Second City author Karen... more ›

The cover story of the Red Eye today is the age-old topic of public smooching. The article itself is nothing special, but some of the quote are too good to pass up: "Licking each other's fingers and making out on a packed train is too much." "No one wants to see that...Everyone likes to get their groove on, but come on." "Back where I'm from, in nightclubs you can basically do what you want. I... more ›

Breaking news: An Amtrak train and a freight train collided at 48th and South Shields Ave about an hour ago, and passengers are being pulled out as we write this. Developing. UPDATE 12:27: Don Rashid from Stroger Hospital is on NBC5 saying that Stroger is in a "stage 3 disaster." The footage is showing color-coded triage areas, and so far the green zone is empty. 12:30 Witnesses are describing a sound "like an explosion" when... more ›

Oprah has been doing everything in her colossal and terrifyingly formidable power to see that Obama is elected, but now she's taking it up a notch by going on the campaign trail with him. While she won't be offering everyone in Iowa a new car, she will be stopping there in the first week of December, as well as in South Carolina and New Hampshire. Tickets for each of the four stops (two in Iowa,... more ›

Big surprise — the weather is going to be wildly unpredictable on and around Thanksgiving. Holiday travel will most likely be ludicrously difficult for the thousands of weary travelers coming and going in the Midwest via plane, train and automobile. According to Tom, we can expect rain as the week goes on. The rain will probably change to snow on Thanksgiving eve following a low pressure storm that may (or may not?) be moving northeasterly... more ›

The Reader's Guide to Late Night Dining is now online, and there's the expected eclectic mix of diners, hot dog stands, taco joints, upscale pub grub, and places where only the fearless dare enter. Even better is that the range of offerings encompasses a wide stretch of the city and connecting suburbs (big love for Gene & Jude's Red Hots in River Grove!). If you're at the stage in life where "I'll sleep when... more ›

Kanye West's mother Donda West's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. The Chicago Board of Education is going to approve plans for a culinary arts high school for juniors about to drop out of school. Mark your calendars: On weekends between November 17 and December 23, Fannie May will be offering free ferry rides "between Chicago's commuter train stations and the Michigan Avenue shopping district." Moo Moo, a 2-year-old shih tzu was stolen from his Wicker... more ›

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.... more ›

Did you get an e-mail from the CTA a little while ago? Some customers did with a severe weather warning. Dear CTA Customer, This email is to alert you that there is currently severe weather, including heavy rain and high winds, forecasted to reach Chicago during the afternoon and evening rush-hour period today, October 18. It is possible that this severe weather could impact CTA bus and train service. Please take this into account... more ›

While we're pre-mourning the loss of basically all forms of public transit near our apartment if the CTA "doomsday" plan goes into effect in January, we never stopped to think about the true victim in this situation: Missed Connections. With fewer buses running, trains will inevitably be more crowded, eliminating the chance to make eyes with that guy with the Timbuk2 bag and iPod during your morning commute. The humanity! more ›

So far this year, 64 pedestrians have been killed in Illinois in collisions with trains, 11 involving Metra trains, and of those 9 were in the last four months. It sounds like a lot, but it actually puts 2007 on the lower end of the deathscale. According to Metra's media department, fatalities (including pedestrian vs. train and vehicle vs. train) over the last five years are as follows: There were 23 deaths in 2003, 34... more ›

The city's Department of Consumer Services is officially pooping the party cab. Calling the cab's festive interior decorations a distraction and its exterior adornments illegal, the department decreed that John Rees' cab be de-jollified. Rees has until Thursday to remove the trappings, which patrons and passersby have generally regarded as pretty fun since he fully decorated every square inch of it in July. He is appealing the measure, arguing that the city is trying to... more ›

Girl Talk, aka one Greg Gillis, has been wowing audiences from the Empty Bottle to the Pitchfork Music Festival with his wildly popular brand of mash-up wizardry. Just try to hold a stoic cool-kid pose when Gillis brings his one-man jammin' train through town in January, with newly minted prince of the hipster dance party Dan Deacon in tow. Metro, January 26, 7:30 p.m. (all ages) and 11:30 p.m. (18+), $16. On sale Saturday.... more ›

ORD Terminal Mystery? more ›

Chicago has a lot of newspaper columnists. We've been watching them ebb and flow for years. But the good ones, or at least the ones we like, have stuck around. Mary Schmich at the Trib is one of them. Her columns inform, provoke thought, remind us to wear sunscreen, and usually cause us at one point or another to laugh out loud. On the Brown line. During rush hour. And then everyone stares. more ›

"I am a mailman and I have delivered mail here and the woman who lives here screams at me to get off of her property. I have spoken to the other neighbors about her." Aw, poor Gary. Looks like he's getting his revenge by posting on Rotten Neighbor, another one of the many fabulous Google map mashups that never stop popping up. The Chicago area still seems a little light, so go fill 'er in — you've got time to kill before 5 p.m. more ›

Just so you know, nobody is going to let you forget about global warming for more than five minutes. Whether it's Al Gore's tears, your alderman's lightbulbs, or Blackle, somebody's always got some new way to save the earth and they want to bend your ear about it while they are driving home. The newest thing you should be worried about? How global warming is going to affect your health. more ›

The 30th running of the Chicago Marathon is just twenty days away. There are 45,000 runners that are preparing to compete in the 26.2-mile run. more ›

SHOOTING: Two homeless men shot in a 24 hour span in Uptown -- they appear to be unrelated. In more shooting news (why is there so much?!): Police have two "persons of interest" in custody Sunday morning after two teenagers were shot in a playlot on the South Side in the Woodlawn neighborhood, blocks from the University of Chicago campus. TRAINS: Our dear friend warns us: This is why you NEVER put headphones in... more ›