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Over the last decade, Metra has made what I perceive to be an honest attempt to be more forthcoming with its riders. It's especially true particularly in matters regarding the procuring of newer and more reliable equipment, and (more importantly) educating the public with more detail about the fundi...

Duly noted, and no this isn't new. Simply, I had not posted this when the announcement initially occurred as I had first believed...

"Fast Tracks" project launched by CTA to improve the rapid transit infrastructure across the system...

35 million in state funding released for new stations at Peterson/Ridge (UP-N), and Auburn Park (Rock...)

I do not, and nor should you, expect Metra to issue a four day weekend pass for any other summer festival event outside of Lolla. Even with flat to slightly declining attendance over the last few years, Lolla remains the only event that justifies adding two days to the discount by consistently filli...

Really, it's a smart move by Metra to disable comments on their videos. It means we get to watch the videos free from flame wars, misinformation, and other unrelated noise.

Besides, plenty of railfan channels have been "subchatted" enough, and I'm glad Metra isn't one of them...

A server upgrade at a busy terminal in mid-afternoon with dozens of movements pending as the evening rush hour beckons. What could possibly go wrong?

I can only hope this mistake isn't repeated, and common sense can prevail next time...

Looking at the area around 154th & Greenwood on Google maps, that is indeed along Pennsy's old Panhandle line. According to info I printed out a while back from a great website (broadway.pennsyrr.com) that unfortunately is now offline, this line was abandoned piecemeal south of 59th St. sometime...

I'm amazed in this case they didn't just have the next train bump them to power. It's not like it's a long wait, and it's probably safer. Agreed. Which reminds me of a time I saw this as a kid once on the Pink line (was called the Douglas "B" at the time) after a train stalled out at the ...

All four cars of a Pink line train entering the Loop temporarily loses contact with the third rail. Doesn't happen too often, and can be a messy situation depending on the circumstances. But this one looked fairly tame as nearby CTA employees came to the rescue...

There will be a second-hand market for these with commuter agencies... I could see Metra bidding for 25+ if they came available to replace 40 year old F40PH-2's and 3's). Doubtful. Yes, money's tight, and new funding sources have yet to be identified because the state of IL is broke. That said, giv...

That is sharp. Loses a little something with the red candy striping in the front, but that's a minor nitpick; still looks great otherwise. I was hoping Metra would start to paint some of its units in the colors of their predecessors.

Okay, BNSF & UP: What sayeth you?

Here we go again (sigh). If you liked the lock once, you'll love it twice...

Dumb question, but if they have PTC, would they require cab signals to run outside Metra owned trackage? Granted, there's no advanced fallback system, but block signalling is an acceptable option when you don't have working PTC. As more F59PHI's enter service, any F40PH's that shuffle over to UP fr...

Quite nice, and they seem like reasonable facsimiles to me but then, I wasn't around to see these in actual revenue service (despite what some believe); so I am no means an authority. A more reliable source, the Chicago and North Western Historical society will be much more helpful in providing answ...