WASHINGTON — The Rail Passengers Association said today it will be “actively involved in protecting the rights of passengers” as the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger is considered by the Surface Transportation Board. Amtrak had no comment on the merger announcement. Neither did commuter rail operator Metra, which has been involved in a lengthy legal and […]
On July 22, 2025, Chicago Union Station in Downtown, Chicago, Ill., hosted a centennial celebration of the site’s official dedication in 1925. As referenced in the companion Trains.com article, notable city, regional, state, and federal officials staged near the Great Hall to recognize the station’s quintessential role, longevity, and impactful renovations aimed to keep it […]
CHICAGO — CSX announced Tuesday (July 8, 2025) that the final girder has been placed for the Forest Hill Flyover, a landmark moment in the portion of the CREATE’s massive 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project that will separate CSX main lines in South Chicago from tracks used by Norfolk Southern, Metra, and the Belt Railway […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has denied Metra’s request for a temporary injunction or emergency service order protecting commuter operations on three Union Pacific lines in the Chicago area, saying Metra has not shown the situation meets “the standard required for either avenue of relief.” The five-page ruling was made Tuesday, July 1, but […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has asked the Surface Transportation Board to disallow some of the material Metra included in its latest filing in its request for trackage rights on UP lines in the Chicago area, saying Metra’s rebuttal included impermissible new evidence. The Metra filing on Monday, June 23, included a proposal for an interim […]
WASHINGTON — Metra has proposed that terms for its continued operation on Union Pacific lines in the Chicago area maintain the status quo until the sides reach an agreement or regulators rule in their ongoing contract dispute, according to the commuter operator’s latest filing with the Surface Transportation Board. The June 23 filing is part […]
CHICAGO — The Chicago area’s three transit operators have unveiled a new Regional Day Pass, good for unlimited rides in a single day on Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace buses. The new pass is available only on the newest version of the Ventra smartphone app, beginning today (June 20, 2025). The pass is […]
CHICAGO — Metra will receive more than $104 million in grants for station projects and the purchase of three electric switching locomotives, the commuter rail operator has announced. The funding will come from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. The money will include $80 million for […]
WASHINGTON — Rebutting a Union Pacific motion to dismiss, Chicago area commuter rail operator Metra says the Surface Transportation Board clearly has jurisdiction to address its request for trackage rights — part of its ongoing dispute with UP over financial terms for continued operation on three Union Pacific lines. And in a turnabout — after […]
CHICAGO — The agency overseeing the Chicago area’s three transit operators is directing Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and bus operator Pace to develop two versions of their 2026 budgets: one based on the current funding shortfall, and one if the state legislature comes through with more funding. Streetsblog Chicago reports that at a June […]
WASHINGTON — Metra’s request to the Surface Transportation Board for terminal trackage rights in the Chicago area is an effort to maintain below-market rates for access to the Union Pacific system, UP says in a filing responding to Metra’s initial arguments to support that request. Such a financial dispute “is not the board’s problem,” UP […]
CHICAGO — Chicago-area transit agencies will begin planning for massive service cuts in the wake of the legislature’s failure to address the region’s funding shortfall — but there could still be a chance to avoid a 40% reduction in service. Legislators could still pass a bill in a special session or a fall veto session […]
