HORNELL, N.Y. — Rail equipment company Alstom has opened a new facility for producing railcar bodies, expanding its existing manufacturing capacity in Hornell. The 135,000-square-foot Plant 4 will produce stainless steel carbody shells, work previously performed in Brazil. Its first project will be 200 new multilevel commuter cars for Chicago-area operator Metra ordered in 2021 […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chicago-area transit operations will face draconian cuts to service in the next fiscal year after Illinois legislators on Saturday passed a new state budget without addressing the $770 million shortfall for the Regional Transit Authority and its three operating agencies. While the state Senate passed a transit bill, HB3438, that had been […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — With the Illinois legislature one day away from a deadline for passing the state’s budget for fiscal 2026, lawmakers have yet to decide on a way to address the looming $770 million deficit for Chicago-area transit agencies. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that state Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) has proposed funding the operations […]
I’m a huge fan of commuter services, and that definitely includes Chicago’s Metra. So when I heard that Atlas was releasing Metra Nippon Sharyo gallery cars in HO scale, I had to get my hands on some. Since Metra runs a push-pull operation, the Type 8500 cab car gets as much time leading trains as […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill to restructure Chicago area transit agencies — but the bill does not address the $770 million shortfall that could lead to significant cuts in service. Streetsblog Chicago reports that on Wednesday, an existing bill regarding rules for bicyclists at stop signs, has, through amendment, been replaced […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific is seeking to nearly double track access fees for Metra commuter trains on lines in the Chicago area, according to a federal lawsuit. The costs would more than double when other fees are included. In an amended complaint filed Tuesday in a lawsuit filed earlier this year, Metra says it had […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has asked the Surface Transportation Board to dismiss Metra’s request for trackage rights on UP lines in the Chicago area, saying the STB does not have jurisdiction because Metra is an intrastate, rather than interstate, operation. In a motion to dismiss filed today, UP argues that Metra’s request “suffers a fatal […]
OMAHA — Union Pacific has urged Metra to accept its latest contract offer in the long-running dispute over the transfer of commuter operations on three UP lines, saying the freight railroad “cannot continue subsidizing Metra’s operations.” Liisa Stark, UP vice president of public affairs, said in a Wednesday, May 21, press release that Metra has […]
CHICAGO — Metra has taken over operation of the three Union Pacific lines previously operated by the freight railroad under a Purchase of Service Agreement, the commuter operator has announced. The changeover took place on Friday, May 16, according to a recent filing with the Surface Transportation Board. That it occurred without fanfare was intended, […]
CHICAGO — For what has become an annual tradition, three privately-owned railcars will be front and center during Pullman Railroad Days this Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18, at Pullman National Historic Park. The historic equipment — two of Pullman heritage and one from American Car & Foundry Co. — will be on display at the […]
The Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 is the latest HO scale commuter diesel from Rapido Trains. The four-axle unit uses plastic and die-cast metal construction and has numerous factory-applied detail parts and an assortment of lighting functions. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the F40PHM-2 between October 1991 and December 1992. Initial assembly was done in London, Ontario, […]
CHICAGO — J.D. Danton’s shift at Metra’s 16th Street Tower on Friday night and Saturday morning (April 11-12, 2025) was certainly nothing new. And yet, the dilapidated structure had never seen anything like it — and never will again. Danton was the operator on duty when the interlocking tower dating to 1901 relinquished its control […]
