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I hope the DNC and O'Hare are promoting the hourly Metra service from O'Hare to Union Station added during the DNC. Has anyone been to O'Hare in the last couple of days -- the new service began the 12th and runs through the 30th -- to tell us if there's signage and/or announcements about the...

Six million in metro Atlanta and 1 million in metro Birmingham, versus about 10 million in metro Chicago and 3+ million in the Twin Cities metro area. Not exactly comparable, but as CHI-MSP should probably be more than two trains a day, it's not outlandish that a reasonably successful daily...

That they can operate a long-term bus bridge in the densely-populated part of California between L.A. and San Diego doesn't necessarily mean they can operate a sudden bus bridge in the middle of the prairies. As I recall Amtrak California has dedicated buses for Thruway routes, so they have a...

Does anyone here know what the state of the bus industry is? I don't, but like many I've read that: (1) Greyhound's bus operation was bought by Flixbus while Greyhound's real estate operation is trying to get rid of all its remaining bus stations, and, more to the point, (2) there's a severe...

I'm surprised that MBTA's first concrete plan for electrified service is battery-based on a route other than the already-electrified (for Amtrak) Providence route. I saw a vague reference on the Wikipedia page for MBTA commuter rail that they could electrify their Providence route when...

There were tornadoes and tornado warnings in northern Illinois that evening, including metro Chicago. If Amtrak held a train, or didn't send it out of Chicago Union Station, rather than send it out into a major windstorm, I don't think most people would hold that against them. I spent part of...

If your trip is between Aug. 12 & 30, Metra will be running hourly service to and from O'Hare 7 days a week during that period for the Democratic National Convention. The usual service is 7 round-trips weekdays only. The Blue Line runs more often and the station is in the middle of the terminal...

Metra will run hourly service seven days a week to and from O'Hare Transfer during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 12-30. Tribune article. Metra press release. This is in addition to, and a stark improvement from, the North Central Service of seven round-trips weekdays only. Since the...

The Midwest states (led by Illinois) and California ordered how many Venture cars they ordered, Amtrak management didn't prioritize or de-prioritize diddly. And there may well be options to exercise. I believe the Venture cab cars for the Hiawatha are an addition to the original order.

I've sat in that area, it's not that dire (airport-style rows of linked individual seats), unless it's gone really downhill in a couple of years. But as I understand it, there's absolutely nothing to stop coach passengers from waiting in the Great Hall. Impressive visually and pretty hard to...

Somebody should start and prominently promote a GoFundMe for Mobile's share for this service, simultaneously embarrassing the opposing city councillors (if they can be embarrassed) and make it clear that people want the service. It should be started by a Mobilian (Mobilite?) or at least someone...

It's both, in a way that doesn't help in this case. The U.S. Constitution sets the basic standard for all exercises of eminent domain, in the 5th Amendment: "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." The feds, a state, or a corporation with eminent domain...

Amtrak sleepers are catering to the well off. IMHO there's a whole different dynamic in coach. I recall that someone here figured out that Amtrak coach is actually significantly cheaper than pre-Amtrak coach fares when adjusted for inflation. I'm sure there's plenty of people in coach for whom...

To further explain, the fire was on the north side of the tracks only three blocks east of the busy junction of the old Milwaukee Road lines with the Union Pacific West line. The Amtrak services mentioned use the former, in particular Milwaukee-North. I don't know how far east of the junction a...

If it was the pallet-yard fire on Hubbard St., north and a good bit west of Union Station, then it probably played havoc with Metra (4 lines past that point!) but Amtrak effects would've been limited to the Hiawatha, Borealis, and Empire Builder. Which fits with 8 being delayed.

Between Google Streetview and "satellite" view it looks to me like: (1) Ford is building *something* in the former platform area that's flat and the exact height of the adjoining train tracks. Could be a parking garage or (as I've seen in some renderings) rooftop park, but so far it doesn't...

I thought the port authority (and its legislative supporters) was one of the principal remaining (post-STB & Amtrak dealing with the host railroads) obstacles to Gulf Coast passenger service. For them to go from opposing it to partially funding it sounds like a minor miracle.

The problem is Madison people are generally in Madison, not as exposed to talk-radio elsewhere in the state where Madison and the city of Milwaukee are the reliable boogeymen, scapegoats, and punching-bags (all in one!) of every ambitious demagogue.

So I went back and found I was mistaken somewhat: the City of Mobile is being asked for money. However, it's a modest sum, as some googling shows the City of Mobile annual budget is over $330 million and the City has an "unassigned general fund balance of $132 million of which $55 million is...

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but isn't the measure before the city council of Mobile to approve *zoning* for the station (at the location of an existing parking lot no less!) not to spend any money? Even if City of Mobile has to build the platform and shelter at its expense, that's not being...