Mary Wisniewski

A passenger boards a Metra Electric line train in Chicago on June 10, 2020.

Metra adds express routes as it brings back trains on three lines

June 22, 2020 at 9:08 p.m.

Commuters heading to work next week will have more Metra service, including express routes, as the railroad adds trains to three lines. Starting on Monday, Metra will add service on...

Riders board a bus at the CTA Red Line station at 95th Street in Chicago on Feb. 8, 2019.

CTA and Pace buses will begin collecting fares again, as riders slowly return to public transit

June 19, 2020 at 11:54 a.m.

In another sign that things are getting closer to normal in the Chicago area, the CTA and Pace will start collecting bus fares again, and the CTA will end rear-door...

Bicyclists ride on North Milwaukee Avenue approaching West Armitage Avenue in Chicago on June 18, 2020. Protected bike lanes will be added on Milwaukee between Western and California next month.

City planning 30 miles of new bikeways, more open streets

June 18, 2020 at 9:53 p.m.

The city of Chicago is taking advantage of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic to test using streets in new ways, by opening them up to dining, pedestrians and...

Damage along the lakefront near 51st Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on June 18, 2020.

Chicago says 606 to reopen Monday, as billionaire Ken Griffin gives $5 million to help repair damaged Lakefront Trail

June 18, 2020 at 6:49 p.m.

Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin, who gave $12 million in 2016 to create separate paths for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the busy Lakefront Trail, is giving another almost $5 million...

A car speeds down the 100 block of West Randolph Street in Chicago's Loop on June 17, 2020.

The traffic is back. Cars and trucks back on city, state roads as more businesses reopen.

June 18, 2020 at 12:15 a.m.

If it's taking you longer to make a left turn than it did a few weeks ago, or you're pumping the brakes on the tollway more often than in April,...

A passenger sits on the Metra Electric line in Chicago on June 10, 2020. The commuter railroad, has seen ridership drops of as much as 97% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the state's stay-at-home order.

Metra says coronavirus will cost it $605 million in lost revenues — $70 million more than expected — through 2021

June 17, 2020 at 8:51 p.m.

Metra said Wednesday that because of the coronavirus it expects to lose $70 million more through 2021 than it originally projected. The commuter railroad, which is heavily dependent on passengers...

A CTA Pink Line train travels through the West Loop on March 8, 2021.

CTA launches online tool to let passengers know when buses are too crowded

June 15, 2020 at 12:40 p.m.

The CTA is launching a color-coded "ridership information dashboard" online Monday to let passengers know when buses are too crowded to allow for the social distancing recommended to slow the...

A Gruv scooter is parked on North Bosworth Avenue in the Noble Square neighborhood of Chicago on June 15, 2019.

Scooters will return to Chicago streets this summer as the city launches an even larger pilot program

June 12, 2020 at 10:25 p.m.

Chicago is rolling out another electric scooter pilot program this summer, following a popular but controversial trial last year. This time, the program will have four times as many electric...

2 CTA bus drivers removed from service after video appears to show one of them slamming a person to the pavement

June 12, 2020 at 10:49 a.m.

Two CTA bus drivers have been removed from service after a video surfaced appearing to show one of them slamming a person to the pavement during an altercation outside a...

Clean cars, fewer mystery spills, and plenty of open seats greet riders as they slowly return to mass transit

June 11, 2020 at 11:28 a.m.

Riders slowly are trickling back onto the Chicago area's public transit systems, and so far at least, they're pleased with what they're finding. Passengers on sparsely populated CTA and Metra...

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