Richard Wronski

U.S. warns railroads on new safety system deadline

June 16, 2018 at 4:05 p.m.

The federal government is warning the nation's railroads, including Chicago's Metra, that it intends to "aggressively enforce" a new deadline for installation of a high-tech safety system. In a letter...

The Ventra app is demonstrated following a press conference to announce its launch on Nov. 13, 2015.

New Ventra mobile ticket app for CTA, Metra, Pace to launch Thursday

May 23, 2019 at 1:57 a.m.

Starting next week, a long-awaited Ventra app will allow transit users to use their mobile devices to pay for fares and passes and, in Metra's case, use them as actual...

Pace riders who pay with cash to see 25-cent fare hike

June 16, 2018 at 4:40 p.m.

Pace riders who pay with cash will see their fares increase by 25 cents starting Jan. 1, and paratransit riders also could pay more next year unless the state's ongoing...

Pace bus riders who pay with cash will see a 25-cent fare increase to $2 next year.

Pace riders who pay with cash to see 25-cent fare hike

May 23, 2019 at 1:57 a.m.

Pace riders who pay with cash will see their fares increase by 25 cents starting Jan. 1, and paratransit riders also could pay more next year unless the state's ongoing...

Commuters arriving and leaving from Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago on Oct. 9, 2014

Metra approves 2016 fare hike after low turnout at public hearings

June 16, 2018 at 4:49 p.m.

As Metra approved a "modest" fare increase Wednesday that drew few complaints from the public, officials indicated the agency could someday give discounts to riders who travel during off-peak times....

A crude oil train moves through downtown Aurora on July 12, 2014. In a decision signed Nov. 5, 2015, a federal official rejected calls to strengthen the fire-resistance of railroad tank cars.

Feds reject call for tougher fire-resistance for crude oil tank cars

June 16, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.

Federal officials have rejected a call to toughen the fire-resistance of railroad tank cars that carry highly flammable crude oil, hundreds of which pass through the Chicago area each day....

Advocates hope plans will move forward soon for an extension of state Route 53 in Lake County.

Battle lines form in decades-old fight over extending Illinois Route 53

June 16, 2018 at 6:07 p.m.

The battle lines have formed again in the decades-old controversy over extending a key artery, Illinois Route 53, north through Lake County. This time the fight has stirred attention well...

The Senate approved on October 28 a House-passed measure that gives railroads an additional three years, to Dec. 31, 2018, to install the safety system known as Positive Train Control.

Congress OKs deadline extension for rail safety system, averts shutdown

May 23, 2019 at 1:53 a.m.

Metra riders can breathe a sigh of relief after Congress acted Wednesday to extend a safety system deadline and avert a threatened Jan. 1 railroad shutdown. The Senate approved a...

Cary-Grove High School students embrace in tears at Algonquin Road and U.S. Highway 14 in Fox River Grove on Oct. 25, 1996, a year after a Metra commuter train hit the back end of a school bus carrying their classmates. Seven students were killed and another 24 were injured.

Fox River Grove bus-train crash 20 years ago resulted in crossing improvements

December 11, 2019 at 6:02 a.m.

The horrific collision of a Metra train and school bus in Fox River Grove that killed seven students 20 years ago Sunday prompted important improvements at railroad crossings everywhere, but...

The Illinois Tollway's 2016 budget calls for spending $1.4 billion on construction projects.

Illinois Tollway outlines $1.4 billion in construction projects next year

June 16, 2018 at 6:45 p.m.

While Illinois flounders financially and cannot even pay its lottery winners, one state agency is floating atop a huge cash revenue stream and plans to spend a record $1.4 billion...

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