Sarah Freishtat

Sarah Freishtat is a former business reporter for the Tribune covering transportation.

CTA President Dorval Carter speaks at a hearing at Chicago City Hall on Feb. 27, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

CTA paid for vehicles used to commute to and from work, recently released documents show

March 24, 2025 at 10:07 p.m.

The CTA spent more than $26,000 on three vehicles used by top officials at the public transit agency. In at least some cases, they were used more for commuting than...

Passengers board a CTA Green Line train at the Clinton station on March 20, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

RTA outlines ‘doomsday’ transit cuts if budget gap isn’t filled, including slashing bus and train lines

March 22, 2025 at 7:10 p.m.

More than half of Chicago's bus routes could be eliminated, at least parts of four "L" lines could be shut down and Metra weekday service would be slashed to once...

A worker near Metra trains in the BNSF/Metra rail yard at Roosevelt Road, Dec. 7, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Bracing for budget crisis, Metra agreed to pay lobbyist as much as $4.65M for work on transit fiscal cliff

March 20, 2025 at 7:14 p.m.

Metra agreed to pay its lobbyist for work related to a looming transit budget gap, even as agency leaders have called for more funding.

In an image from video, Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 aborts a landing at Midway Airport on Feb. 25, 2025, after a business jet crossed the runway. (StreamTime Live)

NTSB initial report details moments leading up to near-collision at Midway

March 19, 2025 at 3:59 p.m.

A Southwest plane and business jet that nearly collided at Midway last month came within 200 feet of each other, a preliminary report from federal investigators shows.

Passengers exit as CTA Blue Line trains prepare to head in different directions toward Forest Park and east to downtown Chicago at the Kedzie Avenue CTA station in Chicago on March 14, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

CTA slow zones are growing, and that means longer commutes for ‘L’ riders

March 16, 2025 at 5:29 p.m.

In February, slow zones covered some 30% of the rail system, up from 13% five years earlier. It's one more hurdle for the CTA to overcome.

Commuters board a Metra Union Pacific Northwest train in Barrington on March 16, 2020.

New names could be in store for Metra lines, as agency sues Union Pacific during takeover of UP routes

March 11, 2025 at 12:59 p.m.

Metra lines could be set for new names, as the agency prepares to take over Union Pacific routes. But first, Metra and Union Pacific must resolve a compensation dispute.

A J14 Jeffery Jump bus heads south on Michigan Avenue on Feb. 28, 2025. The route is one of eight that soon will be getting a service boost to help avert long wait times. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

CTA aims to run buses every 10 minutes on key routes under new plan

March 3, 2025 at 12:17 p.m.

CTA buses on some routes will soon run at least every 10 minutes during the day, as the agency rolls out a plan to create a network of more frequent...

Travelers board an American Airlines flight at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago in 2021. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

American Airlines’ boarding enforcement technology comes to Chicago

February 28, 2025 at 5:29 p.m.

The software sounds a chime if a passenger attempts to board a flight before their assigned group is called, alerting the gate agent and the customer.

A Southwest Airlines plane lands at Midway International Airport while being filmed by a remotely operated camera on the roof of Pro Auto repair shop on Feb. 25, 2025, after the camera caught a near-collision between two planes earlier that day. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

In Midway near-collision, NTSB chair cites business jet crew’s apparent ‘failure to listen’

February 27, 2025 at 2:26 p.m.

A business jet pilot appeared to fail to follow air traffic control instructions, forcing a Southwest plane to abruptly abort a landing, the NTSB said.

Commuters walk on a Union Station platform in downtown Chicago as a Metra train waits to depart on Feb. 19, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

State representative blasts Metra for failing to release internal investigation results

February 26, 2025 at 4:22 p.m.

State Rep. Kambium "Kam" Buckner expressed "deep disappointment" in Metra's decision to withhold the results of an internal investigation.

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