WBEZ | trains

From the archives: LaHood says 'no stopping' high speed rail

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:12:00 -0600

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that he would leave his post in the Obama administration earlier this week. "I have had a good run,” the former Illinois Congressman and Peoria native told the Associated Press. “I'm one of these people who believe that you should go out while they're applauding.”

During his tenure in Washington, LaHood struggled with Congress to pass funding for major infrastructure projects, and eventually compromised with them on a two-year plan, dubbed MAP 21, that gave states more flexibility in spending federal dollars. He also brought greater attention to hazards like distracted driving, and tried to put pedestrians and cyclists on equal footing with drivers, earning him accolades from many alternative transportation advocates.

But one of LaHood’s biggest efforts was his promotion of high speed rail. At an urban policy forum held in Chicago in December, LaHood told the audience that “every generation does something big for the next generation,” and that high speed rail would be our generation’s gift to the next.

In an exit interview with the Huffington Post, LaHood admitted that he felt behind on this quest, but insisted that he and his administration had still “come a long way.”

“As long as President Obama is in the White House, whoever sits in this chair will have high-speed rail as one of their top priorities,” he said.

You can take a closer listen to LaHood’s earlier remarks on high speed rail – and his insistence at its inevitability – in the audio above.

Dynamic Range showcases hidden gems unearthed from Chicago Amplified’s vast archive of public events and appears on weekends. Ray LaHood spoke at an event presented at the UIC Urban Forum in December of 2012. He was interviewed by Steve Schlickman, Executive Director of the UIC Urban Transportation Center. Click here to hear the event in its entirety.

From the archives: LaHood says 'no stopping' high speed rail

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 08:00:00 -0600

In an exit interview with the Huffington Post, LaHood admitted that he felt behind on this quest, but insisted that he and his administration had still “come a long way.”

“As long as President Obama is in the White House, whoever sits in this chair will have high-speed rail as one of their top priorities,” he said.

You can take a closer listen to LaHood’s earlier remarks on high speed rail – and his insistence at its inevitability – in the audio above.

More rail work planned between Chicago, St. Louis

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:48:00 -0500

Rail upgrades needed for faster train journeys between Chicago and St. Louis will start north of Bloomington this weekend.

Work on part of the Amtrak route in the region will begin Saturday.

Improvements will include new premium rail with concrete ties and stone ballast. Upgrades will also be made to bridges, culverts and drainage.

The disruption will require chartered buses and connecting Amtrak train service for passengers on the Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle.

The work is to make way for an increase in speed to 110 mph from the current 79 mph.

The Illinois Department of Transportation plans to preview the higher speeds in September along a short section from Pontiac to Dwight.

Photos: Chicago's trains get an upgrade; Check out CTA's new 'L' cars

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:26:00 -0600

On Tuesday, the Chicago Transit Authority says more than 700 new rail cars are being added to the city's "L" trains.

WBEZ's Michell Elloy reported on Wednesday, that the new, more energy-efficient 5000 series rail cars will have wider aisle, sideways seating and LED maps. The new cars will also be equipped with security cameras that will transmit video to CTA's control center, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Chicago Police Department.

The CTA posted photos of the new 5000 series rail cars that commuters can look forward to.

Englewood Flyover to take aim at rail congestion

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:15:00 -0500

A project aimed with halting one of the region’s worst rail logjams broke ground Monday on Chicago’s South Side.

The so-called Englewood Flyover will cost $133 million. Organizers hope it will ease congestion near 63^rd and State Street, an area that sees an average of 14 Amtrak, 78 Metra and 46 freight trains battle for space each day.

The Englewood Flyover will build a bridge to carry the three Metra Rock Island District Line tracks over the four Norfolk-Southern freight tracks. The bridge — to be completed by 2014 — will also allow for expanded Amtrak service around the Midwest.

Several politicians gathered near the flyover site on Monday morning. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the project will create 1,500 jobs.

“What does it mean when freight traffic and passenger traffic can move through this city more quickly? More jobs. Not just the jobs in building this project but the reputation of Illinois as the crossroads of the nation,” Durbin said.

The funding sources include $126 million from the federal government and more than $6 million from the state’s Illinois Jobs Now program. The Englewood Flyover is also part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE,) an effort that is supposed to modernize local rail operations, reduce harmful emissions and ease highway congestion.

Nearby resident Bob Israel, a union laborer, showed up at the groundbreaking with skepticism.

“It’s just a dog-and-pony show — trust me,” Israel said.

“We’ve been hearing about this CREATE program for 10-15 years. They say they’re going to hire from the community but I’ve been hearing this for years,” Israel said. He likened it to the Dan Ryan Expressway project, which Israel said didn’t do a good job of community hiring.

At the press conference, Israel asked Quinn who would ensure that the Englewood Flyover project would employ community residents.

Quinn didn’t give an answer.

Transit union fights back against CTA budget claims

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:00:00 -0500

The head of the union representing Chicago Transit Authority rail workers says he doesn't believe union members are completely to blame for CTA budget problems.

CTA president Forrest Claypool said Tuesday that the agency is short $277 million heading into 2012, due to union contracts he said give workers the highest cost-adjusted salaries in the nation.

"I have openly said I will sit down and talk about any and every issue and put it on the table," said ATU Local 308 president Robert Kelly. "Doesn't mean we're going to give it up, but we'll talk about it, we'll see what we can do to help. I understand today's economy, I know it's bad out there. But fighting this in the media is not going to be a winning situation for anybody."

Claypool also criticized the employee absenteeism rates, which he said cost the CTA $40 million in 2011. But Kelly refuted that the number could be that large, and said he was disappointed that he hadn't been told about the CTA's interest in changing work rules.

"We do not deny there is an absenteesm problem, we can't control that," said Kelly. But, "We do not hire people. Chicago Transit Authority hires individuals."

Kelly said he believes he fare hikes are "inevitable"; Claypool wouldn't say whether they should be expected.

Metra begins probe into train pollution levels

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:11:00 -0600

Metra has hired an independent firm to check out the air quality on its trains and at Ogilvie Transportation Center. That comes after a report showing diesel soot levels on some trains are extremely high.

Metra at this point is just conducting its own tests to confirm what the Chicago Tribune found: that passengers were inhaling high levels of diesel soot, particulates in the air from diesel engines, at certain points along train routes. Also, the pollution levels were bad in the Ogilvie train station where trains may sit idling for hours.

Metra's investigation comes after U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called on the Environmental Protection Agency to look into the pollution levels. Durbin told reporters Metra recently received grant money that would cut down on the amount of idle time.

Diesel soot can aggravate asthma and has been traced to cancer.