ON THE BI-LEVEL Commuter Newsletter, March 2012 CLIFF NOTES A brief history of Metra system hat is Metra? tional. The RTA did not at first W You may think there’s directly operate commuter rail an easy answer to that question, service but paid the railroads to and in one sense, there is. Metra do so under purchase-of-service is the label we’ve been putting agreements. It also began to on commuter rail service in the reverse decades of disinvestment Chicago area since 1984. Behind in the overall commuter rail that simple name, however, lies system, primarily by buying new a convoluted locomotives and cars. history and However, the bankruptcies of a complex, the Rock Island and the Milwau- multi-layered kee Road railroads changed the system. rules of the game. The RTA took To under- over the commuter operations stand how and eventually bought the tracks Alex Clifford Metra oper- of those railroads. It created a Metra CEO ates, it really commuter rail division to operate helps to know those lines in 1982. how Metra came about and how The RTA was reorganized Metra is composed. by Springfield in 1983, and Chicago has always been the something called the Commuter railroad center of the nation, Rail Service Board was cre- and it has had commuter trains ated to oversee commuter rail almost as long as it has had any operations. At the same time, trains. Rail service peaked in a suburban bus division (Pace) the 1930s, when Chicago had was created. RTA remained as the largest public transportation the parent organization for the system in the world. CTA, Metra and Pace, which But by the late 1960s and are known as the three service early 1970s, the system was fail- boards. ing across the region, with the The Commuter Rail Service CTA, suburban bus companies Board operated the Rock Island 1984 came up with the “Metra” Central Gulf’s electrified com- and freight railroads experienc- line and the two Milwaukee name as a service mark for the muter line in 1987 and started ing big financial losses. To keep lines directly. It operated the entire system (short for “Metro- operating it directly as the Metra the system running, voters in the remaining seven lines indirectly, politan Rail”). The idea was to Electric Line. Metra also took six-county Chicago area cre- through purchase-of service bring a unifying identity to all over operation of what is now the ated the Regional Transportation agreements with Illinois Central the various components, no mat- Heritage Corridor line, which Authority in 1974. Gulf, the Burlington Northern, ter who owned or operated them. ran on tracks then owned by ICG Its mission was to coordinate the Chicago & North Western That system still is in place, and now owned by Canadian and assist public transporta- and the Norfolk Southern. although the ownership and/or National. tion and to serve as the conduit Due to the complicated and operators of several lines have That same year it also as- for state and federal subsidies patchwork nature of commuter changed. sumed ownership of the Milwau- needed to keep the system opera- rail at the time, the rail board in Metra bought the Illinois (See Metra on Page 3) WWW.METRARAIL.COM 2 ON THE BI-LEVEL SOUNDSOUND OFFOFF Something different in his letter. If the former, you On the Bi-Level should feel somewhat vindicated. Published by Metra’s Media I always look forward to a If the latter, you have violated Relations Department. Send fresh collection of Sound Off your promise to Jason of limiting letters, questions or feedback to letters, but I offer something a your mistakes to three or less. On the Bi-Level, Metra, 547 W. little bit different. My train time Jackson, Chicago IL, 60661- Please investigate this mystery, as 5717. Or e-mail onthebilevel@ is short and I take those moments I’m sure all Metra riders are on metrarr.com. to sketch fellow passengers. At- the edge of their seats to find out We can’t guarantee all letters tached are a couple from my col- the answer. will be printed or answered. lection that I like to call “Strang- Please keep letters to less than Yours in seeking perfection, 200 words and include your first ers On A Train.” Enjoy! Paul name, hometown and what line NEN you ride. (Names are not re- We are not nearly so devious quired but strongly encouraged.) Thanks very much. We’re We reserve the right to edit letter as to intentionally insert an error for length and grammar. happy to publish them for our into Jason’s letter to make us look riders’ enjoyment. Board of Directors better. It’s more a matter of us Another aisle view being oblivious and not catching Larry A. Huggins the error in his original. We offer Vice Chairman Dear Sick of Self-Centered- our apologies to all. Chicago ness: The perfect response to Jack Schaffer the self-centered human being Belated Valentines Treasurer wishing to save a seat for a friend McHenry County I want to thank two angels boarding down the line....or any who ride the SouthWest line and other seat saver on any other Arlene J. Mulder keep a watchful eye for forget- Secretary train is... “Then I’ll just enjoy ful people like me. Last month Suburban Cook County this seat until your friend arrives, I got up from my seat as we thanks!”....and sit down. approached Union Station and Paul C. Darley Aisle Sitter, Director my monthly pass was still on the DuPage County Steve write in to us, but we hereby give seatback. The woman seated next him kudos – and our thanks – in Don A. De Graff to me spotted it and tried to catch That really is the perfect this space. He deserves it not me, but I had left in a hurry for Director response. Suburban Cook County only for his inquiry to us but also a meeting. She spotted my cell And another for doing it in such a humorous number on the back of my ticket, James C. LaBelle manner. For the record, the word made a call to let me know she Director This seems so simple – if you “site” was somehow dropped Lake County found it and then turned it into REALLY want an aisle seat, why from that headline during the the Lost & Found at the Ticket Mike McCoy don’t you sit next to someone who printing process. And yes, in Office (they called too!). I’m Director took the window seat??? case you’re wondering, we have Kane County grateful for the moment I took A rider already taken another look at our to put my info on the back of my Brad S. O’Halloran printing. ticket and a thoughtful rider who Director Now we’re thinkin! took the time from her busy day Suburban Cook County Picking a nit-picker Speaking of looks to do a good deed. Jack E. Partelow In your January edition, a rid- Three weeks later, my ear Director Regarding your January issue, er named Jason called Metra out muffs fell to the seat as I dug for Will County did someone really think “Take for some grammatical errors in its my ticket. I again left in a hurry another look at our evolving” posters. In his letter, he cited two Stanley C. Rakestraw and another angel spotted them. Director was a good headline? Maybe you errors in “....your ‘Be fair, pay the She kept them in her purse until Cook County should take another look at your fair’ poster” (sic). she spotted me on the platform deciding. Clearly, Jason’s letter used several days later. William A. Widmer III Rich the improper form of “fare” in I hope this note makes it to the Director the second “fair” of his diatribe. Suburban Cook County next issue of OTBL and brings We didn’t give Rich a prize However, it is not clear whether a smile to both of my special Chief Executive Officer for being the only rider/reader to his letter was incorrect or whether Valentines! notice that strange headline and OTBL misspelled what he wrote Alex Clifford Tom WWW.METRARAIL.COM MARCH 2012 3 Metra history, composition is complicated (Continued from Page 1) Western was merged with Union carriers use their employees and authority over fares, service and kee lines. It took over operations Pacific in 1995, and UP still own or control the rights-of-way staffing levels. on the Norfolk Southern line in owns and operates the three UP and most of the other facilities Below is some brief informa- 1993 and renamed it the South- lines. Burlington Northern, now required for operations. Metra tion about each Metra line. We’ll West Service. known as the BNSF Railway, owns the rolling stock and in give more detailed histories in Metra still has purchase- continues to own and operate conjunction with local munici- future issues. of-service agreement with two that line. palities is responsible for most You can now follow me on railroads. The Chicago & North Under those contracts, the stations. Metra retains overall Twitter @MetraCEO Metra owns tracks and operates trains Heritage Corridor: The line originated with the Chicago and Alton Railroad, then was part of the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, which Metra Electric: The Illinois Central Railroad started offering commuter service to Hyde Park in 1856. It operated on trestles in merged with Illinois Central. Lemont (1853) and Lockport (1863) Lake Michigan just offshore until after the 1871 Chicago Fire, when are the oldest depots in the Metra system and were there when debris was dumped in the lake and the landfill surrounded the tracks President Lincoln’s funeral train passed through.