DIRECT PRESS ON THE CAMPAIGN

3/29/19 South Side group is pushing Metra to expand service, link to CTA Hyde Park Herald

7/21/16 Tribune Editorial: South Side's transit desert: More trains would be a lifeline. Chicago Tribune

6/23/16 Idea to convert Metra Electric to rapid transit line draws mayor's interest Chicago Tribune

6/20/16 Revamped Metra Electric could put the South Side on the fast track Chicago Reporter

5/24/16 Coalition for a Modern Metra Electric wants more service, fare integration Streetsblog Chicago

5/18/16 [Coverage halfway through] Metra doubles undercover team checking fare collections Chicago Sun-Times 

5/18/16 Activists: Metra Electric could end South Side, suburban 'transit desert' Chicago Tribune

5/17/16 Coalition wants to upgrade Metra Electric to rapid transit Active Transportation blog
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Spring 2016 More Frequent MED Service would give Southland a Boost Active Transportation Alliance newsletter 

3/16/16 What's the best way to provide "Great Airport Transit" to O'Hare? Streetsblog Chicago

2/29/16: Critics say the O'Hare Express train plan [leaves something to be desired]. CrossRail Chicago could improve it. Chicago Reader

2/25/16: Metra to study fare changes to make its fare structure more creative. Streetsblog Chicago

2/5/16: University to partner with city to reopen 60th Street Station: Activists call for CTA-like frequency on Metra Line. Chicago Maroon

1/7/16: South Side community calls for more efficient transit system. Chicago Maroon

RELATED PRESS

5/25/17 Metra's Plans to Decrease Electric Service Outside of Hyde Park Has Some Problems StreetsBlog Chicago

"Metra has proposed sweeping schedule changes on the Electric District services that will increase service to one neighborhood, decrease service to other neighborhoods, and fully eliminate weekend service on the Blue Island branch."

4/19/17 Beyond the 'L': A Proposal for South Side Public Transit South Side Weekly

"The only difference between, say, the Metra Electric along the south lakefront and the Red Line is that Red Line trains come more frequently, and accept CTA farecards and transfers. Send a train down the Metra tracks every ten to fifteen minutes and install turnstiles that take Ventra (or give conductors handheld readers), and you’ve effectively created a new 'L' line without laying a single foot of new track."

2/26/17 Better Transit can Carry People Out of Poverty Chicago Sun-Times

"Another goal should be to improve service on the Metra Electric. Currently, that system’s South Side and south suburban riders deal with wait times that can reach an hour and a half. They face additional headaches transferring between the Metra and the CTA, which remain poorly integrated."

2/10/17 Better Transit, Better Chicago Chicago Tribune

"City Hall, the CTA, the RTA and Metra should work to better integrate existing transit networks on the South and West sides, including their connections to downtown."

August 2016 Sandy Johnston on the South Side's Missing L line. The Chicago Dispatch

"Metra Electric is the only example in the country of a mainline rail line that was once run as rapid transit, and has since been reduced to commuter rail.

​Bringing back frequent service is restoring past glory, not doing something new—and that’s what I think the political messaging should be. Metra Electric is special, and it doesn’t fit into the paradigm that RTA and Metra have tried to fit it into for the last 35 years."

7/27/16 Obama chooses historic Jackson Park as library site Chicago Tribune

"the selection will put the library within blocks of the popular Museum of Science and Industry and in a park that drew millions of visitors from around the world during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Together, the two attractions might form a "Museum Campus South" that could rival the downtown Museum Campus. The center would be a short hop from either Lake Shore Drive or two Metra [Electric] traub stations, strong pulls for visitors."

5/25/16 Chicago's racial employment gap among the worst in the nation Chicago Tribune

5/27/15 Transportation More Important that Schools, Crime in Escaping Poverty. Rooflines.

5/7/15 Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty New York Times

2/26/15 The best and worst of Metra's on-time performance Chicago Tribune

"Electric District trains are typically Metra's most reliable, said Peter Zwolfer, Metra's deputy director for operations. Metra owns and operates the Electric line, which has no interference from freight trains, no grade crossings, and operates on four tracks, he said. Because the line is powered electrically, each car on a train can function as the engine, as opposed to the diesel locomotives on the other lines, Zwolfer added."

8/3/14 "Transit deserts" in Chicago don't serve workers, study says Chicago Tribune

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