transportation
Freight train derailment blocks Metra Southwest Line trains
Service on Metra’s Southwest Service between Union Station and southwest suburban Manhattan has been disrupted Thursday afternoon by the derailment of a freight train locomotive on the Near South Side.
Metra cops will be spending more time on trains, platforms talking with riders
The new safety initiative merely redeploys the existing 100-person Metra police force and is not a response to a specific crime concern, Metra officials said.
Northbound Kennedy Expwy. closed downtown by wreck, 14 hurt
An accident involving a church van Saturday night on the Kennedy Expressway left 14 people injured, bringing northbound traffic to a halt downtown on the normally busy highway and causing major backups.
Wheels up: Boeing’s Dreamliner makes inaugural Chicago-to-Warsaw flight
Declaring “Welcome to the future,’’ LOT Polish Airline officials Wednesday finally kicked off their inaugural trans-Atlantic flight of a Boeing Dreamliner from Chicago — nearly five months after the 787 was grounded. The ceremony at O’Hare International Airport finally fulfilled a debut that was aborted last Jan. 16, when the Chicago-to-Warsaw-bound Dreamliner was grounded only hours before its first trans-Atlantic takeoff.
O’Hare offers quicker trip through customs for globe-trotters with carry-ons
Packing light now has definite rewards for world travelers passing through O’Hare International Airport. Globe-trotters will now see stepped-up customs processing for international visitors arriving at O’Hare’s Terminal 5 with only carry-on luggage and proper documentation, officials said Monday.
Small Blue Line fire temporarily halts service from Damen to Racine
Service on the CTA Blue Line was suspended Friday morning after a small fire erupted in the Grand Avenue station, a CTA official said.
Pedestrians get green light to criss-cross one of city’s busiest intersections
In a scene out of Japan, or even L.A., Chicago will debut its all-way pedestrian crossing after the morning rush on Friday. For 35 seconds at a time, pedestrians at Jackson and State — one of the city’s busiest intersections — will be free to cross in all directions, including diagonally.
Leave your bike in closed Red Line station? CTA may have it
About 15 bicycles were found locked inside Red Line stations after the CTA shuttered nine stations on that line Sunday, May 19, for a track rebuild expected to last into October, the Chicago Transit Authority says. The CTA cut the locks on all the abandoned bikes and moved them to a “safe location,’’ a spokeswoman said. They can be claimed from CTA headquarters at 567 W. Lake.
Metra trains on move again after pedestrian hit by coal train near Geneva
Train service on Metra’s Union Pacific/West Line between Chicago and Elburn was getting back on schedule Tuesday afternoon, more than three hours after a pedestrian was struck by a coal train near the Geneva Metra station.
Road construction may put a bump in summer travel
Planning on driving home from a long weekend in Lake Geneva? Heading west to Elgin? Or landing at O’Hare International Airport late at night? Get ready for some heartburn. It’s a banner year for the Illinois Tollway, with $922 million in construction planned — more than twice as much as last year and the most in five years. The whopper is the $415.2 million widening of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway — I-90 — from I-39 in Rockford to the Elgin Toll Plaza.
RTA mailing Ventra info to seniors, reduced-fare riders
Seniors and other CTA and Pace riders now using reduced or free transit fare permits should watch their mailboxes in coming days for informational notices about the CTA’s new Ventra fare payment system.
CTA rolls back some controversial Ventra fees
CTA Ventra payment card holders who use the card’s controversial debit features won’t be charged for talking to public transit customer service operators or using the cards for cash ATM withdrawals under new fee rollbacks revealed Thursday. The new concessions soften some of the more onerous fees associated with the pre-paid debit features of a new fare payment system the CTA plans to debut later this year.
O’Hare, Midway offer free Wi-Fi access to 41 websites
O’Hare International and Midway airports are now offering free Wi-Fi access to 41 websites, via a new portal called “The Good Stuff,’’ officials said Thursday.
O’Hare, Midway expect increases over last year for Memorial Day travel
This Friday is projected to be the busiest day of the Memorial Day weekend at O’Hare International Airport, with some 269,000 passengers expected, officials said Wednesday. Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride advised travelers to arrive at least two hours early throughout the holiday …
Red Line riders flock to CTA help site
A second day of rush hour commutes following the Red Line South shutdown seemed to flow without incident Tuesday as CTA officials revealed that hits to their online Red Line help site have skyrocketed in recent days. The number of page views to redlinesouth.com doubled between Friday and Monday — the first week day after the Red Line was shut down Sunday, from Cermak to 95th Street, for a major rebuild.
