Metra Still Servicing 30-Year-Old Locomotives
Money woes have forced Metra to make the most of their resources, which has meant maintaining a 30-year-old fleet of locomotives—which are well past their prime.
Watch CBS News
Money woes have forced Metra to make the most of their resources, which has meant maintaining a 30-year-old fleet of locomotives—which are well past their prime.
Metra says it's adding to its aging fleet, but the previously Amtrak-owned locomotives that Metra bought this year are ranked the lowest of the low by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Metra said it plans to add 42 more locomotives that are used to its fleet early next year. There could be a few new engines in the mix but the prospects and the pricing are still under review.
Illinois is receiving $108 million from Volkswagen's multibillion-dollar settlement after allegations that the automaker sold 60,000 vehicles with software designed to cheat air-quality tests.
One day after the worst locomotive fire in years on a Metra train, the commuter rail agency's boss went before the City Club of Chicago to push for more public investment in mass transit to help replace equipment that is often decades old.
Riders were forced to evacuate a Metra Train in Morton Grove at Lincoln and Ferris avenues Monday night.
Metra passengers have been sitting on a stalled train for more than two hours, after the engine broke down on the way from the southwest suburbs to Union Station.
Metra said a Milwaukee District-West train due to arrive at Union Station at 7:36 a.m. stopped near Roselle due to a mechanical failure.
A freight train derailed near Cicero Monday around 5:15 p.m., forcing Metra to cancel BNSF line service from Cicero on Tuesday morning.
For the second time in a week, commuters who ride the Metra BNSF line are facing major delays, due to switch problems for inbound and outbound trains.
Metra passed a new budget for 2019 on Friday without raising ticket fares, but officials detailed a need for $5 billion in investments over the next several years.
Metra trains on five lines that operate out of Union Station were running up to 45 minutes late Thursday morning.
One worker died and others were injured after an explosion around noon Saturday at a Metra station.
An Amtrak train and car collision Thursday morning has caused a stoppage of Metra Milwaukee District North trains.
Delays and cancellations are already scheduled for the track work between Hinsdale and Aurora.
A major construction project on Metra's BNSF line could cause some problems for commuters this weekend.
Metra trains on the BNSF line are experiencing major delays Thursday morning, after a freight train knocked down power lines across the tracks near Cicero.
"All of a sudden there's a cop at my shoulder practically yelling at me, throwing me up against the seat, handcuffing me."
A pedestrian was struck by a Metra BNSF line train Tuesday afternoon.
Metra Police arrested a man Saturday in possession of several loaded weapons aboard a Chicago-bound train headed from Joliet, a police bulletin shows.
Metra says it won't increase fares next year. But the suburban Chicago commuter rail agency is warning it needs more money to improve its deteriorating system, or service will have to be cut.
Monday proved to be a frustrating day for Metra commuters. Passengers waited for a BNSF train that was stopped due to a mechanical failure.
Metra's Board of Directors agreed Metra will not raise the price of fares next year; however, board members addressed the need for more public aid and government funding, pointing to the system's deterioration.
troubling number of Metra bridges are in need of serious repair. According to a recent report, 61 bridges that carry commuter trains every day have received a poor rating and are in need of repairs.
Thousands of commuters were caught up in a mess at Chicago's Union Station Monday afternoon as Metra dealt with rail signal problems just as rush hour began.
The Chicago Housing Authority board has voted for a new chief executive officer, and it's not former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), whom Mayor Brandon Johnson named as his pick for the job nearly a year ago.
A University of Alabama student from the Chicago suburbs was reported missing while on a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Minnesota forward Nick Foligno received a warm welcome in his first game against Chicago since he was acquired in a March 6 trade with the Blackhawks.
With the game tied going into the 9th, Eugenio Suárez smacked a double into left-center field to score pinch runner Javier Sonoja for what would prove to be the winning run.
Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 8th Congressional District in Illinois, a seat incumbent U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is giving up to run for the U.S. Senate.
The Chicago Housing Authority board has voted for a new chief executive officer, and it's not former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), whom Mayor Brandon Johnson named as his pick for the job nearly a year ago.
Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 8th Congressional District in Illinois, a seat incumbent U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is giving up to run for the U.S. Senate.
The 2026 Illinois primary results in the race for governor set up a rematch between Gov. JB Pritzker and his 2022 Republican challenger Darren Bailey.
The 2026 Illinois primary election is Tuesday, March 17. Here are results for all races.
CBS News projects Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller has won the Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly's seat in the 2nd Congressional District in Illinois, handing a defeat to former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in his bid for a political comeback.
Tenants at a South Loop luxury high-rise that has been plagued with problems like broken elevators are vowing to fight five-day eviction notices.
It's become an annual March Madness tradition at CBS Chicago, pitting our city's best eateries in direct competition in a foodie bracket challenge. We did pizza, we've done Italian beef, we've done Chicago dogs. This year, we're taking flight with wings.
For Cook County residents hoping to lower their property tax bills, applications are open for exemptions.
Officials in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette issued a warning Tuesday about scammers who are impersonating representatives of village departments.
The war with Iran is causing gas prices to surge, with motorists in Chicago and around the country guaranteed to feel the impact at the pump Monday morning.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
Despite a rash of restaurant closures, veterans of the plant-based food business pushed back against prophecies of doom — and in one case argued that such closures notwithstanding, plant-based eating is only growing.
Two popular Chicago craft breweries – Half Acre Beer Co. and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery – announced on Tuesday they are merging to create a new "premier Chicago beverage company."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A new development at the southeast corner of Chicago's East Lakeview community would clear away a medical office building and replace it with a residential high-rise.
Legendary Chicago blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy took the stage at the Oscars Sunday night, performing alongside the cast of "Sinners."
Amy Madigan, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Sunday night, is the daughter of a newsman who helped shape CBS Chicago in the 1960s.
"One Battle After Another" took home several big awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and the newly created Best Casting.
The acclaimed filmmaker, who died in February at age 96, revolutionized the art of documentaries with such films as "Titicut Follies." In an interview recorded last year, the pioneering Wiseman talked about his unusual production methods aimed at capturing life.
Comedy power couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are starring in the Goodman Theatre's new musical coming this summer.
A college student from the Chicago suburbs disappeared while on a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the Chicago First Alert forecast.
North Central College Professor Stephen Maynard Caliendo joins CBS News Chicago.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is projected to win the heated and crowded Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat that Dick Durbin has held for nearly 30 years, according to CBS News analysis.
The fourth generation Chicago firefighter died on Tuesday after battling a fire in Rogers Park on Monday afternoon.
Candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Cook County Board President were among the races on the ballot in the 2026 Illinois primary election on Tuesday.
CBS News has projected Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is the winner of the Democratic primary for Illinois' U.S. Senate seat.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 9th Congressional District in Illinois, one of the most closely watched congressional races in the 2026 midterms.
A Chicago firefighter has died from injuries he sustained while battling an extra-alarm fire Monday afternoon in an apartment building in Rogers Park.
A University of Alabama student from the Chicago suburbs was reported missing while on a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Have you ever walked into a business with no employees? You may soon; autonomous businesses are becoming more popular.
Streets were left pooled with rainwater, and homes flooded after Sunday night's storms. Residents say there is one clear solution
Attorneys for the family of a woman killed in a crash during a high-speed police chase in 2017 say officers involved failed to activate their body cameras or turned them off during the pursuit.
A new specialized unit is being created to prosecute domestic violence homicides in Cook County, as these killings surged 15% last year, even as overall violent crime declined across Chicago.
After a year of water bill complaints in Lisle, Illinois, the village board is officially moving forward with a plan to review those issues and possibly have the village take over for the private utility that supplies water to part of the village.
Minnesota forward Nick Foligno received a warm welcome in his first game against Chicago since he was acquired in a March 6 trade with the Blackhawks.
With the game tied going into the 9th, Eugenio Suárez smacked a double into left-center field to score pinch runner Javier Sonoja for what would prove to be the winning run.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 29 points, including five 3-pointers.
The top 16 seeds in the 68-team women's NCAA field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the fourth straight year.
Duke is the top overall seed in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, with Arizona, Michigan, and Florida also landing on the No. 1 line.
A man from Chicago's northwest suburbs stood charged Tuesday with leaving the scene of a crash and driving drunk, after authorities said he hit a pedestrian overnight near Barrington, Illinois.
A man stood charged Tuesday in two separate shootings that wounded a Chicago police sergeant and a 63-year-old woman in the Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods this past weekend.
Jurors delivered their verdict Monday in the trial of Kouri Richins, a Utah mother accused of murdering her husband and later publishing a children's book about grief.
A suspect Is in custody after one person was killed and another was critically injured in a stabbing on Sunday morning at a home in Merrillville, Indiana.
A man was critically injured after he was shot while driving in Chicago's West Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday night.
