Chicago Area Transit Officials Increasingly Anxious As State Budget Impasse Continues
Chicago-area transit officials sound increasingly anxious over the inability to legislative leaders and the governor to reach agreement on a state budget.
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Chicago-area transit officials sound increasingly anxious over the inability to legislative leaders and the governor to reach agreement on a state budget.
The Ventra smart phone app is off to a fast start. By mid-afternoon Thursday, the first day it was available to the general public, more than 20,000 people had downloaded the free app and it was the #3 trending app at The App Store.
A Milwaukee District North Line Metra train was evacuated Tuesday evening due to a fire.
Passengers might notice extra security when boarding the train during the morning commute on Monday.
Getting around Chicago on public transportation is about to get a lot easier. The CTA, Metra, and Pace have announced a new app that will allow riders to pay for fares on all three systems using their mobile devices.
Normal service on the Metra Electric District's Blue Island branch will resume Thursday morning after trains were suspended Wednesday night because of electrical wire problems.
The increases are tucked into 2016 budgets that the Metra and Pace boards approved unanimously in separate votes Wednesday.
Both inbound and outbound trains were stopped on the Milwaukee District / North Line; the Milwaukee District / West Line; the Rock Island District Line; and the Metra Electric District, the transit agency reported at 12:50 a.m. Wednesday. Signals and power were completely restored by 2:23 a.m.
Inbound train No. 624, scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 8:26 AM, struck a pedestrian in Barrington about 7:15 a.m., according to Metra spokesman Tom Miller. Trains were halted in both directions for more than two hours after the crash.
Trains in both directions on Metra's BNSF line have been halted due to "a pedestrian incident."
Adam Castilla, 25, of Plainfield was found dead in a bathroom aboard a Metra/Burlington Northern passenger train at the Aurora Transportation Center around 2 p.m. Thursday.
The body of the man was found aboard a Burlington Northern line train, and officers responded to the Aurora Transportation Center around 2 p.m., police said.
Metra has suspended service on one of its main commuter lines running between the city and the western suburbs.
"We are pleased that the test on the Rock Island Line went well and that we can now offer this option to all of our customers," Metra Executive Director and Don Orseno said in a statement.
Nine years after Metra Police Officer Thomas Cook was gunned down at a train station in Harvey, his accused killer was set to go on trial this week.
Delays on Metra and Amtrak lines are growing, not to mention the freight hauled to and through the Chicago area by rail. A blue ribbon panel commissioned by Amtrak believes it has the answers -- but they won't come cheap.
Howard Learner, president of Chicago's Environmental Law and Policy Center, said the problems can best be described this way: If each airline at O'Hare International Airport had its own traffic controllers, the result would be chaos. Learner said that effectively is what the nation's major railroads are doing.
The head of Metra's board of directors has urged Congress to extend the deadline to install some costly safety equipment, or the commuter rail line and other railroads could be forced to come to a halt.
Following a successful three-month test on one commuter rail line, Metra will now allow small pets on all of its weekend trains. Pets must be in an enclosed, protective carrier.
The nation's major freight railroads are threatening partial or total shutdowns Jan. 1, unless Congress extends the deadline for installing new signaling systems and software -- and Metra and Amtrak are caught in the middle.
The Regional Transportation Authority is discussing an end to most reduced and free rides, should Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed cuts to mass transit funding come true.
The Chicago Fire Department says an outbound train pulling into the 51st Street station in Hyde Park ran into an electrical problem.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports the proposed trolley would run from several new subdivisions to the Route 59 Metra Station, but the alderman who represents the area says not a single resident she's canvassed wants the trolley.
Metra spokesman Tom Miller said the motorcyclist was trespassing on the BNSF right-of-way at about 6:45 p.m. when struck by the train, which was not scheduled to stop at Harlem Avenue and was running express to Naperville.
Special Children's Charities provides the funding and the park district plans the adventure on Northerly Island.
A key Chicago City Council committee has joined the growing chorus calling for U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros to resign.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that the city is falling short of its revenue predictions for 2026.
The weeds keep growing, and the complaints keep piling up, but neighbors on one street in the Washington Heights community on Chicago's South Side say nothing is changing.
A Chicago man is charged with murder for a shooting over the July Fourth holiday weekend that killed a 10-year-old boy in Gary, Indiana.
A key Chicago City Council committee has joined the growing chorus calling for U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros to resign.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that the city is falling short of its revenue predictions for 2026.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has over the past two days attacked three commercial vessels that were traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The top Republicans in the Senate spoke with the Kentucky Republican by phone this week, according to their spokespeople.
Rahm Emanuel is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate and has been a longtime defender of Israel.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
Environmental and community groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to act on a petition challenging U.S. Steel Gary Works operating permit renewal.
In the four years since Roe v. Wade was overturned and Illinois became a destination for abortion care, Illinois providers and advocates have rebuilt the state's infrastructure to support the tens of thousands of people who travel to the state for abortion services every year.
June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, raising awareness of a disorder that affects a person's ability to speak, write, and understand both spoken and written language.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
Nikki Glaser, Michelle Wolf, Ali Siddiq and Bert Kreischer are among the comedians coming to the city to perform from Nov. 5 to Nov. 15.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Renowned singer-songwriter and Chicago-area native John Prine will be honored with a mural at the Old Town School of Folk Music in the Lincoln Square community.
Victor Willis, lead singer of the disco group Village People, whose hit "Y.M.C.A." became a fixture at rallies for President Trump, has died at the age of 74, his wife and the band said.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding plans include a rehearsal dinner and a late-night celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York City, according to sources familiar with the security planning.
Adventure Club is a program through the Chicago Park District that aims to ensure that everyone has access to adventure.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's midyear budget report shows the city is $32 million under budget on revenues through the first half of the year.
A key Chicago City Council committee has joined the growing chorus calling for U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros to resign.
At issue is a foreclosed property that is falling into legal limbo, leaving nearby homeowners in the Washington Heights neighborhood to deal with the pesky consequences. Megan De Mar reports.
The family of 34-year-old Emily Kasanga, who died after choking to death in April 2026, claims only one staff member was on duty when there should have been two. They also allege staff didn't call the family when Kasanga died.
The suit alleges the home did not properly supervise Emily Kasanga during meal time, leading to her death.
Two people were shot, and one of them died, in an apartment in the north Chicago suburb of Mundelein on Tuesday morning.
A Chicago man is charged with murder for a shooting over the July Fourth holiday weekend that killed a 10-year-old boy in Gary, Indiana.
Special Children's Charities provides the funding and the park district plans the adventure on Northerly Island.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has over the past two days attacked three commercial vessels that were traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The weeds keep growing, and the complaints keep piling up, but neighbors on one street in the Washington Heights community on Chicago's South Side say nothing is changing.
City officials unveil underground stormwater storage units to reduce flooding on the West Side
Crown Point Mayor Peter Land says that flooding has been an issue for years and that the construction plan has been in the works for almost 10 years.
About 13,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries in 2025, and with America's 250 birthday celebration about to start, doctors worry even more people could get hurt this year.
A new AI-powered tool being used by some police departments claims to turn a shell casing into an investigative lead in under 24 minutes.
The digital billboard teases Bears football games and other advertisements.
Fans saw the team's chances of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years crushed on Monday night in their knockout match against Belgium.
Belgium defeated the U.S. Men's National Team 4-1 on Monday night in the World Cup round of 16 knockout match in Seattle, ending the Americans' hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.
Fans of all ages are getting ready for Monday night's game against Belgium for a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. A watch party in Daley Plaza will close streets downtown.
Briscoe held off Christopher Bell in NASCAR's return to Chicagoland Speedway, racing to his first Cup Series win of the season.
Two people were shot, and one of them died, in an apartment in the north Chicago suburb of Mundelein on Tuesday morning.
Mexico said it is investigating whether its sovereignty was violated by the United States in the 2024 capture of drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
A man has been arrested and charged in a shooting that left another man dead last fall in Chicago's Auburn Gresham community.
Delphine Jubillar went missing in southern France in December 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic and her body was never found.
Lake County, Illinois, sheriff's deputies and a K9 were credited with stopping a burglary in progress Sunday night.
