Metra proposes raising fares for 4th year in row

Chester Copperpot

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Metra proposes raising fares for 4th year in row - Chicago Tribune

Metra wants to raise fares for the fourth year in a row, citing higher costs as well as state budget cuts and lower sales tax revenues.

The commuter rail service proposed raising fares by 25 cents on one-way tickets, as well as increasing the costs of 10-ride, weekend and monthly fares.

The commuter rail service's board will ultimately decide to go with either a proposed lower-fare option or a higher-fare option.

The board was given lower-fare and higher-fare options at the meeting and members decided they'll look at the lower-fare option. Under the proposal, one-way rides would go up next year by 25 cents per ticket, 10-ride tickets would increase by a range of $4.25 to $7.74, and monthly tickets would go up by a range of $9 to $12.50. Just how much the 10-ride and monthly tickets go up depends on the length of a commuter's trip.

The board will weigh fare hike options at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday and will vote on it later this fall.

lol
 

b4black

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It's like $15 round trip from Aurora to Union station. I guess that a bargain compared to the stupid high parking in the loop. :rolleyes:

But on the other hand, they say they have to raise rates due to higher operating costs. But in six months, they will be bragging about buying new rail cars and renovating super fancy stations. The current cars and stations are just fine. (I've been in the new cars - that aren't much different) Just maintain the current and stop raising rates.

$15 isn't much is you have a high paying loop job. Sucks if you're a college student commuting downtown (no discounts).
 

CMNTMXR57

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Stop looking at just your line. The BNSF line to Aurora is one that has the newest cars and newest locomotives (MP36H's), or rehabbed locomotives (F40PH-3's) on it because it's the busiest route in the system and we don't want Napervillian's slumming it in cars that heat or A/C don't work in.

Many other lines like the UP West (what I rode daily), MD West, UP North and UP Northwest have rail cars that date from the 60's and 70's. The pre-rehab F40PH's were ordered in 1977/78. They're older than many on this board and have been ridden hard and they're showing their age.

I'm not justifying their increases, but fact of the matter is, a healthy portion of their rolling stock is ancient.
 

CMNTMXR57

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This locomotive here was part of order# 786293, ordered in 1978. It was built in December 1979. I use this one as an example because it's my town. This is one of the later ones received...

This was it's livery in 1983 shortly after the formation of the RTA as a whole
METX_137_RTA_TV8307S6222.jpg


Here it was in 2007 in now standard Metra livery;
IMG_3581.JPG


Here it is after complete rebuild (I think around 2012) and renamed an F40PH-3;
28944432125_bcb451feaf_b.jpg


This one, and many other F40PH's were rebuilt from the ground up in the past few years because 1) age and mileage on them and 2) cost vs. a new locomotive, which Metra experimented with (the MP36H's), which have had a poor track record, been in several accidents and already have had to be rebuilt themselves, which actually forced Metra to bring a few of the F40C's which they retired (selling a bunch off to a St. Louis commuter rail company), that date back to the late 60's/early 70's.

This is a failed attempt at new locomotives... The MP36H in new Metra livery;
50715692e2d474c81efaf36ce008c97b.jpg


The point I'm making is, much of the rolling stock is ancient, well wore beyond it's useful life, and needs rebuilt or replaced. The rehabbed ones were primarily funded through the American reinvestment and recovery act. So it wasn't all fare hikes, but you can't count on government subsidies to pay for these updates.
 

FESTER665

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It's like $15 round trip from Aurora to Union station. I guess that a bargain compared to the stupid high parking in the loop. :rolleyes:

But on the other hand, they say they have to raise rates due to higher operating costs. But in six months, they will be bragging about buying new rail cars and renovating super fancy stations. The current cars and stations are just fine. (I've been in the new cars - that aren't much different) Just maintain the current and stop raising rates.

$15 isn't much is you have a high paying loop job. Sucks if you're a college student commuting downtown (no discounts).

As someone who rebuilds wire harnesses and other parts of these cars, they're definitely in need of updating. Lots of stuff underneath that you never see that needs upgrading, so to say you've been in a new one and it doesn't seem much different doesn't tell the story really.
 

FESTER665

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I'm not justifying their increases, but fact of the matter is, a healthy portion of their rolling stock is ancient.

Ancient doesn't begin to describe some of the stuff we're looking at replacing for the trains in Boston right now. The parts for these rehabs are ridiculous expensive. We just started working on a 53 train set order for Baltimore area, and are hoping to get in on the high speed rail through the NE corridor.
 

CMNTMXR57

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Not that it matters to me, but outta curiouslty, why did this fail?

First, these aren't GM EMD (ElectroMotive Division) locomotives. All the others mentioned are GM EMD. GM EMD was sold off to a private equity firm (Berkshire Hathaway if I recall), and now Progress Rail purchased them from Berkshire. Progress Rail is a Caterpillar company if I recall.

These are made by Motive Power out of Idaho (About as far as you can get from a rail hub of the country). They use EMD designed engines and drive gear, but are not EMD.

From the get go, they had software issues. Then they had reliability issues and certainly no where near the reliability of those old EMD units. Then a couple were involved in accidents (I recall seeing one laying on it's side after a collision with a semi). Due to many of these issues, Metra started sending them back to be rebuilt and in some cases, converted to later updates of that platform. While this was going on, they had to bring the few F40C's they replaced with these MP36H's with, out of mothballs to pick up the slack, and recently (around 2015), they picked up some EMD F59PH's as backups from Toronto's GO commuter system.

Personally, I'm not a fan of them. They are a long wheelbase locomotive really meant for 6 truck (axles), which are better for long distance running. They don't work well in tight areas such as working into Union Station vs. the F40PH's and their 4 truck setup works much better.

Here's a pic of an F40PH-2 and the new MP36 in consist, you can see the length difference;

1280px-Metra_Locomotives_F40PH-2_%26_MP36PH-3S.jpg
 

CMNTMXR57

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Ancient doesn't begin to describe some of the stuff we're looking at replacing for the trains in Boston right now. The parts for these rehabs are ridiculous expensive. We just started working on a 53 train set order for Baltimore area, and are hoping to get in on the high speed rail through the NE corridor.

Are they as stubborn as Metra is too, keeping HEP, and their old ways for cost containment?
 

ChrisRac

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First, these aren't GM EMD (ElectroMotive Division) locomotives. All the others mentioned are GM EMD. GM EMD was sold off to a private equity firm (Berkshire Hathaway if I recall), and now Progress Rail purchased them from Berkshire. Progress Rail is a Caterpillar company if I recall.

These are made by Motive Power out of Idaho (About as far as you can get from a rail hub of the country). They use EMD designed engines and drive gear, but are not EMD.

From the get go, they had software issues. Then they had reliability issues. Then a couple were involved in accidents (I recall seeing one laying on it's side after a collision with a semi). Due to many of these issues, Metra started sending them back to be rebuilt and in some cases, converted to later updates of that platform. While this was going on, they had to bring the few F40C's they replaced with these MP36H's with, out of mothballs to pick up the slack, and recently (around 2015), they picked up some EMD F59PH's as backups from Toronto's GO commuter system.

Personally, I'm not a fan of them. They are a long wheelbase locomotive really meant for 6 truck (axles), which are better for long distance running. They don't work well in tight areas such as working into Union Station vs. the F40PH's and their 4 truck setup works much better.

Here's a pic of an F40PH-2 and the new MP36 in consist, you can see the length difference;

1280px-Metra_Locomotives_F40PH-2_%26_MP36PH-3S.jpg

I actually understood all that. But you coulda just said "They're the DSM of the train world." Hahah.
 

DanJ

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Stop looking at just your line. The BNSF line to Aurora is one that has the newest cars and newest locomotives (MP36H's), or rehabbed locomotives (F40PH-3's) on it because it's the busiest route in the system and we don't want Napervillian's slumming it in cars that heat or A/C don't work in.

Many other lines like the UP West (what I rode daily), MD West, UP North and UP Northwest have rail cars that date from the 60's and 70's. The pre-rehab F40PH's were ordered in 1977/78. They're older than many on this board and have been ridden hard and they're showing their age.

I'm not justifying their increases, but fact of the matter is, a healthy portion of their rolling stock is ancient.

The BNSF aurora line still has cars from the 50's in rotation though.
 

CMNTMXR57

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Train nerd.

Back in the day, I actually got to tour the LaGrange EMD plant. They showed me how they built the engines from ground up (the old 2-cycle diesels), meanwhile one of their new 4-strokes was in an engine dyno test and was shaking the floor. :D

Then later I worked for GE and with some connections, went out and toured the Erie, PA plant. Actually got to drive one (an AC4400CW freight locomotive) out of the test booth. A whole 20ft, but hey... Got to wind it up and release the brakes and let it roll forward.
 

FESTER665

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Train nerd.

Back in the day, I actually got to tour the LaGrange EMD plant. They showed me how they built the engines from ground up (the old 2-cycle diesels), meanwhile one of their new 4-strokes was in an engine dyno test and was shaking the floor. :D

Then later I worked for GE and with some connections, went out and toured the Erie, PA plant. Actually got to drive one (an AC4400CW freight locomotive) out of the test booth. A whole 20ft, but hey... Got to wind it up and release the brakes and let it roll forward.

I'm getting into them now since we're starting to work with them. We only worked on buses for the longest time, but are now getting into rail.

I've been through the Metra garage, Nippon Sharyo plant, Bombardier plant, and hope to go through the Alstom plant now that we're working with them.

Next month is the Apta show which will have all the heavy hitters in the train world, going to be a long week.
 

Fish

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If I ever had to go to my downtown location for work, Id just take the Metra. Sucks the price is going up, but parking in the city is $20 easily, plus having to deal with the loop, no thanks. Ill sit on the train and surf facebook and listen to a podcast in peace and keep my anxiety lower.

I went last year for a training class and Metra is sweet. Then again, my building is directly across the street from Union Station so not much of a walk is also a plus.
 

DanJ

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Damn, you know a lot abiut these trains. You're either an uber train nerd or planted here by metra for public relations.

Im sitting on a very old BNSF train typing this. New padding in seats and it be good as new. But then i think my 1996 Dodge is relatively new.

You work for BNSF or you have one of our units on another line? When I worked out of Chicago I hated having NS or CSX power as the lead unit. an NS unit was at least worth a $50 claim since they didn't have a refrigerator, but they almost always had duct tape holding something together in the cab.

Then later I worked for GE and with some connections, went out and toured the Erie, PA plant. Actually got to drive one (an AC4400CW freight locomotive) out of the test booth. A whole 20ft, but hey... Got to wind it up and release the brakes and let it roll forward.

I like the AC4400's, desktop preferably but the sidewinders aren't terrible. Desktop controls just leave me a better surface for paperwork. Most of the train nerds I know hate them and prefer the older EMD SD40/60's that we really only have in yards or roadswitcher duty anymore. The SD70ACe's are alright but the horn sounds like an Italian car.
 
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