Times Staff – Northwest Indiana Times – May 15, 2014 CHICAGO HEIGHTS | Individuals in the south suburbs will have more assistance in finding work, thanks to a collaborative effort between Prairie State College and State Rep. Al Riley, according to a news release. Riley was instrumental in securing a…
By Peggy Prielozny – Southland Voice – April 30, 2014 In the April 2 issue of Southland Voice, when we left beleaguered Richton Park Mayor Rick Reinbold, he had already sent out an e-mail blast with photos of the deplorable conditions of the Metra station in his town, in an…
By Rosalind Rossi Chicago Sun-Times – Transportation Reporter – Updated April 22, 2014 Legislative efforts to dramatically shake up how the Chicago area’s transit agencies are organized probably won’t become a reality until next year, the chairman of the House Mass Transit Committee said Monday. Rep. Al Riley, D-Olympia Fields,…
By Richard Wronski – Chicago Tribune Reporter – April 21, 2014 As lawmakers held their first hearing today on recommendations from the special mass transit task force created in the aftermath of the controversy at Metra, the state’s top watchdog urged them to move swiftly on reforms. Ricardo Meza, the…
By Dave McKinney – Chicago Sun-Times – April 1 2014 SPRINGFIELD — House Speaker Michael Madigan said Tuesday he’s been far too busy to have had any time to pore through a critical new report that alleged he dictated patronage hiring at Metra for decades. The transit task force report,…
By Phil Kadner – SouthTown Star – Updated March 26, 2014 Metra officials have made several repairs to a Richton Park commuter train station where water leaked through a roof onto commuters’ heads, according to a spokeswoman for the transit agency. One other repair to the roof may be done…
Story By J. Coyden Palmer Posted:02/15/2014 As Metra selected former Chicago Alderman Martin Olberman as its new chairman this week, riders throughout the region are sounding off about poor service this winter. A hearing in Springfield gave lawmakers a chance to grill Metra’s CEO while a meeting in Naperville on…
A group of Southland state lawmakers were in Washington D.C., on Tuesday, meeting about the proposed South Suburban Airport, according to a press release from U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly. Kelly and the state lawmakers met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and the Federal Aviation Administration to urge approval of…
BY ROSALIND ROSSI Transportation Reporter – Updated: February 11, 2014 2:17AM Metra launched a massive customer service survey Monday as it conceded under legislative grilling that only 30 percent of Metra trains were on time during the extreme cold that gripped the Chicago area Jan. 6-7. At least 85,000 riders…
By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune reporter12:05 p.m. CST, February 10, 2014 Metra’s new boss faced an intense grilling Monday at a state hearing looking into the commuter railroad’s massive failures during winter storms. Lawmakers told Metra CEO Don Orseno that their constituents are greatly dissatisfied with Metra’s recent performance and its…