Passenger Trains > Metra Operations Reduced or Canceled Today

According to the Chicago Tribune and the Metra website trains are not running on five lines and the remaining lines are running Sunday schedules.
No Service on the following lines:
Heritage Corridor, North Central Service, Metra Electric Blue Island Branch, SouthWest Service, Union Pacific McHenry
Sunday Schedule on:
Union Pacific North Line, Union Pacific West Line, Union Pacific Northwest Line, BNSF Railway, Milwaukee District West Line, Milwaukee District North Line, Rock Island District, Metra Electric District - University Park and South Chicago

The snows are keeping the railroad crew from getting to work. We've had in the area of 18-20" across a very wide area around Chicago and northern Illinous.

Full sttory at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-latest-blizzard-warning-dont-travel-stay-indoors-20110201,0,3765352.story?page=2&obref=obinsite

kevink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to the Chicago Tribune and the Metra
> website trains are not running on five lines and
> the remaining lines are running Sunday schedules.
>
> No Service on the following lines:
> Heritage Corridor, North Central Service, Metra
> Electric Blue Island Branch, SouthWest Service,
> Union Pacific McHenry
> Sunday Schedule on:
> Union Pacific North Line, Union Pacific West Line,
> Union Pacific Northwest Line, BNSF Railway,
> Milwaukee District West Line, Milwaukee District
> North Line, Rock Island District, Metra Electric
> District - University Park and South Chicago
>
> The snows are keeping the railroad crew from
> getting to work. We've had in the area of 18-20"
> across a very wide area around Chicago and
> northern Illinous.
>
> Full sttory at:
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/
> chibrknews-latest-blizzard-warning-dont-travel-sta
> y-indoors-20110201,0,3765352.story?page=2&obref=ob
> insite


Ran Santelli of CNBC gave Metra another shout out today. His train came, and brought him to work in the Loop almost on time. He was quite pleased with their service.

The NJ based hosts busted his chops about a government owned railroad doing a good job. Santelli, one of the godfathers of the Tea Party, laughed, but didn't say much about that.

Guess there isn't a Tea partier out there who can squash his/her ego long enough to admit they might be wrong just this once time eh? I kind of regard them as a bunch of crabby old men anyway.

Not surprising that the trains are not running much due to getting crews to the trains when the roads are mostly closed in the area anyway! In fact, I am surprised that they can even get crews in for a Sunday schedule.

sevenbrewer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guess there isn't a Tea partier out there who can
> squash his/her ego long enough to admit they might
> be wrong just this once time eh? I kind of regard
> them as a bunch of crabby old men anyway.


Amazing how many of those "crabby old men" are in reality younger and middle-aged women. Now who would you rather deal with???

KC - nothing wrong with public transit agencies...if the politicos don't mess with them and the funding isn't wasted

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ran Santelli of CNBC gave Metra another shout out
> today. His train came, and brought him to work in
> the Loop almost on time. He was quite pleased
> with their service.
>
> The NJ based hosts busted his chops about a
> government owned railroad doing a good job.
> Santelli, one of the godfathers of the Tea Party,
> laughed, but didn't say much about that.

I think his name is Rick Santelli....he's like many people who like public programs that benefit them directly, but hate programs they percieve to be benefiting others - especially others who aren't like them.

Dave

To be accurate, Metra's entire system is running a Sunday schedule today.

The lines that are reported "cancelled/no service" (Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service, North Central, UP McHenry Sub and Metra Electric Blue Island branch) are the ones that do not normally run on Sundays or holidays.

NZ

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
[snip]
>
>
> Ran Santelli of CNBC gave Metra another shout out
> today. His train came, and brought him to work in
> the Loop almost on time. He was quite pleased
> with their service.
>
> The NJ based hosts busted his chops about a
> government owned railroad doing a good job.
> Santelli, one of the godfathers of the Tea Party,
> laughed, but didn't say much about that.

Santelli lives in Wheaton on the UP West (ex CNW) line. Not government owned. Trains are operated by UP under the PSA in conjunction with Metra. Following is a brief desription of the PSA's from Metra's website:

"These contracted services are operated by the UP and BNSF railroads pursuant to purchase of service agreements (PSAs) with Metra. Under these contracts, the carriers use their employees and own or control the rights-of-way and most of the other facilities required for operations. However, Metra owns the rolling stock and, in conjunction with the local municipalities, is responsible for most stations and other passenger amenities. While working cooperatively with its freight partners, the PSAs provide Metra with overall authority with respect to fare, service, and staffing levels."

None of the news stories made the point that the canceled lines are all of the lowest traffic ones. Some would have only had a few round trips during rush hour, compared to several per hour during rush hour on the major routes. That said, I was disappointed to hear of the Sunday schedules, which ruins my plan of taking a video of an express service in the snow. Oh well...

Bandito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> >
> > Ran Santelli of CNBC gave Metra another shout
> out
> > today. His train came, and brought him to work
> in
> > the Loop almost on time. He was quite pleased
> > with their service.
> >
> > The NJ based hosts busted his chops about a
> > government owned railroad doing a good job.
> > Santelli, one of the godfathers of the Tea
> Party,
> > laughed, but didn't say much about that.
>
> Santelli lives in Wheaton on the UP West (ex CNW)
> line. Not government owned. Trains are operated
> by UP under the PSA in conjunction with Metra.
> Following is a brief desription of the PSA's from
> Metra's website:
>
> "These contracted services are operated by the UP
> and BNSF railroads pursuant to purchase of service
> agreements (PSAs) with Metra. Under these
> contracts, the carriers use their employees and
> own or control the rights-of-way and most of the
> other facilities required for operations. However,
> Metra owns the rolling stock and, in conjunction
> with the local municipalities, is responsible for
> most stations and other passenger amenities. While
> working cooperatively with its freight partners,
> the PSAs provide Metra with overall authority with
> respect to fare, service, and staffing levels."


Thanks for the update.

So, I guess that absolves Santelli of riding on a government owned rail line. I'll send the info to his tormentors and see if that makes any difference.

This logic is not logic at all. I have read so many times about a representative here or there who is against farm subsidies but takes them for their farm. Of course you do, your competitors do and if you didn't YOU WOULD be out of business. I personally believe Metra does a credible job compared to other Agencies. But if I believe Metra should be strictly be run by a private contract, does that mean I should not ride it. Of Course not, that is illogical. Metra is the service that is available, it is the service I pay for, of course I should ride it.


Bob Jordan

Bandito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Santelli lives in Wheaton on the UP West (ex CNW)
> line. Not government owned. Trains are operated
> by UP under the PSA in conjunction with Metra.
> Following is a brief desription of the PSA's from
> Metra's website:
>
> "These contracted services are operated by the UP
> and BNSF railroads pursuant to purchase of service
> agreements (PSAs) with Metra. Under these
> contracts, the carriers use their employees and
> own or control the rights-of-way and most of the
> other facilities required for operations. However,
> Metra owns the rolling stock and, in conjunction
> with the local municipalities, is responsible for
> most stations and other passenger amenities. While
> working cooperatively with its freight partners,
> the PSAs provide Metra with overall authority with
> respect to fare, service, and staffing levels."


Ok, so not government-OWNED, but government-SUBSIDIZED (as are all Metra and other commuter rail services). This in no way changes the nature of the argument.

ChS7-321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bandito Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Santelli lives in Wheaton on the UP West (ex
> CNW)
> > line. Not government owned. Trains are
> operated
> > by UP under the PSA in conjunction with Metra.
> > Following is a brief desription of the PSA's
> from
> > Metra's website:
> >
> > "These contracted services are operated by the
> UP
> > and BNSF railroads pursuant to purchase of
> service
> > agreements (PSAs) with Metra. Under these
> > contracts, the carriers use their employees and
> > own or control the rights-of-way and most of
> the
> > other facilities required for operations.
> However,
> > Metra owns the rolling stock and, in
> conjunction
> > with the local municipalities, is responsible
> for
> > most stations and other passenger amenities.
> While
> > working cooperatively with its freight
> partners,
> > the PSAs provide Metra with overall authority
> with
> > respect to fare, service, and staffing levels."
>
>
> Ok, so not government-OWNED, but
> government-SUBSIDIZED (as are all Metra and other
> commuter rail services). This in no way changes
> the nature of the argument.


The argument that Kernen etc made against Santelli had to do with a government owned (socialist) railroad. Although it loses none of its logical argument by being government subsidized, it loses a little bombast.

Like Congress with its gold plated health plan lecturing Americans about having to shop carefully for their coverage, etc.

Lackawanna:

First, you went out of your way to immediately inject your politics on a discussion thread that was simply about Metra operational status.

And for anyone to say that it is hypocritical for Santelli ride Metra and complement the on-time arrival of Metra on a major snow day is simply smear-mongering.

Let's see if I've got this right: criticize the mortgage bailouts and you're a hypocrite to ride Metra; bash Timothy Geitner's "quantative easing" (ie, running the printing press), and that means you're a hypocrite to ride Metra. Uh huh.

This is just a straw man. The logical implication of this approach is that if somebody dares to criticize any actions or functions of the government at any level, one must withdraw from society or be called a hypocrite. Talk about false alternatives.

To be really consistant with this argument, we could go further and say that it's hypocritical and wrong for Santelli and any other critic of out of control spending to drive anywhere on publically maintained streets and highways. Maybe we should require Loyalty Oaths in order to register your car and obtain a drivers license. Better yet, let's bring back the Sedition Act.

Remember also that the government isn't Santa Claus. Anything they "provide" comes from taxes taken from the taxpayers--Santelli included. And I'll bet that on a net basis, Santelli and others like him have MUCH more taken from them by the State and County than they get in return, subsidized Metra fares included.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/11 17:58 by Bandito.