Metra

Nicola’s Heavenly Cucina in Lockport, featuring Italian pastries, cookies and coffee, had it's grand opening on Saturday.

Funding for public transportation has become a top priority for some lawmakers over the past two years as transit agencies in Chicago area have sounded alarm bells on a looming financial crisis.

A body of an adult male was found near the Metra train tracks Sunday night in Cary, officials report.

The owner of Nicola's Heavenly Cucina announced on Facebook it plans to open its new bakery in the Lockport train station on Oct. 19.

Plans to extend rail service between Chicago and Rockford is the topic of public meetings Tuesday in Elgin and Wednesday in Huntley. Stops are planned for both towns.

Huntley has been chosen as a stop on a new Chicago-to-Rockford Metra train line, and local officials are mulling where in downtown Huntley the station might go.

Metra will offer special service on the Heritage Corridor Line on six Saturdays this fall, so residents can explore the communities along the route that begins in Joliet and ends in Chicago at Union Station.

Springview Sweets Bakery is no longer located at the Lockport Metra Station. As of Aug. 2, the bakery vacated the premises. Another bakery business has plans to move in.

DeKalb residents will soon have more opportunities to ride a public transit bus to the Metra train station in Elburn. That and other changes coming to public transit routes in DeKalb take effect Aug. 26. Learn more here.

The Kane County Committee of the Whole will discuss the future of public transit, as speakers will detail proposed legislation that would merge the CTA, Metra and Pace into a single agency.

A McHenry man has been identified as the person who was killed July 15 when a Metra train struck a vehicle in Ingleside, authorities said.

While the agencies are currently buoyed by pandemic-era funding and temporary allowances in state law, the agencies will face a cumulative annual budget gap of $730 million in operating costs beginning in 2026

Joshua Doss, 45, of New Lenox, was pronounced dead after he was struck by a Metra train.

Is the region ready for one supersized transit agency? You can learn more – and offer opinions – at a series of public hearings starting next week about combining Metra, Pace and the CTA.

Geneva police responded to a report shortly after noon today of a possible active shooter situation. A man causing a disturbance did not have a gun, more information about charges to be released later.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that repairs by Metra to a Milwaukee District North Line crossing on Milwaukee Avenue (Illinois 21) north of Lake Street, in Libertyville, will require a full closure starting, weather permitting, 9 a.m. July 8.

One person was struck and killed by a Metra train Thursday morning in Bartlett, ABC 7 Chicago is reporting.

State lawmakers unveiled an ambitious plan to fold Metra, Pace and the CTA into one supersized agency that would replace the Regional Transportation Authority Monday.

Open Roads ABATE Chapter is sponsoring a Train Fun Run on Saturday, April 13, at the Aurora Train Station

Whether you’re watching the Chicago River turn green or waving at marching leprechauns on the city’s South Side, public transit is your lucky charm this weekend, Metra officials say.

A Metra train went off the tracks Saturday in Crystal Lake, disrupting service but causing no reported injuries.

Metra’s launch of a new system for fares and zones hit a snag when its Ventra app crashed amid Thursday’s morning rush.

City of DeKalb leaders decided to throw their support behind an effort to study the feasibility of reviving the Twin Cities Zephyr Amtrak route from Chicago to East Dubuque, which previously included a stop in DeKalb County.

Since 2022, more than 33,000 migrants seeking asylum have arrived in Chicago. In recent weeks, communities in DeKalb, McHenry, Will, Kane and La Salle counties, among others, have passed ordinances to regulate migrant arrivals. Why is this happening? Here's what we know:

A man’s body was found Thursday morning inside the Metra depot at the Lisle train station.

Under a new policy, bicycles and scooters, including e-bikes and e-scooters, will be permitted on all Metra trains, beginning Feb. 1, free of charge. Racks will be installed on cars.

A streak of Texas bus drop-offs brought an estimated 400 migrants to Will County in December, but nearly all of the stops were in one community and most, if not all, of the passengers are believed to have moved on to Chicago.

The Lockport City Council voted on Jan. 3 to adopt the emergency executive order first passed in December to prevent unexpected drop-offs of asylum seekers from Texas.

A busload of 38 migrants sent to Illinois from Texas showed up Thursday afternoon at the Elburn Metra train station.

The Will County Emergency Management Agency has announced it is coordinating with the City of Chicago and suburban governments to coordinate the transportation of migrants who have been dropped in Will County in buses from Texas.

The state and other stakeholders will resolve a looming $730 million annual shortfall facing Metra, Pace and the CTA in 2026, Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 27, Metra will be making minor changes to the schedules of three trains on its Rock Island Line to Joliet. These schedule adjustments are being made to better reflect operating conditions.

Police learned the driver of the semitrailer misread the road sign that listed the height of the bridge in Joliet, police said.

Metra leaders adopted sweeping updates to fares and zoning Friday, reforms officials said would simplify travel on the system for riders.

A Grayslake woman has been identified as the pedestrian who was struck and killed by a Metra train on Oct. 16 in North Chicago, authorities said.

Metra leaders released a 2024 budget and fare plan Wednesday with significant changes to the railroad’s ticketing and zone system.

Commuters using Metra’s Union Pacific-North, or Green Line, should be made aware of a temporary closure of the station at the North Chicago stop.

Wayne Blanchette died from blunt force injuries as a result of the collision, the Lake County Coroner’s Office said in a news release Tuesday.

The excursions, dubbed “Rails, Trails and Ales,” will provide three round-trip trains, each equipped with Metra’s new bike cars to carry extra bikes, on six consecutive Saturdays

The city of DeKalb is looking to implement some changes to its public transit system in time for the start of the fall semester at Northern Illinois University. The changes take effect Aug. 28.

Metra will provide extra service on four lines for area residents traveling downtown for the Chicago Air and Water Show on Aug. 19 and 20, the commuter rail service announced.

The proposed new Metra line out to Rockford will run right by the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, which has a collection of Chicago public transportation vehicles, ranging from early streetcars dating back to the 1850s to old Metra engines.

Metra proposed a complete change to its fare structure for the first time with changes to pricing, zones and bundle passes.

A person on a weekday commute via Metra train from DeKalb to downtown Chicago might expect a 90 to 105-minute trek, according to a feasibility study recently released by the city of DeKalb. The costs to operate that line could be about $11M per year, the study shows.

Instead, Metra line will start and stop in New Lenox.

As the summer season gets underway, now is the perfect time to plan a family outing, and Metra’s Family Fares make it even easier to climb aboard and let Metra do the driving.

The city of DeKalb this week published findings on a study which looked into whether a Metra passenger train line could extend into DeKalb County, connecting the area with a direct route to Chicago. Multiple community presentations are up next week on the findings

The project team behind the city of DeKalb and Northern Illinois University’s bids to suss out support for a Metra extension and feasibility study are soliciting DeKalb County area businesses and locals to weigh in.

Douglas Johnson, 49, of Yorkville, died from blunt force trauma after being struck by a freight train Friday evening.

Citing the study’s early findings, DeKalb city officials say a key piece of data estimates about 10,800 people travel daily between DeKalb County and communities along the Union Pacific West rail line that services the Metra rail from Chicago.