Commuter Newsletter, February 2009

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Metra has been sounding thealarm for several years about themassive shortfall in our capitalbudget. We tell everyone who'lllisten, “We're at a crossroads.”What do we mean? Put sim-

ply, unless unless the state cre-ates a funding program toaddress our needs, the systemwill fall into a state of disrepair,eroding the region's hard workand investment of the last 25years. The longer we wait, theharder it will be to recover.Here are some questions and

answers about the issue:Q: Didn't Metra raise fares

last year? Didn't the Legislaturealso raise the sales tax to raisemoney for transit?A: Yes, and yes. But that

money was needed to plug ahuge hole in our budget for oper-ations. Metra still has a crisis inits capital budget.Q: What's the difference?A: The operating budget pays

for fuel, electricity, salaries andall the other day-to-day costs ofrunning a railroad. The capitalbudget pays for new and reno-vated rolling stock, repairs andreplacement of bridges and otherinfrastructure and expansions.Q: How big is the need?A: Very big. Metra estimates

it needs at least $2.6 billion overthe next five years just to main-tain a state of good repair. Wecan expect about $1.1 billionfrom the feds, unless PresidentObama and the Congress pro-vide more in a stimulus bill. We

expect to get about $1.3 billionfrom Illinois if state lawmakerspass a capital bill. Even with thatamount, Metra will still be about$350 million short of its need.And to carry out four expansionprojects on the drawing board -the suburban STAR line, theSouthEast Service line andmajor upgrades to the UPWestand Northwest lines - Metra willneed hundreds of millions more.Q: Why is the need so great?A: One reason is that it has

been more than five years sincethe last state capital programexpired. This has caused Metrato defer projects we couldn'tafford. The backlog is adding up.And it didn't help that our earli-er, operating crisis forced Metrato transfer $130 million from our

capital budget into operations.Q: So what will happen if the

state doesn't come through?A:We'll have to continue to

put things off. As just one exam-ple, rail cars should be rehabbedevery 15 years, which means weneed to do 50 a year. But we'vebeen able to afford just 23 a yearsince 2005. Station renewal proj-ects also will be delayed.Equipment failures and trainovercrowding will become morefrequent. We'll have more slowzones due to an inability to per-form cyclical track maintenance.Service quality and on-time per-formance will suffer.Q: Is that happening now?A:While we would never

blame our shortfalls entirely on alack of funding - that would be

passing the buck - we will saythat the funding crisis hasn'thelped.Q: Why can't you just raise

fares?A:As regular riders know,

Metra has raised fares, incre-mentally and periodically, overthe years. But the fact is, youcan't pay for our capital needswith a fare increase. Say weincreased fares 10 percent. Thatwould raise only about $20.5million, a far cry from our needs.Q: What are the biggest

needs?A: One huge need is to

replace 160 or so Highliner carson the Metra Electric district.These cars are simply beyond

The need for capital

The replacement of Highliner cars on the Metra Electric District is a top priority.

(Continued on Page 4)

Most aspects of Metra'sservice and operations arelogical. I am ignoring theleft-handed track sidearrangement for the moment.But on the UP North Line,

why is the first stop afterhaving left the downtownstation called “Clybourn”when the street by that nameis over a half-mile away andElston and Ashland avenues(neither of which are piddlystreets) are just down the stairs?

Tom

We get this question everyfew years. You're right –Clybourn Avenue is a fewblocks away from the station.But it didn't used to be. EarlyChicago maps show Clybournended its northwest diagonalrun from Division Street at thepoint where it meets Racine. Itthen turned directly west, cross-ing the river and ending atwhat it now Damen. When inlater years the northwest diago-nal of Clybourn was extended(eventually to Belmont), theeast-west section that crossedthe river was renamedClybourn Place. That sectionwas later given its currentname, Cortland Street, after thestreet that it almost lines upwith at Damen.A 1908 book on place names

associated with the old Chicago& North Western railroad saysthe “Clybourn Junction” sta-tion used to be known asClybourn Place, “from one ofthe streets of Chicago. ...Theword Place was dropped andthe word Junction inserted, as itwas the junction of two lines ofrailroad” (now the UP Northand UP Northwest).However, that book errs

when it says the street was

named for settler “Peter”Clybourn. His name was actu-ally Archibald Clybourn, one ofearly Chicago's most prominentcitizens. His family establishedtheir homestead and a slaugh-terhouse (Chicago’s first) on thewest bank of the river, nearwhat is now the station, in1824; he lived there until hisdeath in 1872.

Why do Metra trains run onthe LEFT side of the railway?

Bob

Not all of them do - it’s justwhat are now the Union Pacificlines. The most plausible theoryis that the lines originally had asingle track, with the depots onthe left side (as you head down-town). When a second track wasadded, it was easiest to put it tothe right of the first track, sincethe depots were taking up spaceon the left side.But the first track remained

the inbound track, because a)the depots were all on that side,and you want the sheltered wait-ing areas for inbound riderssince most people waiting at thestation are heading downtown,

and b) the railroad didn’t wantto pay or couldn’t afford to payto move them or build overpass-es or underpasses.

My train buddy and I noticedthat most of last week on theMilwaukee District West Linetrain that some of the tracksaround Western Avenue stop orfurther were on fire and wereburning like the eternal flame inD.C. for several days. Why isthat? How come it burned overseveral days and then stopped?

Patricia

Those were the gas heatersthat we use on cold days to pre-vent our switches from freezingup. There are a lot of switchesnear Western in particular.

With all the technology avail-able, when is Metra going tostart to offer automated alerts tocell phones, etc.? And when isMetra going to make theirschedules compatible withmobile software?

Robert

Stay tuned. We’ve started thebidding process to update ourwebsite and harness the latesttechnology to aid our riders.We’ll have more info later thisyear.

Why Clybourn?

Left-hand question...

Tech is coming

About those flames

2 ON THE BI-LEVEL

SS OO UU NN DD II NN GG BB OO AA RR DDG o t a q u e s t i o n , w e ’ v e g o t a n a n s w e r

Board of Directors

Carole R. DorisChairmanDuPage County

Lonnie W. Hill Vice ChairmanCook County

Larry HugginsTreasurerChicago

Arlene MulderSecretarySuburban Cook County

Jim DodgeDirectorSuburban Cook County

James C. LaBelleDirectorLake County

Edward W. PaeselDirector Suburban Cook County

Michael SmithDirectorWill County

Jack SchafferDirectorMcHenry County

Caryl J. Van OvermeirenDirectorKane County

William A. Widmer III DirectorSuburban Cook County

Philip A. PaganoExecutive Director

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Crossword solution

Published by Metra’s MediaRelations Department. Send let-ters, questions or feedback toOn the Bi-Level, Metra, 547 W.Jackson, Chicago IL, 60661-5717.Or e-mail onthebilevel@metrarr.com.We can’t guarantee all letters

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ON THE BI-LEVEL

Archibald Clybourn

FEBRUARY 2009 3

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SOUND OFF SOUND OFF “...setting new standards of thoughtlessness, grouchiness, pettiness, elitism and self-absorption.”

-Chicago Sun-Times, June 12, 1994

I wish to offer an opposingopinion to the art critic “SadEyes” regarding the student arton the Metra monthly passes. Ifind the new tickets absolutelycharming, and they are amongmy very favorite tickets in thefive years I've been riding theNorthwest Line. These designshave a kind of guileless whim-sy you don't often see in art-work created by adults, andthere is an offhand wit to suchcaptions as, “You'll REALLYbe late if you don't stop at thegate.” Honestly, if these verysame designs had been createdironically by a grown-up artist,they could sell for thousandsin Manhattan's snootiest artgalleries. But the beauty ofthese tickets is that there's noirony in them whatsoever;they're absolutely genuine.Sincerity is in short supplythese days, and it is nice tohave a daily reminder that itstill exists in this cynical

world.By the way, the addition of

a crossword puzzle to On TheBi-Level was a masterstroke. Iam in your debt.

GratefullyJoe

Thanks for your support.The contest is an important partof our safety campaign.

I usually ride Metra on theweekends and have for manyyears. Recently I have noticedan upsurge ofpeople using theMetra platformsfor their own per-sonal spittoon.This is truly apublic displayof disrespect forboth private propertyand a riders right to clean pub-lic areas. Also, it is disgusting.However, there is a solutionto all of this. Perhaps Metracould set aside a grassy areafor a “spitting zone.” Maybethis would create a cleaner andhealthier platform environ-ment.

David Aurora

Or maybe people could juststop spitting?

As I’m sure even the mostjaded and hardened commuterwill admit, at one time they werenew to the unwritten codes andregulations governing behavioron the train. The proper cellphone volume, the “you bettermove your suitcase ’cause I’msitting down” rule, and perhapsthe most interesting to watchdaily, the inexcusable act of cut-

ting someone off while boardingthe train. Well, my fellow riders,I have to throw myself on yourmercy, because I broke that rule.While boarding one morning, Imanaged to cut a woman off. Asthe train emptied, the womanwaited for me. Upon lookinginto her eyes crazy with rage, Ishuddered to think what I couldhave done. I apologized afterbeing reminded and was sum-marily subjected to a profanity-and saliva-laced tearing-down asshe was mere inches from myface. To this woman I say I amheartily sorry for boarding rude-

ly, and if she seesme again, I have

a fresh peppermintin my pocket forher disgustingmouth.

Art

We’ve found Altoidsdo the trick.

This is to the woman on theMetra Electric Line whom Iwas accidentally looking at dueto elbow nudging, I meant noharm. I looked at you becauseyou were moving back andforth in such a manner that Ithought you were either havinga seizure or were going to takea nap on my shoulder. I didapologize, you gave me moreattitude, and yet you still feltthe need to show me to yourfriends and complain that I wascausing the problems whenyou were getting off. I apolo-gized, grow up.

Signed,Anonymous

Wonder if Anonymous andArt encountered the samewoman?

I’ve noticed that a lot of peo-ple are sitting in their idlingcars, waiting as long as possibleto head to the platform. Thislooks like a lost opportunity ofone kind or another – the oppor-tunity to walk or socialize on theplatform instead of sitting in acar, or at a minimum, the oppor-tunity to save on gas. I knowwith cold weather the warmth ofan idling car is appealing, buteven if you choose not get outand walk or talk, at least turn offthe ignition. Odds are the resid-ual heat and being out of thewind will keep you warmenough without having theengine running.

Bill

You know what they say aboutidle hands? Maybe we need anew, green expression: “Idlingcars are the devil’s tools.”

I ride Metra trains when mywork irregularly takes me intothe city, so I haven't developedthe habits and routines of thecommuter who has taken thetrain every day for severalyears. I am not bothered bypeople speaking on cellphones, hogging seats or leav-ing newspapers. But for allthose people who put theirknees into the back of the seatin front them and thereforeinto my back, please stop. It isirritating to have your kneespoking into my spinal column.When I turn the seat to faceyou and put my knees intoyour knees, you will have tosit up or move to another seat.

Tom

Kneed we say more?

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We try to respondspecifically to every letter.Our apologies if you neverheard back from us.Please keep writing withletters, notes, tales andobservations for the nextissue of OTBL. The bestones will make the pagesof this awesome rail pub-lication.

-The editors

Pass support

A mea culpa

Grow up

That’s gross

Stop the idling

Patella peeve

Solution on Page 2

CrosswordAcross1. Small job5. Athens' ancient rival11. U.S. uncle14. Regulation15. Kane County townwhose name is derivedfrom Melbourne.

16. Home of the Bulldogs17. Persia18. Australian marsupial19. Start to hunt, kind,

handle20. Chicago gangster22. Tombstone words24. Automatic control

system27. Take your vitamins

"_ _" day28. Pain30. Miserable, wretched33. Wide34. Material35. Choose37. S. Side tech school38. Locks up39. Federal anti-drug

org.40. Petrol41. Mushroom kingdom42. Rose drawback44. Trendy beard45. Tortoise challenger

46. Reference tool49. Cattle52. One-piece swimsuit55. Improve58. Container59. First Midwest city withelectric street lights

62. Actress Jessica63. The night before64. __Quartet (string group)

65. Lion noise66. Stop color67. Manor68. Work post

Down1. Alternative to treat2. Spirit or vibe3. Reaction to insult4. Wisconsin town namedfor pike

5. Flushing destination6. Arafat's org.7. Missile initials8. Yokel9. Catch10. Lake County town withBiblical name

11. Poisonous plant12. Goggle-eyed13. Will County town, or

bite of the Big Apple

21. Require23. Explosive initials25. Empty26. Indulges28. Opera component29. Temporary beds31. Will County town

named for French explorer

32. More than one alien33. Paul Bunyan's target?35. Smell36. French father38. Binti _ , Brookfield ape

41. Lake County town originally known as Nippersink Point

42. Formal you43. The Northwestern of

the East44. Hair fixer47. Innocent48. Ate50. Rub out51. Abbreviated alternative

to valet service?53. Belongs to us54. Horse's gait56. Lotion ingredient57. Business school grads60. "Hooked __ _ Feeling"61. Decompose

4 FEBRUARY 2009ON THE BI-LEVEL

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Metra riders by the numbers:!More than 60 percent have annual household incomes exceeding $75,000

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repair. The replacement cost forthese cars is currently $585 mil-lion. We also need more rollingstock and locomotives on ourdiesel lines. Our need is so great,in fact, that Metra has alreadystarted the bidding process forthe Highliner cars, 10 locomo-tives and 50 gallery cars, eventhough we don't yet have themoney. We want to be ready tomove quickly on these purchasesif the state comes through.Q: How likely is that?A:We think there is growing

recognition that the backlog incapital investment - not just atMetra but throughout Illinois -must be addressed. The job-cre-ating potential of a major capitalimprovement bill is a key sellingpoint in these tough economictimes. Chicago's Olympic bidalso could rally support for sucha program. And changes in lead-ership in Washington andSpringfield could make a differ-ence.

Q: So what's stopping them? A: Simply put, it'll cost

money to pay for the bonds tocover the program. No onewants to pay higher taxes, espe-cially not when the economy'sso sour. But the alternative isworse - letting our infrastructurecrumble, putting our economyand environment further at risk.Q: Why should the regular

taxpayers pay for somethingthat only benefits Metra riders? A: Because everyone benefits

from public transportation,whether they ride it or not. Itkeeps cars off the road. It helpsthe environment. It bolsters theeconomy. It spurs neighborhooddevelopment. It boosts propertyvalues.Q: Isn’t there waste that you

can cut?A:Metra is very careful

about spending the public'smoney. And that isn't just ustalking. A 2006 audit of theregion's transit agencies by theIllinois Auditor General foundthat Metra outperformed itspeers in nine areas that measurea transit service's efficiency andeffectiveness.

Capital(Continued from Page 1)