The reduced ticket prices for students should include college students especially those attending colleges in the city.

4 to 7 pm on a weeknight? When most of the regular commuters don't get home until 5:43 pm to 6:19 pm? Perhaps Metra's vision for the future could include hiring staff who know how to plan meetings so the people who ought to be there can actually attend?

I agree that there should be a reduced fare for college students as well. in fact they should be the only student receiving a discount because it is very very rare that kids from the south suburbs attend school in the downtown area. i personally know by expericence that i traveled the metra everyday for 4years to go to college and i would have been so happy to get a discount instead of a fare increase!

Strategic plan? Focus on the low hanging fruit first and getting the basics right. Maybe getting someone to wash the bathrooms or perform basic maintenance in the Van Buren Station would be a start. There seem to be an awful lot of Metra police who do nothing but stand around and shoot the breeze, maybe hand them a bucket and a squeegee. I have been in rail stations and airports in the third world that are cleaner, brighter and better maintained. The platform in Flossmoor is like a lunar landscape of cracks, holes, and horribly botched cement repairs.

Remember however long ago, people on the electric line were raising heck about the station conditions, the train conditions (with lack of bathrooms), the turnstiles at the Homewood station, etc. And Metras response was "Oh well...we aren't a charity". That personifies their position on the south lines. They don't care. They won't do anything. They schedule this meeting at an odd time when all the commuters are downtown or on the old old rickety bathroomless train and they can say "Well we scheduled a meeting and barely anyone came so you must not want anything to be done." But in all the years I spent riding the Burlington line they had beautiful new air conditioned cars with big spacious clean bathrooms, even cars with a bar that provided beer, pop, wine, chips, and snacks. The stations I went to were above ground, big nice brick buildings, benches in the big waiting room, with windows that had employees behind them so you could buy tickets and passes as opposed to hoping some machine won't malfunction when you put your money in. I really don't see Metra forking over any money on any rail line...

One issue should be is the extra charge if you want to purchase on train. There is a extra fee if a ticket machine is available where you caught the train. I am not a daily comumuter. One thing I have noticed is the conditions of the platform. I only encountered one rude conductor over the years. I requested a ticket and this moron told me. You should have got one at the station! I informed this moron a call will be made to a few Board of Director members and his attitude changed. A complaint was still filed.

I've actually never had any major problems with Metra, but I only really take it from Homewood to downtown every now and then.

The train service I'd really like to give a piece of my mind is Amtrak. Absolutely awful service.

Here is a link to the Metra site, where you can voice your opinions, for those that are unable to attend the meetings. There is an active link on this page to the survey. http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/about_metra/planning_records_reports/strategic_plan.html

Dark Knight I agree that there should be a reduction for college students, I was under the impresson there was. However, you must have never rode the early morning trains, they are full of high schol students even now during the summer.

I think what they are attempting to do is hopeful.

The walkways and stairs smell and look like a urinal. The stairs need repair-broken cement. Dangerous. How do people with disabilities get to trains? Elevators, if there is one are broken down. PA systems inadaquate: cant hear what conductor says. The system needs an overhaul! South Suburbanites sick of Metra's treatment of paying customers! Its embarrassing to have out of town visitors see this constant mess. What will Metes do about this!?