Friday, May 3, 2013
The home of the main line of mid-America will be offering an entire day of fun for the whole family on Sunday, May 19.
For the tenth year in a row, Homewood will be celebrating its proud locomotive history with the annual Homewood Railroad Heritage Day. All are welcome to the H-F Auditorium on Sunday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a totally immersive rail experience—ranging from interactive model trains for kids to conduct and ride to prototype new equipment courtesy of Homewood resident railroad Canadian National. Those interested in seeing the real deal are invited to head across the street over to Homewood’s rail watching platform to witness freight and commuter rail lines in real-time action. Admission is free of charge. You can find more information on this year’s Homewood Railroad Heritage Day on the Homewood village website.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Metra's board voted to drop the discount on its 10-ride ticket. Now it costs the same as 10 individual fares, instead of nine. Tell us what you think of the decision. Plus, Patch breaks down the numbers surrounding the increase.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Metra told Patch during their open house meeting in Homewood on July 19 that Flossmoor's train station will be fully rebuilt by the end of next year. Homewood is not so lucky.
Flossmoor Metra commuters have a lot to be excited about this upcoming year. According to Stations and Parking Manager Glen Peters, Metra will be presenting their board with an approximately $4 million bid contract to completely rebuild the Flossmoor Metra station. This includes the platform, shelter, stairs and canopy, according to Peters. Peters said they hope to have the new station completed by 2013. As for Homewood, the future isn’t quite so bright. Peters said the ball is rolling on an attempt to rehab the ailing Homewood station, but they haven’t gotten far. “We’re aware of the issue, we’re aware of the problem,” Peters said. “Now, we’re trying to get funding for Homewood.” This is just the infancy of results, though. Put simply; …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Homewood and Flossmoor will not be seeing any of Metra's newly refurbished cars on the Electric Line. Instead, we're getting 160 brand new ones.
Yesterday, Patch told readres about Metra’s newly refurbished cars. After some follow-up questions today, we’ve got some good news and some bad news. Not a single one of the newly refurbished cars will ever run on the Metra Electric Line. Michael Gillis of Metra explains why: … the Metra Electric Line is, as its name implies, electrified. It uses electric multiple-unit (EMU) cars, which are electric self-propelled coaches that draw power from an overhead catenary wire system. It does not share equipment with the other 10 Metra lines, which have diesel locomotives pulling bi-level passenger cars. For those H-F residents who might be to be missing out on the refurbished cars, you can take a deep breath knowing that, according to Gillis, …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
New cars will be fitted with electrical outlets, upgraded seats and working doors and toilets, according to a Tribune report.
Going mobile on Metra is going to become a lot easier these days. The Chicago Tribune reports Metra has currently refurbished 40 older cars, with 60 more planned for completion by the end of the year and a grand total 176 to be completed by 2016. Some of the new features include: According to the article, rehabbing each car costs approximately $650,000—which is funded by $115 million from the federal government. There's no mention of how the rehabbed cars will be distributed amongst the various Metra lines.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Metra will host a public meeting to represent South Suburban Cook County at Homewood Village Hall on July 19.
For commuters with complaints about the Southland Metra stations, the day of reckoning is near. Metra will lend an ear to the public Thursday, July 19, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., during a South Suburban Cook County strategic plan open house meeting at Homewood Village Hall. Specifically, the meeting will address the following questions: Those who would like to participate, but don't wish to attend the meeting are invited to fill out a survey on Metra's website.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Folks from all over came to Homewood this weekend in celebration of the Eighth Annual Rail Days.
Gray skies and persistent rain were not enough to dampen people's high spirits at Homewood’s Eighth Annual Rail Days. Train enthusiasts from all over flocked to Homewood to attend the two-day event which featured, among other things, a six-hour train symposium at the Homewood Library, train artwork, a raffle and, of course, plenty of model trains. The event even included the popular “World’s Largest Mobile Model Railroad.” Keith Lanchel, a train enthusiast since the 1960s, came down from Skokie to attend the event for the first time. “I think this is terrific, just splendid,” Lanchel said with a smile. Lanchel spoke highly of both the model railroading hobby and the community of Homewood. “It’s addictive in a very positive way,” Lanchel …
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A glimpse into the commute to and from Homewood's Metra train station.
Commuters at Homewood's Metra station wait patiently as delays plague train lines.
Phillip R Baggs
4:48 pm on Friday, July 20, 2012
Flossmoor knows how to play politics. You pile snow salt against your metal beams every winter, let it sit until late spring and voilà! you have a new station every 10 years. I will give you another tip if you can keep a secret. Sell Flossmoor sod and let it die every year. They will keep coming back. more ›