mtuandrew wrote: ↑Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:41 pm
Messrs. Norman and O’Keefe, what about the formation of Chicago RTD? I’m not aware of when they purchased the MILW line north of Chicago Union Station, but am aware that by the 1970s they were funding equipment purchases like the F40Cs.
Tadman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 9:56 am
I bet that was a huge deal to take the commuter trains off Milwaukee's books. Since the 1970's, Metra has not only invested in track and equipment, but rationalized all commuter services to better serve suburban rush hour riders at the expense of other riders. At one time, the service we think of as commuter trains were really just frequent locals. That means just as many stops in the city where duplicate CTA service was offered, plenty of mid-day service, and even baggage and express for items like milk and newspapers.
It's a well known case where CNW cut a deal with Chicago - the city would not oppose the railroad dropping most inner city stops for commuter trains if the railroad would buy new gallery cars and keep a few stops like Clybourn and Ravenswood. Evidently these inner city stops were not big money operations.
The really smart railroads either avoided commuter service, like Santa Fe, or they kept a low profile like GM&O or Wabash.
Bringing it back to Amtrak expansion, it's ironic that Amtrak wants revenues from operating commuter lines after the legacy carriers fought for decades to get out of commuter operations. Even Conrail fought to get out of commuter despite a subsidy and UP is now in a lawsuit with Metra to get out of the POS contract.
Andrew and Tad: What you both are describing was the formation of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA for short) in Chicagoland during the second half of
the 1970s decade. Beginning in 1977 as example the RTA began to place in service
F40 locomotives along with a fleet of Budd-built gallery cars. RTA also began to fund
track work and station improvements.
Before the RTA there were Chicago area suburban mass transit districts subsidizing services:
The Chicago South Suburban Mass Transit District was responsible for the acquiring
the Highliner MU fleet back in 1971-72 and subsidy to the Illinois Central Electric
commuter service.
The West Suburban Mass Transit District subsidized BN operations and owned the E9 locomotive fleet.
The North West Suburban Mass Transit District purchased 13 F40C locomotives and
36 gallery cars for primarily the Milwaukee Road West Line. NWSMTD took title to
62 other former Milwaukee Road commuter cars.
The North Suburban Mass Transit District (NORTRAN) contributed subsidy to the
Milwaukee Road North Line and owned two F40C locomotives. They took title to
7 former MILW F9 locomotives. For a time NORTRAN ran its own bus operation.
https://www.chicagorailfan.com/rosmtd.html
https://www.cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Nor ... orporation
In the early 1980s the RTA formed the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation to take direct control of railroad operations. The first was the bankrupt
Rock Island Railroad services and than the two Milwaukee Road routes. NIRC was a
direct predecessor to what would be named the Metropolitan Rail (Metra) System.
https://metrarail.com/about-metra/our-history
EC90 mentions the exit of Conrail from passenger service in 1982 - SEPTA was the weakest financially of their commuter rail contract operations. An indication to how
the relationship between SEPTA and Conrail may have been was the omission of any
mention of Conrail in SEPTA public timetables issued from July 1981 through 1982.
Example: Public timetables noted that they were operated by Conrail under contract.
This was shortened to "Operated under contract for SEPTA"
Amtrak would end up with only the Maryland DOT subsidized Baltimore-Washington
service on the NEC (today's MARC Penn Line) being directly operated by Amtrak
under the name "AMDOT" service used in 1983-84 until MARC was created.
From 1987 until 2003 Amtrak operated the MBTA commuter service under contract.
That was of a similar circumstance then to today's UP/Metra operation.
MACTRAXX
EXPRESS TRAIN TO NEW YORK PENN STATION-NO JAMAICA ON THIS TRAIN-PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING TRAIN DOORS