Metra woke up on the right side of the bed this year.

[Mr. Railman]

At least their funding choke is being lifted, Hopefully in the near future, they'll be able start capital projects like the STAR line or extending the MDW to Marengo. 

[billio]

Mr. Railman

So far this year, Metra is completing their new station for sox fans and IIT collegues. The Bridge rehabilataion on the UPN project will happen without a schedule change, and both tracks being open during construction. the FTA is lifting restrictions on funding, which is good. A new CEO is taking the place of now deciest and dumb Phil Pagano, with a new seat open as Carole Doris resigns and lastly, Gas prices are going sky high which means more people in the Chicago land area will consider taking Metra to the windy city, which means an increase in revenues.  

 However, Metra does have to pay 90K in fines due to false reportts, and their reputation is hurt from last year. the MP36s are too expensive when it comes to maintinence. The F40Cs are not getting yunger (but they perform better than the MP36s, in my opinion) 

So Metra got off on the right side of the bed this year.   Hmmm....well,  let's see; in fact, let's look at a few news reports on Metra this year and see what we make of them.

1.  For starters, we are told (Trib, 16 April, p. 6) that an ex-employee allegedly tried to extort $2,000 from the makers of the movie "Source Code.  The employee was allowed to quietly "retire" last June (during the watch of the late Phil Pagano, who, one contributer to these same threads solemnly noted last year, was one of the truly accomplished transit agency CEO's around), and Metra's inspector general, well, he just doesn't know why this was allowed to happen.  My best guess, as an avid Metra watcher, is either that the departee was well clouted somewhere, and his "Chinaman" --Chicagoese for political patron -- had enough juice to get the boy out the door with no adverse publicity at the time, or that the powers at Metra decided to handle the matter in the time-honored Chicago fashion:  sweep the mess under the carpet

But, this little peccadillo came to light this year, and because of that, we'll count it toward this year's Metra scorecard.

2. Mr. Railman notes that Carol Doris, Metra's chairbabe, announced her resignation effective April 30.  Potitical hacks named to boards like Metra's, and to boxing commissions, sewer authorities and the like, don't usually get appointed because of their burning zeal to serve the taxpayers but because they are owed a PAYOFF from some party or parties off the record.  For such people, the best they can hope for is being able to collect their directors's fees and their expenses -- $40 grand a year, seldom if ever audited, from what my Metra spies tell me (maybe your spies have more current information).  The name of the game, for them, is to sit back, collect, and hope nothing goes awry that rocks their directorship boat and threatens their stream of bennies and perks.  From all that I can determine, Carol Doris's major major mistake lay in uncovering and publicising Phil Pagano's double dipping, because as someone noted above, Phil was one of the ablest, if not THE ABLEST CEO in the transit industry, and the powers that be were really sore about losing him.  Of course, the attendent publicity (mostly negative) probably didn't help and called unwelcome attention to their non-role all that happened.   Yep, Carol Doris rocked the boat, big-time.

From the reportage that has surfaced so far, one is certainly hard-pressed to fault Ms. Doris for calling Pigano on the carpet when his peccadillos came to light, but in Chicago, a different ethos regarding these things seems to prevail.  Moreover, people in her position normally enjoy a hassle-free sinecure, since Metra pretty much runs itself, and so her resignation signifies turmoil at the top ranks of Metra, and since the resignation will take place in a week or so, it goes on this year's Metra talley sheet.

3.  Failing to report lobbying activities.  Umm, umm, not good.  The Federal Transit Administration doesn't cotton to that, which makes it a federal matter.  Ah, well, 90 grand in fines is a mere slap on the wrist, and no doubt Metra will pony up, and real fast, too, because not doing so could jeapordize the flow of federal dollars for operating and capital programs, without which Metra would be up a creek without a paddle (if readers will forgive the mixed metaphor).  Oh no, this one, too, reportedly (Trib, 16 July, p. 6) goes back to its aforementioned brilliant CEO Phil Pagano, who decided that funds paid to the Carmen Group, Inc., Metra's Washington, DC lobbyest, were only  for "advising," not lobbying.  Note to Metra:  You lose!

4.  Mr. Railman talks about progress in Metra capital programs, citing a new station near Comiskey Park and IIT on the old Rock Island, as well as starting up the bridge rehab program on the UP North Line -- if Metra top management doesn't wimp out again when commuters object to train delays.  These (and other Metra capital projects) are the result of a multi-agency review in which the wish list of all capital transportation projects is vetted and the projects selected for funding this year and next year and so on are hashed out and finalized.  Metra has about as much to do with this as the Cook County Airport Authority (poster HarveyK400 could probably shed much more light on this process than I can), but once the "winning" capital project list is selected for funding, the project assumes the guise of a done deal (subject to rubber-stamping from the feds and State of Illinios), and all that remains is to spend the funds and purchase/build the improvement.

This process continues year-in and year-out, and is sufficiently institutionalized that it (almost) runs itself.

So hey!  Let's sum up.  For Metra, pretty much business as usual, and not impressing any but the easily impressed with its institutional professionalism and acumen.  The process grinds on, and will continue to do so as long as Illinois can come up with the state share of the match, which, given Illinios's increasingly parlous finances, can only become more difficult.  Still, given the above, it's hard to claim Metra even got out of bed this year.

[schlimm]

There are only two F40C's operating: 611 and 614.

[jrbernier]

  Gee, thanks for your expert observation.  Those projects are not all complete, but I suspect they will be completed as scheduled,  As far as the old F40C engines - are any even running?  Maybe you are talking about the large F40PH fleet?  The MP36 and their ilk are the only engines currently available.  Even Amtrak's P40/42 engines can not be ordered as they do not have the required safety zone in the cab and are not Tier II as the MP36 is,  What do you think they should be ordering?

Jim

[Mr. Railman]

So far this year, Metra is completing their new station for sox fans and IIT collegues. The Bridge rehabilataion on the UPN project will happen without a schedule change, and both tracks being open during construction. the FTA is lifting restrictions on funding, which is good. A new CEO is taking the place of now deciest and dumb Phil Pagano, with a new seat open as Carole Doris resigns and lastly, Gas prices are going sky high which means more people in the Chicago land area will consider taking Metra to the windy city, which means an increase in revenues.  

 

However, Metra does have to pay 90K in fines due to false reportts, and their reputation is hurt from last year. the MP36s are too expensive when it comes to maintinence. The F40Cs are not getting yunger (but they perform better than the MP36s, in my opinion)