Joel
@jtmac1709930.bsky.social
Car-free on Chicago’s Northwest side. Biking, botanizing, birding, and transit.
Some of the worst sidewalks on my commute were in front of CTA infrastructure: Cicero/Pensacola bus turnaround and Montrose blue line stop. 😬
December 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Some of the worst sidewalks on my commute were in front of CTA infrastructure: Cicero/Pensacola bus turnaround and Montrose blue line stop. 😬
Good day to check in on your native plant garden and see who is delivering the ❄️winter interest❄️
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
November 30, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Good day to check in on your native plant garden and see who is delivering the ❄️winter interest❄️
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
First time using the new Grayland MDN Metra station. Very much appreciated the easy transfer to the 56 Milwaukee bus as I was trying to get home in the snowstorm last night.
November 30, 2025 at 5:58 PM
First time using the new Grayland MDN Metra station. Very much appreciated the easy transfer to the 56 Milwaukee bus as I was trying to get home in the snowstorm last night.
Ice-encrusted Amtrak after arriving in Chicago from Emeryville
November 29, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Ice-encrusted Amtrak after arriving in Chicago from Emeryville
November 29, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Enjoying snowy downtown Burlington, IA while waiting for the train to pull in.
#amtrak #californiazephyr
#amtrak #californiazephyr
November 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Enjoying snowy downtown Burlington, IA while waiting for the train to pull in.
#amtrak #californiazephyr
#amtrak #californiazephyr
Yeah avoiding traffic is great, but more importantly I love the Willa Cather novel vibes of taking the train from the big city back to my ancestral family farm for the holidays.
November 25, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Yeah avoiding traffic is great, but more importantly I love the Willa Cather novel vibes of taking the train from the big city back to my ancestral family farm for the holidays.
Snow bunting friend from our UPN Metra trip to the Waukegan lakeshore. Still trying to make regional rail birding a thing.
November 24, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Snow bunting friend from our UPN Metra trip to the Waukegan lakeshore. Still trying to make regional rail birding a thing.
The snowy owls at Montrose this morning attracted quite a crowd
November 23, 2025 at 2:23 PM
The snowy owls at Montrose this morning attracted quite a crowd
I often run into this problem on my Chicago-to-SE Iowa trips to visit family. I bounce back and forth between the Southwest Chief to Fort Madison and the California Zephyr to Burlington to avoid sold out trains and high ticket prices.
Amtrak has a problem: There’s more demand than it can handle. Trains regularly sell out, year round.
The need for more capacity is evident year-round, as the most popular parts of routes sell out or are available only at shockingly high prices
www.hsrail.org/blog/as-trai...
The need for more capacity is evident year-round, as the most popular parts of routes sell out or are available only at shockingly high prices
www.hsrail.org/blog/as-trai...
As Train Travel Surges, Amtrak Needs to Buy More Trains!
Amtrak has a problem: There’s more demand than it can handle. Trains regularly sell out, year round. There’s a relatively simple fix for this problem: Buy more trainsets.
www.hsrail.org
November 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
I often run into this problem on my Chicago-to-SE Iowa trips to visit family. I bounce back and forth between the Southwest Chief to Fort Madison and the California Zephyr to Burlington to avoid sold out trains and high ticket prices.
I’m late to noticing this, but the expanded weekend service on the UPN is a game changer. Day trips to bird the harbor and lakeshore in Waukegan and Kenosha are much more doable now, which is a good option if you’re bummed about how Montrose is overrun with people.
November 22, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I’m late to noticing this, but the expanded weekend service on the UPN is a game changer. Day trips to bird the harbor and lakeshore in Waukegan and Kenosha are much more doable now, which is a good option if you’re bummed about how Montrose is overrun with people.
Reposted by Joel
Trump claimed Chicago’s "Miracle Mile" is failing — but data shows the Mag Mile is recovering. blockclubchi.co/47CU60X
November 13, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Trump claimed Chicago’s "Miracle Mile" is failing — but data shows the Mag Mile is recovering. blockclubchi.co/47CU60X
Reposted by Joel
Popular discourse attributes falling college enrollments to the rising cost of four-year college.
That story is wrong in multiple ways, as @mattbarnum.bsky.social points out in his latest roundup of the evidence (citing a new working paper of ours):
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
That story is wrong in multiple ways, as @mattbarnum.bsky.social points out in his latest roundup of the evidence (citing a new working paper of ours):
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
Is college enrollment plummeting?
Reports of the death of the bachelor’s degree have been greatly exaggerated.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 12, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Popular discourse attributes falling college enrollments to the rising cost of four-year college.
That story is wrong in multiple ways, as @mattbarnum.bsky.social points out in his latest roundup of the evidence (citing a new working paper of ours):
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
That story is wrong in multiple ways, as @mattbarnum.bsky.social points out in his latest roundup of the evidence (citing a new working paper of ours):
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
Reposted by Joel
@mndot.mn.gov estimates every St Paul-Chicago trip by train, instead of car, saves $296. $88 comes in social benefits-safety, emissions and crash reduction. The rest goes to the rider, due to reduced cost of operating a personal vehicle. Increased rail service is a no-brainer! @hsrail.bsky.social
State Rail Plan Update
The draft State Rail Plan is now available for your review and comments. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is asking Minnesota businesses and residents to provide feedback on the final draft ...
talk.dot.state.mn.us
October 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
@mndot.mn.gov estimates every St Paul-Chicago trip by train, instead of car, saves $296. $88 comes in social benefits-safety, emissions and crash reduction. The rest goes to the rider, due to reduced cost of operating a personal vehicle. Increased rail service is a no-brainer! @hsrail.bsky.social
Reposted by Joel
A striking innovation in the Illinois Transit Bill is the explicit embrace of “regional rail”—a term that signals a complete departure from the commuter rail model that has defined suburban train service for over a century www.hsrail.org/blog/illinoi...
Illinois Quietly Rewrote the Rules: Intercity Rail is Now Transit | High Speed Rail Alliance
This new bill positions Illinois to build a modern, frequent, interconnected railway network that treats mobility as essential infrastructure
www.hsrail.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:23 PM
A striking innovation in the Illinois Transit Bill is the explicit embrace of “regional rail”—a term that signals a complete departure from the commuter rail model that has defined suburban train service for over a century www.hsrail.org/blog/illinoi...
Reposted by Joel
Thanks to the Illinois’ massive investment in transit, Chicago has a bright transit future, with the dawn coming next year:
—50% increase in every-10-min bus routes to 30 citywide
—8-minute midday headways on rail lines
—24-hour Orange Line service (Red & Blue already have it)
—50% increase in every-10-min bus routes to 30 citywide
—8-minute midday headways on rail lines
—24-hour Orange Line service (Red & Blue already have it)
Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen’s ambitious plan would also expand — from 20 to 30 routes — the so-called “Frequent Bus Network” that provides service “every ten minutes or better” between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
trib.al/Va4Ri0r
trib.al/Va4Ri0r
CTA plans 24-hour service on Orange Line to Midway, thanks to mass transit bailout
Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen’s ambitious plan would also expand — from 20 to 30 routes — the so-called “Frequent Bus Network” that provides service “every ten minutes or better” between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
trib.al
November 7, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Thanks to the Illinois’ massive investment in transit, Chicago has a bright transit future, with the dawn coming next year:
—50% increase in every-10-min bus routes to 30 citywide
—8-minute midday headways on rail lines
—24-hour Orange Line service (Red & Blue already have it)
—50% increase in every-10-min bus routes to 30 citywide
—8-minute midday headways on rail lines
—24-hour Orange Line service (Red & Blue already have it)
Bus in Pasadena whose front rack accommodates *3* bikes, 50% more than the standard CTA rack
November 4, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Bus in Pasadena whose front rack accommodates *3* bikes, 50% more than the standard CTA rack
Reposted by Joel
Moline-Chicago Amtrak passenger rail funding approved by Illinois General Assembly!
“Today is a day for celebrating because we have secured funding for our train,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said.
www.wqad.com/article/news...
“Today is a day for celebrating because we have secured funding for our train,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said.
www.wqad.com/article/news...
Moline-Chicago passenger rail funding approved; QC leaders react
Local leaders say funding for the Moline-to-Chicago passenger rail line is now secured, marking a major milestone in bringing Amtrak service to the Quad Cities.
www.wqad.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Moline-Chicago Amtrak passenger rail funding approved by Illinois General Assembly!
“Today is a day for celebrating because we have secured funding for our train,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said.
www.wqad.com/article/news...
“Today is a day for celebrating because we have secured funding for our train,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said.
www.wqad.com/article/news...
30-minute stop in Albuquerque, so I had time to explore. And if you give me 30 mins anywhere, I will track down an iced coffee and local brews #amtrak #southwestchief
November 3, 2025 at 10:25 PM
30-minute stop in Albuquerque, so I had time to explore. And if you give me 30 mins anywhere, I will track down an iced coffee and local brews #amtrak #southwestchief
The buses are free, a streetcar extension opened last week, and new housing is springing up around the stations. Kansas City is the future we need.
November 3, 2025 at 3:05 AM
The buses are free, a streetcar extension opened last week, and new housing is springing up around the stations. Kansas City is the future we need.
“Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017.”
Historic renovations, new buildings and empty lots. Twelve new projects to watch along the streetcar extension
Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017. These are some of the highlights.
thebeaconnews.org
November 2, 2025 at 7:26 PM
“Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017.”
10-minute headways on a Sunday morning! First impressions of the newly opened KC Streetcar expansion are very positive
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
10-minute headways on a Sunday morning! First impressions of the newly opened KC Streetcar expansion are very positive
I want all my vacations to start here:
November 1, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I want all my vacations to start here:
Step 1 of my vacation rail itinerary: MDN Metra to Chicago Union Station.
November 1, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Step 1 of my vacation rail itinerary: MDN Metra to Chicago Union Station.
Seen on the 5100 block of Irving Park. Billy Caldwell was an early 19th-century Potawatomi leader and the namesake of a nearby forest preserve site. I’m curious about the backstory of this sidewalk tribute.
October 31, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Seen on the 5100 block of Irving Park. Billy Caldwell was an early 19th-century Potawatomi leader and the namesake of a nearby forest preserve site. I’m curious about the backstory of this sidewalk tribute.