How Much Will the Metra Fare Hike Cost You?

Metra's board voted to drop the discount on its 10-ride ticket.

Folks who ride the Metra regularly may now have to shell out an extra few bucks for every 10th trip. That's because the Metra board of directors voted 8-2 on Nov. 16 to raise the cost of a 10-ride ticket. The new 10-ride ticket would cost the same as 10 individual tickets. In the past, the discounted fare only charged the equivalent of nine rides. The increased fare would go into effect Feb. 1, and 10-Ride tickets purchased Nov. 17 through Jan. 31 would be valid only through Feb. 28, according to the Metra website. Even though the measure was passed by the board, the fare increase cannot legally be adopted until Metra holds a meeting for public comment. These public hearings will be held simultaneously at eight Chicagoland locations from 4…

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About Town

New Crew Serves Coffee, Fresh-Baked Pastries at Central Street Metra

Opinion columnist Christine Wolf interviews three friends who have "re-opened" a beloved top-of-the-tracks commuter restaurant at the Central Street Metra Station.

When I first moved to Evanston in 1997, I made a daily commute to and from my office in Chicago on the Metra line. It wasn’t a long commute from the Davis Street station to the city, but it felt like a grind, especially since I was pregnant. Now that I write from my home, however, I’m envious of the Metra morning commuters traveling from Evanston’s Central Street Station, where Upstairs Café just opened. Evanston residents and friends Elizabeth Hubbard, Gail Doeff, and Shelley Patterson opened Upstairs Café on Nov. 5, 2012. They bought the business from Mary Lou Smith and her husband, Bill, who’d owned and operated the cafe as Top of the Tracks for 24 years. I stopped by the new place on the third day of business to sample the baked goods …

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Christine Wolf

9:35 am on Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Oh dear! Did I spell Shelley's name wrong????   more ›