Lalato Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Hi everyone... I just joined the forum this evening. I'm not only a newbie to the forum, but I'm a newbie to all things CTA/RTA/Metra/Pace. Looks like I'll be having a 1.5 hour layover between the time my Amtrak train arrives (around 9:00am) and the time my UP West train leaves Ogilvie (around 10:40 am). Are there any easy to get to Wi-Fi Hotspots in the area? Maybe the Food Court? Or a nearby Starbucks? Thanks for any info you have... --sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Hi everyone... I just joined the forum this evening. I'm not only a newbie to the forum, but I'm a newbie to all things CTA/RTA/Metra/Pace. Looks like I'll be having a 1.5 hour layover between the time my Amtrak train arrives (around 9:00am) and the time my UP West train leaves Ogilvie (around 10:40 am). Are there any easy to get to Wi-Fi Hotspots in the area? Maybe the Food Court? Or a nearby Starbucks? Thanks for any info you have... --sam I don't think there is anything in Union Station that would be considered a Wi-Fi hot spot. However, there is a Starbucks on Clinton between Adams and Monroe, on Wacker at Monroe, 2 on Madison at the river, Washington and Clinton and at the corner of Wacker and Randolph at the River, that might work. Also, I believe the Caribou Coffee on the second level of Ogilvie Station may be considered a hot spot. I have seen people in there using pc's from time to time, although I am not too sure if they were on line or just using software. Bottom line, there are a few options in the general vicinity. Hope this helps you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lalato Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Awesome... thanks for the info. Also... consider this my first Metra complaint. Why isn't there a 9:40AM Outbound train? It just doesn't make sense. --sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Awesome... thanks for the info. Also... consider this my first Metra complaint. Why isn't there a 9:40AM Outbound train? It just doesn't make sense. --sam I believe this is due to crew issues. Crews need a certain amount of time of rest to be able to work the afternoon rush. If you look, there is no 9:30 on the Northwest line either. My guess, this allows crews to line up and also gives a little bit of time have the equipment daily inspected after the morning rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lalato Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 I believe this is due to crew issues. Crews need a certain amount of time of rest to be able to work the afternoon rush. If you look, there is no 9:30 on the Northwest line either. My guess, this allows crews to line up and also gives a little bit of time have the equipment daily inspected after the morning rush. I'm sure there is a valid reason. I was just being snarky... mostly. LOL It just happens to be at the worst time for me. I would love to commute by train instead of driving, but Amtrak doesn't arrive at Union Station until 9:00am. That leaves me with two options to get to my office in Lombard... 1. Green Line to Lake & Austin... Pace Bus to Lombard. Arrive at work around 11:10 2. Wait until the 10:40 Metra train... Arrive at work around 11:40 Save a 30 minutes, but take a really long bus ride... or wait a really long time for Metra. Oh well... so much for that idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 I'm sure there is a valid reason. I was just being snarky... mostly. LOL It just happens to be at the worst time for me. I would love to commute by train instead of driving, but Amtrak doesn't arrive at Union Station until 9:00am. That leaves me with two options to get to my office in Lombard... 1. Green Line to Lake & Austin... Pace Bus to Lombard. Arrive at work around 11:10 2. Wait until the 10:40 Metra train... Arrive at work around 11:40 Save a 30 minutes, but take a really long bus ride... or wait a really long time for Metra. Oh well... so much for that idea. In my quest to try and get you out that way in a more reasonable timeframe, I found that the BN also does not have a 9:30am train either. They do have an 8:50, but then nothing until 10:30am. I guess the 9:30 hour from Union/Ogilive is a unique thing to the Milwaukee District....but then no bus or anything to Lombard. I guess, generally, no one heads west in the early post rush morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Don't count on your Amtrak being on time, either. Basically only the UPN and MilwN are set up for reverse commuters, and they assume one will be at work by sometime before 9:00 a.m. (the last Shuttle Bug cycle is 8:30). Even in Naperville (on the BN), the last reverse feeder is at 8:05; Lisle, 8:38. The only reverse feeder on the UPW (or at least after the Wheaton cutbacks) is in Elmhurst at 7:52. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lalato Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 In my quest to try and get you out that way in a more reasonable timeframe, I found that the BN also does not have a 9:30am train either. They do have an 8:50, but then nothing until 10:30am. I guess the 9:30 hour from Union/Ogilive is a unique thing to the Milwaukee District....but then no bus or anything to Lombard. I guess, generally, no one heads west in the early post rush morning. Thanks for checking it out for me. I think the real solution is to get my boss to agree that I should work in the downtown office on the day I come up via Amtrak. If I can get that concession... I wouldn't have to worry about the reverse commute until Wednesday when I'm already in Chicago (as I spend two nights a week up here... Tue and Wed). Don't count on your Amtrak being on time, either. Basically only the UPN and MilwN are set up for reverse commuters, and they assume one will be at work by sometime before 9:00 a.m. (the last Shuttle Bug cycle is 8:30). Even in Naperville (on the BN), the last reverse feeder is at 8:05; Lisle, 8:38. The only reverse feeder on the UPW (or at least after the Wheaton cutbacks) is in Elmhurst at 7:52. I haven't had the misfortune to experience a long delay on Amtrak, but my wife definitely has. Her 6 hour adventure from Champaign to Chicago was one for the record books. --sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northsider Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 I believe this is due to crew issues. Crews need a certain amount of time of rest to be able to work the afternoon rush. Union agreements dictate that the crews cannot work more than 12 or 13 hours (I forget which). I was on a train which was delayed and the crew was nearing their maximum work time. Sure enough 20 minutes later they had to stop the train, unload everybody and bring in a new crew while the train just sat there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Union agreements dictate that the crews cannot work more than 12 or 13 hours (I forget which). I was on a train which was delayed and the crew was nearing their maximum work time. Sure enough 20 minutes later they had to stop the train, unload everybody and bring in a new crew while the train just sat there. It is not quite that simple. 12 hours of actual work is all you can have, but you can actually legally work up to 16 hours in a day, provided that you have 4 continous hours off someplace in the mix. This is not a union agreement, but an FRA rule, mandated throughout the entire railroad industry. Also, in cases of emergency the rule can be broken. If someone does go over the 12/16, the offending railroad, and in some cases, the individual, can be fined by the Feds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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