Metra line comparison (Chicago, Naperville, Rock Island: move to, train, suburban)

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by css9450

How is the scenery though?

It takes you through charming downtowns like Homewood and Flossmoor. It takes you threw nice subdivisions like Olympia Fields. Then it takes you through the ghettos of South Chicago and places like Harvey. It's a good mix.

[urza216]

Welcome back to our forum, I suppose. Or at least the Chicago Suburbs forum. It's been a while.

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

The Metra Electric sucks! People aren't very friendly on that line and since it is the only electric line, thus its name Metra Electric, the line has a TON of problems and delays because of transformers blowing out or ice/poor weather. I'm talking 1+ hour delays. I've been stuck on them and that line doesn't have any bathrooms and the old train cars too! It sucks!!!

What the hell are you talking about? If Metra was ever that ridiculously late, it was very very VERY abnormal. It's abnormal for them to be ten minutes late. And I doubt the ice/poor weather was any different elsewhere in the Chicago area.

I honestly don't think I've ridden any other Metra line before, not even the one that goes through Tinley and Joliet. I didn't even know that other lines had bathrooms. It's never been a problem for me though. Before I quit smoking, I sometimes felt like I really wanted a cigarette but I couldn't have one on the train, lol.

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

It takes you through charming downtowns like Homewood and Flossmoor. It takes you threw nice subdivisions like Olympia Fields. Then it takes you through the ghettos of South Chicago and places like Harvey. It's a good mix.

Didn't you recently say that Homewood was "pretty gangster"?

[Dis99]

I do the reverse commute a lot to visit people in Hinsdale, and I have had nothing but good experiences on the BNSF line. In the evening I take one of the express trains, and it takes me straight to Hinsdale, non-stop, in about 20 minutes. In the morning there are quite a few trains that pick up in Hinsdale, and go straight to Union Station without stopping. So it's perfect for me.

If I had a million dollars to drop on a new pad I would totally move there.

EDIT: Only problem I have had on this line is there is occasionally some obnoxious drunks, and seeing people drinking on the train is quite common. People DO get wasted after work and ride the train home drunk, but there is rail road police on the train depending on what time you are riding.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

Homewood's downtown is charming. Too bad that is only a fraction of the city. And let's get one thing clear, a town doesn't have to be "gangster" as you put it but the people very well can be. Especially, the youngins. Then you have the quality of characters that travel through it, for example on 183rd, from neighboring towns such as East Hazel Crest, Markham, Chicago Heights, or Harvey. Not exactly the company most people would like to keep...

Also, please. I have been stuck on the Metra Electric for over an hour. This happened on a Saturday and was due to a transformer blowing out, so we were told anyway. They gave us the choice of waiting for buses or taking another train back to the city. I had a friend come and pick me up. And if you don't think that a train line powered by electricity, with hundreds of miles of electric cable running above the train tracks, will have a different set of problems compared to one that is just tracks with diesel trains running on them, then apparently you don't know much about problem solving or what causes problems to begin with.

That's some liberal use of the term "neighboring towns". When I use the term "neighboring towns" I'm referring to, you know, the towns that actually BORDER the town I'm talking about. Homewood does border East Hazel Crest and Chicago Heights. You're right there. But Markham is two towns away and Harvey is three towns away. Shiit, why don't we just go one step further and say the city of CHICAGO is a "neighboring town" since it's four towns away?

Second of all, I only used the term "gangster" as a quotation of something you said. And actually, what you said Homewood was "pretty gangster" not just "gangster". Since I can't seem to find it through your profile, I guess it's been deleted. We can pretend the statement was never made.

When did this incident happen? I know Saturday but what year?

[allen2323]

I don't think the less desirable areas have changed locations. Harvey, ford heights, etc are in the same spots that they always have been in. Homewood is Homewood and harvey is harvey. Try establishing an open air drug market in homewood and you will quickly find out where you are at.

[DarkWolf]

Metra has some good lines , but fails in the scenary dept....unlike NJT / MNRR try to beat that METRA...


RailPictures.Net Photo: NJT 1499 NJ Transit Arrow III MU at Far Hills, New Jersey by Andrew Blaszczyk (2)




Moodna Viaduct - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


RailPictures.Net Photo: NJT 5004 NJ Transit Bombardier Comet III Cab at Belmar, New Jersey by Gerald Oliveto

[css9450]

That last one looks like a swamp.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by css9450

That last one looks like a swamp.

Its part of a State Marshland / Park , right in the middle of our Urban core.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by css9450

That last one looks like a swamp.

Or a polluted former industrial site.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Metra has some good lines , but fails in the scenary dept....unlike NJT / MNRR try to beat that METRA...

So? Do you think these pics are going to make people want to move to New Jersey?