NEWS
from the Illinois Senate
State Senator Susan Garrett
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2007
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Susan Garrett (847) 433-2002
COMMUTER COALITION ANNOUNCES
NEW REVERSE COMMUTE TRAIN
FOR COOK AND LAKE COUNTIES
HIGHWOOD, Illinois – For the first time in history, Lake County is a net “importer” of commuters; more people commute into Lake County than commute our of it. Citing the difficulties of reverse commuting as a problem that must be resolved, a coalition of municipalities, chambers of commerce, businesses, schools, hospitals, and legislators has been working with Metra for the past two years and will now announce the first early-morning reverse commute train service (the “Sunrise Express”) from Chicago to the northern suburbs.
The Sunrise Express will leave Waukegan at 4:20 a.m., arriving in Chicago at 5:23 a.m. It will then leave Chicago at 5:40 a.m. and arrive in Waukegan at approximately 6:48 a.m. Some of the stops along the way include Evanston, Highland Park, and Lake Forest. This train will allow employees working in either Waukegan or Chicago to be at work by 7:00 a.m. A side benefit of the train is that it will be available to traders, stockbrokers, and others who need to be in Chicago by 6:00 a.m.
“In the past 20 years, we have seen a dramatic shift, with employees living in the city and traveling north to the suburbs where many corporate centers are located,” said state Senator Susan Garrett (D – Lake Forest), who worked with all parties on this issue. “The Sunrise Express will be the first step in resolving the increasing reverse commute dilemma,” she added.
“We are very pleased to inaugurate this service and bring new commuting options to our customers on Metra’s Union Pacific North Line,” said Phil Pagano, Metra’s Executive Director. “We worked hand in hand with Senator Garrett and the coalition to design the schedule and find the funding. With the help of the Coalition members, we expect this train to be a success.”
The Coalition obtained a 2006 Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant of $250,000 for the new train. Matching funds are being provided by the State of Illinois.
Who: Senator Garrett, Metra, Pace, RTA, suburban municipalities, businesses and employees, hospitals, military representatives
What: Press conference to announce new “Sunrise Express” reverse commute train
When: Monday, March 5, 11:00 a.m.
Where: Lake County Building, 18 N. County St., Waukegan (lobby)