Rush-Hour Remedies

We've been doing a lot of coverage lately on how higher fuel prices have changed the way Illinoisans get from here to there. Now comes this:

The Chicago Transit Authority plans to rip all seats out of some train cars during peak hours to make more room for riders leaving their autos at home because of $4-a-gallon gas. The standing-room-only cars, which will debut later this year, follow a 3.4 percent jump in train ridership in June from a year earlier. Bus usage gained 9.2 percent.

According to the article from Bloomberg, the North Central region of the country, including Chicago, has led the nation in declining automobile use. State lawmakers' decision earlier this year to give free rides to senior citizens has also bumped up ridership.

Beyond the Windy City, Dick Durbin's plan to re-invigorate rail travel nationwide got another show of support today, this time from editorial board of the State Journal-Register.

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