After spending January 1st through 3rd with my second family in the suburbs, I started off the New Year back in Chicago with some humor.
"Have you got an RTA System Map?" The one shown has all the CTA and PACE bus lines, CTA rapid transit lines and Metra rail lines in the six country Chicago area on one map.
"Yeah. We got 'em. $25." I said, "Shh! Don't give the RTA any ideas!" Har-de-har-har. š
Union Station is undergoing major physical changes. The former ticketing areas are shrouded in tarps and scaffolding. No more Metra ticket agents. You buy your tickets on your Ventra card, or at the computer kiosks that are replacing the live agents, and store them digitally until you're ready to use them.
Amtrak's already switched over. It's been years since you could actually buy a ticket at the station. (Got told off up, down and sideways by a station "ticket agent" when I tried to do that suddenly impossible task 20 years ago.) You do it online or kiosk, and either print the ticket out or store it on your phone. How Amtrak verifies on their website that you're over 65 if you qualify for the senior discount, I have yet to figure out.
