Metra elastic about plastic at stations

Numerous commuters won't have to carry a wad of cash to pay for Metra passes and 10-ride tickets as of 2010.

The commuter rail agency is expanding payment options to include credit cards at stations with ticket agents. The changes will be phased in starting Jan. 11 at the LaSalle Street and Millennium stations.

Next is Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center on Jan. 18. Then on Feb. 8, ticket sellers at staffed stations will accept credit cards. About half of Metra's suburban stations have ticket agents.

And, machines accepting credit will be installed as of Feb. 8 at high-use stations along the Electric Line, which have no ticket sellers.

The changes come after pressure from lawmakers who enacted legislation requiring the agency to take credit payments by Feb. 28.

Metra in September began accepting credit orders on its updated Web site.

The commuter railway is absorbing the cost of transaction fees, which is about $4 million a year.

"We were encouraged by the legislature to employ this business method but not with financial assistance and in these economic times, it's an expense to the agency," Metra Chairman Carole Doris said at a Friday meeting.

Officials noted that debit cards won't be accepted.

Executive Director Phil Pagano also announced Metra will broaden its search for 10 new locomotives following a letter Thursday from seven congressmen.

Spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski, a Western Springs Democrat, the letter urged Metra to reconsider canceling a search for diesel-electric locomotives in favor of genset locomotives. Genset technology involves using two to three engines, which saves fuel when locomotives aren't operating at full power.

The lawmakers countered that diesel-electric is also environmentally friendly, and that a major company that manufactures such locomotives is in La Grange, which is in Lipinski's district.

Pagano said Metra would adjust its process to look at proposals from both single- and multiple-engine manufacturers.

Lawmakers signing the letter were Republicans Mark Kirk, of Highland Park, Donald Manzullo, of McHenry County, and Judy Biggert of Hinsdale and Democrats Bill Foster, of Batavia, plus Chicagoans Danny Davis and Bobby Rush.

Prior to narrowing its search to the genset concept, Metra had heard from U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson who supports the technology, which is made by a manufacturer in the Chicago Democrat's district. Jackson spokesman Rick Bryant said the intent was to encourage Metra to widen its search but not to the exclusion of other competitors.