Years?? this has been ongoing for over a decade.

Great for politics and press releases and that's about it.

Interesting, I have seen many of the GOP candidates running for president saying they would cut funding for Amtrack if elected. Additionally, I thought Mr. Hultgren was against big government programs and big spending??? Confusing indeed - people say they dont want big government and big spending programs, but they seem like a good idea when it affects your own backyard anyway......

It may be confusing but the current system under which our country operates mandates that we all send a substantial portion of our incomes to Washington, DC and then elect a representative that will go there and fight to bring our dollars back. Ideally, Oswegoans shouldn't have to pay to build a bridge in Alaska no more than Alaskans should have to contribute towards building a train station in Oswego. But the reality is if we decide not to work within the current system while at the same time trying to replace it, Alaska gets its bridge funded in part by Oswego residents tax $$ while Oswego gets nada. I believe that Hultgren is right to play both sides here.

Interesting Scott and some good thoughts. With all due repsect, Mr. Hultgren is a hypocrite when it comes to his tough talk on spending and his anti government approach. He is for this project obviously as yes, he needs the good press, yet he is OK with good health care coverage for he and his family(while he fights to take it away from many others) and fights for funding for Fermi Lab, then truns right around and acts as if he does not participate in the "big government" programs such as these. I hope the train station in Oswego gets built, I hope Amtrack continues and grows and yes, I hope bridges and roads get built around the country where it makes sense as we ship products to and from Alaska along with all the other states. A poor transportation system will equal a poor economy along with many other critical elements where both government and the private sector must be involved together. This November we will all get to decide how we REALLY want to take these programs and our society forward. It will be VERY interesting indeed. Those who say they dont like these programs and projects (and then really do when it benefits them personally) just might get what they want, but will they be able to handle what they get(or no longer be able to get that is)?

A train in Oswego would be nice. It would promote extra growth in the community and revive the business district. How much is daley era been given to repair the el stops?
It's this something a grant could do for this community? A 120 million dollars is alot of money. Didn't China just build a state of the art monorail? How did they afford it?

Based on other articles I've seen on the Patch, I would hardly call the park n ride popular. I think about 30 people were using it per day. Hardly justifies spending $120 million to build a station.

So why doesnt Hultgren stand up and say no to this then? Where is the Tea Party with their signs "stop this wasteful socialist program"?

Here it is... average of 33 to 55 riders per day.

http://oswego.patch.com/articles/pace-agreement-for-park-and-ride-uncertain

I am not the one that is in the trap - it is those who say so often how they dont like big government and big spending such our Congressman and yet he is all for this? What's up with that? For me personally, I hope it gets built - a great add on to the commmunity. The more the better!

1. The need for Metra in Oswego is very low with only about 14 Oswego residents taking a Pace bus in Oswego to get into the Aurora Metra Station. To account for Oswego residents driving into Aurora to get on Metra ... let's triple the 14. That's about 40 Oswego residents.

2. Metra wants to spend $6 million over 2 years to do Preliminary Engineering work to extend Metra out from Aurora to Oswego.

3. Dan Kramer (Atty) and Morris, Rose & Co., and Beztek (Client and Land Owner Trusts) want about $6 mil to sell a 20 acre parcel to Oswego for Metra Parking. This land is north of the Park-N-Ride. A big question is who are the real owners of this land and the beneficiaries behind these trusts?

4. The taxpayers in Kendall County have not even voted by a majority in a referendum to increase our Sales Tax by 1% to join the RTA to get Metra into Oswego to serve about 40 Oswego residents ... double that to 80 max to account for all Kendall County Metra riders. An unwanted 1% Sales Tax Increase is another $6 mil down the drain to serve 80 persons out of 114,000 Kendall County residents.

5. Current Cost Estimates for a Taj Mahal Oswego Metra Station and to lay a 3rd BNSF track and improvements from Aurora exceed $125 million.

Add all this up and Metra in Oswego is a LOUSY DEAL for taxpayers to serve about 80 people. Oswego Village Trustees can save us all alot of money for this non essential service Metra boondoggle in these tough economic times by saying NO TO METRA.

Metra goes to Kenotsha. Is Kenosha part of the RTA? Do Kensoha residents pay sales tax which gets funneled to the RTA?

I think many of you are being short sited. You are currently trying to justify the Oswego Metra station based on today's economy. Do you think the economy will never improve? Did you ever think Oswego would have over 30,000 residents? We have to think of the future. I have been taking Metra out of the Aurora station for over 11 years. If we have a stop in Oswego, more people would use the Oswego stop instead of driving to Aurora. People from as far west of DeKalb and Marsailles drive to Aurora to catch the Metra. Right now I refuse to give up my parking space at Aurora because the bus service from the park n ride does not accommodate my schedule and I don't want to be put on another 5 year wait list for parking at Aurora.

Metra is also to blame for the cost of the station. They are the one's insisting on adding a third rail and train depot for the extension. Why isn't the existing rail enough? All people want is the train service and a station. It doesn't have to be as grand as Metra wants.

QUESTION from Logansdad: "Metra is the one's insisting on adding a third rail and train depot for the extension. Why isn't the existing rail enough?"

ANSWER: The rails belong to BNSF (Owned by billionaire Warren Buffet) and Metra pays them a hefty fee each year for running Passenger Trains on THEIR RAIL LINES. The people operating the Metra Trains are BNSF Union Employees. Union Station is owned by Amtrak ... not Metra. BNSF's main business is Freight Service and THAT is their big money maker. There is presently a rail line bottle neck every M-F Morning and Evening from Aurora (back west of the Hill St. Station) to Montgomery and further west to let Metra Passenger Trains run unrestricted from the Freight Trains and On Time. Adding an extension out to Oswego would indeed entail a 3rd set of tracks and rail sidings. That's the way things are. So, the main beef you should have is with Warren Buffet ... give him a call in Omaha, Nebraska.

BTW: We can get Amtrak here in 2014 if Oswego Village President Brian LeClercq (and the Village Trustees) gets on the ball and makes things happen on this. Email him at: bleclercq@oswegoil.org Bringing Passenger Rail Service to Oswego with his #1 campaign promise in 2011.

George Jones: "There is presently a rail line bottle neck every M-F Morning and Evening from Aurora (back west of the Hill St. Station) to Montgomery and further west to let Metra Passenger Trains run unrestricted from the Freight Trains and On Time. Adding an extension out to Oswego would indeed entail a 3rd set of tracks and rail sidings. That's the way things are. So, the main beef you should have is with Warren Buffet ... give him a call in Omaha, Nebraska."

And why does this back up exist? Is it because the freight trains can't go further east of the Hill St during the rush hour? Is it because the Eola Yard is to small for the number of cars on the freight trains? Yes there have been times where the BNSF freight trains have been parked on the main line tracks by the Eola yard, but the Metra trains are still able to get through.

I believe you have just accepted the excuse BNSF and Metra keep giving on why three tracks are needed west of Aurora instead of questioning what can be done to work with the tracks that are already in place. Furthermore, most Metra lines operate with two tracks. The BNSF is really the one line that has three sets of tracks on the entire line. If you remember, when Metra started the NCS line, it only operated one way during the rush hours. Why? Because there was only one set of tracks and it shared this with freight the other times. .....

cont'd..... I feel the reasons given by BNSF and Metra are nothing but a cop out as to why they need a third set of tracks.

Furthermore you state you feel only 40-80 people from Oswego would be using the train. Are those numbers just based on the Oswego Park n Ride service? Did you include the number of people that drive from Oswego, Montgomery, Yorkville and beyond to the Aurora station? Have you asked Metra for what their estimates for ridership would be as Metra actually takes surveys.

I just hope they do it soon my only friend I have moved there and I prefer not getting off at Auroraand then not know how to find my way to my friends new house in Montgomery