South Shore Train (amtrak_russ/Flickr)

State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Hyde Park) introduced legislation that would require all commuter trains to provide service to all stations, according to an article in the Tribune. Sen. Raoul aims this bill at the South Shore Line, which shares a portion of its route from downtown Chicago to South Bend, Indiana with the Metra Electric Line. He hopes to address the concerns of groups like SOUL (Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation) who take issue with the South Shore Line’s policy of not allowing passengers to board inbound trains or disembark from outbound trains at stops within Chicago—stops in areas which many believe are underserved by transportation.

Sen. Raoul admits the bill is flawed and would basically put an end to any kind of express train. Even if it’s unlikely to pass, he thinks it succeeded in “stimulating the discussion.” Additionally, the RTA has approved the $450,000 South Lakefront Corridor Transit Study to find ways to improve transportation and stimulate economic growth on the South Side.

The University of Chicago student activist group SOUL (Students Organizing United with Labor) got some big-time press coverage for their latest demonstration against hour cuts for residence hall staff. In addition to the usual chants, the activists sang their own protest-specific renditions of Christmas carols last Thursday outside the campus housing office and administration building. The story appeared in the online and Chicago print editions of the New York Times and was reported by the recently founded Chicago News Cooperative.