Metra cancels some Thursday night service as freight strike looms

Some Metra trains won’t be running Thursday night as the commuter rail service braces for a possible nationwide work stoppage by freight railroad workers.

Those workers are set to go on strike on Friday if an agreement isn’t reached, and while Metra is not involved in negotiations, some of its lines are owned and operated by freight railways.

If there’s a work stoppage, there will be no service Friday on the BNSF, Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West lines. Even before then, however, in anticipation of a strike, Metra said it has been forced to start limiting services on those lines beginning Thursday evening.

BNSF: Four inbound trains departing from Aurora after 8 p.m. will be canceled. (The specific runs are Nos. 1296, 1298, 1300 and 1302.) Outbound trains on that line that would have departed Chicago after 9:30 p.m. also are canceled. (Those runs are Nos. 1289, 1291, 1293 and 1295.)

Union Pacific North: Inbound trains departing from Waukegan (Nos. 372 and 374) after 10 p.m. are canceled, as are outbound trains (Nos. 371, 373, 375 and 377) departing Chicago after 9:30 p.m.

Union Pacific Northwest: All inbound trains after 9:30 p.m. are canceled (Nos. 666 and 668). Outbound trains leaving Chicago (Nos. 661, 663, 665 and 601) also are canceled after 9:30 p.m.

Union Pacific West: One inbound train departing from Elburn (No. 68) is canceled after 9:15 p.m., as are two outbound trains (Nos. 69 and 71) departing Chicago after 9:30 p.m.

Amtrak said Wednesday it will temporarily cancel all of its long-distance trains beginning Thursday because of the potential work stoppage, according to Reuters.