Schedule changes for Metra start in January
Metra next month will change weekday schedules on four of its lines, including three of those serving the northwest and west suburbs and the Metra Electric District line, in what the commuter rail agency said Thursday was an effort “to improve travel options and train operations across the Metra system.”
Weekday schedules on the Milwaukee North and West lines, North Central Service and theMetra District Electric line will change effective Jan. 11, according to a news release fromthe agency.
On the Metra Electric District lines, changes “will resolve operational issues created by the implementation of Positive Train Control, a federally mandated safety system, on the Blue Island Branch as well as on the South Chicago Branch during the midday,” according to the release. On the South Chicago Branch Line, all outbound trains between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. will leave Millennium Station 10 minutes later than on the current schedule. Four trains on the Blue Island Branch Line will be moved slightly later.
On the Milwaukee North and West lines, weekday changes in “departure times and stopping patterns, particularly in rush periods, to create new options, address service gaps, provide limited express service on some trains and improve operations,” according to the release. Some trains will be added on the lines, and others will be converted to partial or complete express trains.
The agency also is changing some stops socalled flag stops, where
trains will only stop if people are visible on a platform or if passengers have told a conductor they want to leave a train at the stop.
North Central Service line changes “will address operational issues,” according to the release. This includes a later afternoon train leaving 27 minutes later to accommodate riders’work schedules.
For more details on the changes, check Metra’s website or call the agency’s customer service line at 312-322-6777.