South Shore Line extends mask mandate amid COVID-19 surge
All South Shore Line passengers and employees must continue to wear masks or face coverings on trains and in stations, as the Transportation Security Administration recently extended its mask requirement on airlines and other public transportation until Jan. 18, 2022.
Until the recent COVID-19 surge, the TSA’s mask rule had been scheduled to end Sept. 13.
The South Shore Line has not been getting as much pushback on the mask requirement as airlines have reported.
“An overwhelming majority of our riders know that these are requirements that must be followed,” said Michael Noland, the railroad’s president. “I think people respect that.”
It also helps, he added, that the average South Shore Line trip is shorter than most airline rides.
Passengers with medical or health issues, and children under 2 years old, are exempt from the mask requirement
If a passenger needs a mask, the railroad will provide one.
The South Shore Line’s ridership levels still haven’t approached pre-pandemic levels.
Trains have been carrying about 30% to 40% of early last year’s levels on weekdays and about 50% on weekends recently, Noland said.
With the recent COVID surge, he noted, most downtown Chicago employers haven’t yet started requiring workers to return to their offices.
The South Shore Line has offered incentives to encourage riders to try, or come back to, its trains.
The latest is free weekday eastbound trips in September and October. On weekdays, a rider can simply board an eastbound train without a ticket.
Also, monthly tickets purchased for September will remain valid through October.
The railroad has continued the enhanced car-cleaning program it began last year, using long-lasting virus-killing products and methods.
“I think the sanitization program is here to stay,” Noland said.