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[CNJRoss]

Metra news release

 

Schedules expanding on three lines April 12

 

(April 5, 2021) - As Chicagoland continues to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and more of the region’s residents return to work, Metra is adding service on three of its lines – the BNSF, Milwaukee District North and North Central Service – beginning Monday, April 12. Two trains on the Milwaukee District West Line also will see minor adjustments.

 

Copies of the new schedules can be found here; summaries of the changes are below.

 

 “We are beginning to see an uptick in ridership and as promised, we are listening to our customers and the region’s employers to bring back service in ways that meet their needs,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “As the recovery proceeds, we will continue to adapt and improve our service.”

 

On the BNSF Line to Aurora, two inbound and two outbound trains will be added and the schedules of two trains will be adjusted:

•    Inbound Train 9510 will be added to accommodate workers who begin their shifts prior to 6 a.m. The train will depart from Aurora at 4:25 a.m., make most stops to Chicago and arrive in Chicago at 5:35 a.m.
•    A new express Train 9512 will depart from Aurora at 7:40 a.m., make all stops to Downers Grove and express to Chicago, arriving at 8:45 a.m.
•    For reverse commuters, a new Train 9535 will depart from Chicago at 5:50 a.m., make most stops to Aurora and arrive at 7:10 a.m.
•    Outbound service is also being expanded in the early afternoon to better accommodate early rush hour travelers. Train 9539 will depart from Chicago at 3:05 p.m., operate express to Brookfield and make all stops to Downers Grove.
•    The schedule of inbound Train 9406 will be adjusted to better reflect operating conditions. It will depart from Fairview Avenue 10 minutes later at 7:30 a.m. Stops at stations from Westmont to Congress Park will be 5 to 10 minutes later than the current schedule; however, the train’s 8:15 a.m. arrival time in Chicago is unchanged.
•    There will be a minor adjustment to the schedule of Train 9408: it will depart from Halsted Street at 6 p.m. instead of 6:08 p.m.

 

On the Milwaukee District North Line to Fox Lake, four new trains will be added to better accommodate reverse- and peak-commute needs, and the schedules of two outbound trains will be adjusted:

•    Inbound Train 2120 will be added, departing from Lake Forest at 7:43 a.m. and arriving in Chicago at 8:37 a.m. It will be a semi-express train making only six station stops before arriving in Chicago.
•    A second new inbound Train 2150, designed to assist reverse commuters, will depart from Lake Forest at 6:09 p.m. and make all stops to Chicago, arriving at 7:08 p.m.
•    Outbound Train 2101 is being added to attract reverse commuters during the morning rush. It will depart from Chicago at 6:25 a.m., make all stops to Lake Forest and arrive in Lake Forest at 7:26 a.m.
•    For the evening rush, outbound Train 2133 is being added. It will depart from Chicago at 4:45 p.m., make all stops to Lake Forest and arrive in Lake Forest at 5:42 p.m.
•    Train 2131 will now depart from Chicago three minutes earlier at 4:42 p.m. and arrive in in Fox Lake three minutes earlier at 6:15 p.m.
•    Metra is also making minor adjustments to departure times at some intermediate stations for Train 2125; however, its departure time from Chicago (3:55 p.m.) and arrival time in Fox Lake (5:28 p.m.) are unchanged.

 

On the North Central Service between Antioch and Chicago, one inbound and one outbound train will be added and the schedule of one existing train will be adjusted:

•    A new inbound Train 110 will depart from Antioch at 7 a.m., make all stops to Chicago and arrive in Chicago at 8:39 a.m.
•    A new outbound Train 117 will depart from Chicago at 6 p.m., make all stops to Antioch and arrive in Antioch at 7:40 p.m.
•    Metra is also adjusting the schedule for outbound Train 115, which will now depart from Chicago 13 minutes earlier at 5:15 p.m. and arrive in Antioch at 6:42 p.m.

 

 Also, on the Milwaukee District West Line to Elgin, there will be minor adjustments to the schedules of two existing trains:

•    To better reflect actual operating conditions, outbound Train 2227 will now arrive at Big Timber Road at 6:02 p.m., four minutes later than current schedule.
•    Train 2237, which departs from Chicago at 5:23 p.m., will now stop at Franklin Park.

 

As the Chicago region rebounds from the pandemic, Metra will continue to monitor ridership on all its lines and revise its schedules to accommodate increased passenger volumes as well as rider feedback about service needs.

 

[CNJRoss]

Metra news release

 

Metra extends $10 All-Day Pass through June

 

(April 15, 2021) - Metra has extended the availability its flexible and affordable $10 All-Day Pass  through June 30, 2021.

 

The All-Day Pass is good for unlimited rides on any and all Metra lines all day until 3 a.m. the next morning. For most trips, the All-Day Pass costs less than two one-way fares. The pass was introduced on June 1, 2020 and is currently used by about a third of Metra riders.

 

For all fare purchases, Metra riders are strongly encouraged to use the Ventra app. Using the app and the $10 All-Day Pass doesn’t simply save money – it provides an added measure of safety by reducing close interaction between Metra customers and crew members, allowing them to “Touch Less, Pay Less.”

 

All-Day Passes purchased in the app expire after seven days. Customers can also buy the pass with cash or credit from an agent or with cash on the train. However, if a customer boards at a station where they could have purchased the pass from an agent, the conductor will charge an extra $5 fee. Paper passes are good only for the day they are sold.

 

Metra reminds all riders that face coverings, covering both the mouth and nose, must be worn on board trains during the pandemic by state and federal mandates. Customers should also try to observe physical distancing guidelines; no more than one person per seat, please, unless you are part of a group traveling together. Let’s all work together to keep each other safe.

 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

StreetsBlog Chicago, 6/8/21
 

A bittersweet look back at 12 months of free Metra Union Pacific line rides

 

 

The free rides were going to end sooner or later. I kept having that thought every time I rode one of Metra’s three Union Pacific lines for the past 12 months, when conductors were not checking tickets. Finally the gravy train ended on the first of the month as conductors resumed fare collection.

 

Union Pacific has a longstanding agreement with Metra to operate its UP North, Northwest, and West lines, the routes that terminate at the downtown Ogilvie Transportation Center, and whose tracks UP owns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Pacific cited the coronavirus as an reason to not to have conductors collect fares from customers on the three lines, or even walk through the rail cars, although conductors on other Metra-run lines had been doing so since June 2020. Metra said UP’s failure to collect fares was costing Metra $1 million a month.

 

A railroad industry insider told Streetsblog Chicago that Union Pacific’s recalcitrance was actually a symptom of its longstanding feud with Metra, a strategy to “bleed Metra dry” in order to pressure the transit agency to pay UP to take over operations for the three lines.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Metra news release

 

$10 All-Day Pass extended through end of 2021

 

Monday, September 13, 2021

 

 

 

Metra is extending the availability of its popular and affordable $10 All-Day Pass at least until Dec. 31, 2021.

 

“As Chicagoans continue to ease their way back into the office and use Metra for leisure trips, the $10 All-Day Pass remains a great option and a great deal,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski. “Making travel easy and affordable is just another way we can be My Metra for our customers.”

 

The All-Day Pass is good for unlimited rides on any and all Metra lines all day until 3 a.m. the next morning. For most trips, the All-Day Pass costs less than two one-way fares. The pass was introduced on June 1, 2020 and is currently used by about a third of Metra riders.

 

For all fare purchases, Metra riders are strongly encouraged to use the Ventra app. Using the app and the $10 All-Day Pass doesn’t simply save money – it provides an added measure of safety by reducing close interaction between Metra customers and crew members, allowing riders to “Touch Less, Pay Less.”

 

All-Day Passes purchased in the app expire after seven days. Customers can also buy the pass with cash or credit from an agent or with cash on the train. However, if a customer boards at a station where they could have purchased the pass from an agent, the conductor will charge an extra $5 fee. Paper passes are good only for the day they are sold.  

 

[KevinKorell]

METRA website:

 

 

 

Last Update: Friday, August 27, 2021 • 1:32pm

First published: 07/13/2021

Recovery schedules and COVID response

 

Metra trains are operating on alternate schedules that we are updating regularly to meet increasing demand as the region rebounds from the pandemic. For the current schedules on all lines, click here. For information about Metra's response to the pandemic, click here. For a dashboard showing crowding trends, click here.

 

[KevinKorell]

WLS-TV,  ABC-7 in Chicago, IL, 10/18/21:

 

 

   Metra schedule to return to full service in 2022; fares will not increase  

 

 

Metra is restoring service on all train lines to pre-pandemic levels and won't raise fares next year in hopes more and more riders will return to using the suburban Chicago commuter rail service.

 

Full story

[CNJRoss]

BLET NEWS FLASH

 

Unions counter Metra COVID vaccine mandate

 

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio, November 24, 2021 - The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) have responded to the suit Metra filed against them on November 8, 2021, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago Division. The two Organizations not only answered Metra's allegations, they also filed Counterclaims challenging Metra's actions in implementing their vaccine policy without the bargaining mandated by the Railway Labor Act.

 

The suit is similar to claims filed by the BLET and SMART-TD against Union Pacific (UP), Norfolk Southern (NS), the BNSF Railway (BNSF), and Amtrak regarding their vaccine policies. Metra has taken the position that it has the right to implement and enforce a COVID vaccination mandate among its employees, and requests the court to issue a declaratory judgment holding that the dispute between the railroad and the unions is a "minor" dispute, which must be arbitrated if the parties cannot come to a satisfactory settlement.

 

The unions have countered that Metra has no such authority, and their actions in failing to negotiate terms of implementation violate the status quo requirement of the Railway Labor Act, thus engendering a major dispute.

 

BLET National President Dennis Pierce and SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson issued the following joint statement regarding their action:

 

"Under threat of discipline, up to and including termination of employment, Metra has ordered all its employees to report their vaccination status by December 7, 2021, with a deadline of January 21, 2022, to either submit proof that they are fully vaccinated or obtain a religious or medical accommodation. Instead of negotiating with us as the law requires, the Carrier is directly dealing with its employees.

 

"We have several objections to Metra's unilateral implementation of its policies mandating them and illegally dealing directly with its represented employees. We will continue to fight on behalf of all BLET and SMART-TD members in an effort to stop Metra's lawlessness in its tracks."

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[KevinKorell]

Metra website:

 

 

 

Last Update: Thursday, December 16, 2021 • 10:10am

First published: 07/13/2021

Recovery schedules and COVID response

 

Metra trains are operating on alternate schedules that we are updating regularly. The current schedules, including information about service during the Christmas and New Year's holiday weekends, are listed here. For information about Metra's response to the pandemic, click here. For a dashboard showing crowding trends, click here.

 

REMINDER: The extension of the validity of One-Way and 10-Ride tickets that started in March 2020 due to the pandemic ends Dec. 31. Click here for details.

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading, 2/2/22

 

USDOT awards Metra pandemic-recovery grant

 

Metra will receive $513.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in an American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced yesterday.

 

The Chicago-area commuter railroad employs about 2,600 people and serves 8.6 million residents. ARP grants are provided to transit agencies to help maintain service and keep workers on payroll as the country continues to recover from COVID-19.  . . .

 

Continue here.

 

[KevinKorell]

Metra website:

 

 

   

Metra and its COVID-19 Response  

Jump to

• Metra schedules under COVID


• Dashboard showing number of riders per train


• Metra fares under COVID


• Doing your part: masks and distancing, etc.


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• Metra cleaning under COVID


• Is it safe to ride public transportation?


• Our "Getting You Back On Track" Commercial


• A Video About Wearing Face Coverings on Metra


• A Video About Our Cleaning Efforts


• What Other Customers are Saying About Riding Metra