July 03, 2024
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Metra adjusts schedule for Union Pacific Northwest line starting Sept. 13

Schedules for two other Metra lines operated by Union Pacific also changing

By Northwest Herald staff report
Rail cars at rest Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at the rail yard just northwest of the Crystal Lake Metra station. The rail yard might be relocated to where the Metra tracks cross Lamb Road northwest of Woodstock as part of an infrastructure spending plan that U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, is hoping can bring millions in federal dollars to projects in Illinois' 14th Congressional District.

Rail cars at rest Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at the rail yard just northwest of the Crystal Lake Metra station.

The schedules for the Metra trains running on the three Union Pacific lines will change starting Sept. 13, the second round of changes in recent months.

The lines affected include the Union Pacific Northwest line that runs through Fox River Grove, Cary, Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock and Harvard.

Among the changes are:

  • Inbound Train 6100 now will depart Barrington at 6:38 a.m. and arrive at Ogilvie Transportation Center at 7:44 a.m. This train previously originated in Des Plaines. The change is being done to provide commuters better inner zone transfer opportunities.
  • Inbound Train 6188 will depart Des Plaines 10 minutes later and Inbound Train 626 will depart Crystal Lake five minutes later “to improve operational performance,” according to a news release.
  • Outbound Train 6133 will depart Ogilvie 10 minutes earlier to “improve on-time reliability en route,” according to the release.
  • Outbound Train 6211 will depart Ogilvie six minutes later to “improve on-time performance and reliability,” according to the release.
  • Outbound Train 625 will adjust departure times at intermediate stations to reflect actual operation conditions.

“We’ve been monitoring on-time performance as well as customer response since our mid-summer schedule changes,” Metra Executive Director and CEO Jim Derwinski said in a statement. “My Metra strives to be a service that responds to its customers’ need for reliability. This current round of changes is focused on on-time performance. We will continue to monitor performance across the Metra system and make further adjustments to schedules when necessary.”

Metra introduced a new pilot schedule on the UP North Line on July 12 that offers more off-peak options to meet the post-COVID-19 needs of riders. That schedule was introduced with the expectation that rider feedback and performance analysis would help refine it and make it better.

Other lines impacted by the changes announced Friday include the Union Pacific North Line where two off-peak trains will be removed from the schedule, four additional trains will make all stops and three trains will add stops at Evanston stations and the Union Pacific West line where two late-morning trains will be removed from the schedule and an inbound train also will stop at Maywood.

The new schedules can be viewed now at metra.com.

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