CHICAGO — Metra has launched a rider survey to help shape its future scheduling and infrastructure plans to meet its goal of becoming a “regional rail” operation — one providing more service at all times rather than focusing on weekday commuter-rush trains.
The commuter operator has already taken some steps to increase off-peak service, such as trains at roughly half-hour intervals most of the day on the Union Pacific North line and a recent increase in Saturday and Sunday trains on the BNSF line [see “Metra to expand BNSF line weekend service,” Trains News Wire, April 5, 2024].
Now under study are more comprehensive changes that will guide operations and capital spending over the next two decades. As part of this program, the survey seeks more information on how riders use Metra now and how that might change in the future. The survey is available here. Metra also plans a virtual public meeting on Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. to discuss its Systemwide Network Plan; registration for that meeting, on Zoom, is available here. Additional public outreach are planned in early 2025.
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