Not a big surprise with the new expansions that opened this year...
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Metra ridership hits record high
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By Virginia Groark
Tribune staff reporter
September 15, 2006, 12:56 PM CDT
With fuel prices up and Dan Ryan Expressway construction hampering the commutes
of South Siders and south suburbanites, ridership on Metra trains hit a record
high during the first seven months of the year, officials said today.
Expanded service on three routes -- the Union Pacific West, Southwest Service
and North Central Service -- also contributed to the increase, as did major
downtown Chicago events that have drawn suburbanites into the city, said
Lynnette Ciavarella, Metra's director of planning and analysis.
Together the numbers surpass the first seven months of 2001, which until now was
the biggest year for ridership since Metra's inception in 1984. The first seven
months of this year saw 6,000 more passenger trips than the same period in 2001,
Ciavarella said.
Ridership in July, which is the most recent data available, was up 8.5 percent
to 7.1 million passenger trips, compared with the same month a year ago.
Metra Vice Chairman Elonzo Hill said the encouraging numbers should be seen as
"an opportunity to grow."
Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder noted that gas prices are starting to
decline but, hopefully, car commuters who had switched to Metra "found the
convenience was so wonderful that they continue to ride."
Some of the biggest ridership increases have been on the three lines where Metra
expanded service in January.
- Ridership on the North Central Service Line is up 18.4 percent this year,
after the number of weekday trains jumped to 22 from 10 a year ago.
- On the Southwest Service Line, which was extended to Manhattan, ridership is
up 14.6 percent compared with the first seven months of last year.
- The number of passenger trips on the Union Pacific West Line, which was
extended to Elburn, grew by 5.9 percent this year compared with the same period
in 2005.
Likewise, rail routes that provide an alternative to driving on the Dan Ryan,
where a major reconstruction has closed lanes since the spring, is also up. The
number of passenger trips on the Electric Line, for example, is up 6.7 percent
so far this year compared with 2005. On the Rock Island District Line, Metra saw
a 6 percent increase in passenger trips.
Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune
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Metra ridership hits record high
--------------------
By Virginia Groark
Tribune staff reporter
September 15, 2006, 12:56 PM CDT
With fuel prices up and Dan Ryan Expressway construction hampering the commutes
of South Siders and south suburbanites, ridership on Metra trains hit a record
high during the first seven months of the year, officials said today.
Expanded service on three routes -- the Union Pacific West, Southwest Service
and North Central Service -- also contributed to the increase, as did major
downtown Chicago events that have drawn suburbanites into the city, said
Lynnette Ciavarella, Metra's director of planning and analysis.
Together the numbers surpass the first seven months of 2001, which until now was
the biggest year for ridership since Metra's inception in 1984. The first seven
months of this year saw 6,000 more passenger trips than the same period in 2001,
Ciavarella said.
Ridership in July, which is the most recent data available, was up 8.5 percent
to 7.1 million passenger trips, compared with the same month a year ago.
Metra Vice Chairman Elonzo Hill said the encouraging numbers should be seen as
"an opportunity to grow."
Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder noted that gas prices are starting to
decline but, hopefully, car commuters who had switched to Metra "found the
convenience was so wonderful that they continue to ride."
Some of the biggest ridership increases have been on the three lines where Metra
expanded service in January.
- Ridership on the North Central Service Line is up 18.4 percent this year,
after the number of weekday trains jumped to 22 from 10 a year ago.
- On the Southwest Service Line, which was extended to Manhattan, ridership is
up 14.6 percent compared with the first seven months of last year.
- The number of passenger trips on the Union Pacific West Line, which was
extended to Elburn, grew by 5.9 percent this year compared with the same period
in 2005.
Likewise, rail routes that provide an alternative to driving on the Dan Ryan,
where a major reconstruction has closed lanes since the spring, is also up. The
number of passenger trips on the Electric Line, for example, is up 6.7 percent
so far this year compared with 2005. On the Rock Island District Line, Metra saw
a 6 percent increase in passenger trips.
Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune
--Dorian--
