by doepack
Some recent observations:
On the UP lines during the last month, they've deadheaded equipment back downtown for additional runs, and over the Thanksgiving holiday, longer trains of at least eight cars were run Friday and Saturday mornings to accomdate the larger crowds heading downtown. Also, for the first time that I can recall, Omaha dispatchers have become a little more strict lately in terms of enforcing the freight curfew on the Geneva sub, and although there are still delays to some off-peak trains owing to "freight train interference", rush hours have been fairly smooth. And to top it off, the "Santa Safety trains" are running on two UP lines next month, with a scheduled appearance on the freight-heavy Geneva sub included. Mind you, this is all new to me, I've never known UP to run trains, especially commuter service, in this manner.
Speaking of which, "Efficient" and "Commuter Friendly" aren't things that immediately come to mind when assessing UP's operation of Metra service, but this recent behavior, even if temporary, is a welcome change...
On the UP lines during the last month, they've deadheaded equipment back downtown for additional runs, and over the Thanksgiving holiday, longer trains of at least eight cars were run Friday and Saturday mornings to accomdate the larger crowds heading downtown. Also, for the first time that I can recall, Omaha dispatchers have become a little more strict lately in terms of enforcing the freight curfew on the Geneva sub, and although there are still delays to some off-peak trains owing to "freight train interference", rush hours have been fairly smooth. And to top it off, the "Santa Safety trains" are running on two UP lines next month, with a scheduled appearance on the freight-heavy Geneva sub included. Mind you, this is all new to me, I've never known UP to run trains, especially commuter service, in this manner.
Speaking of which, "Efficient" and "Commuter Friendly" aren't things that immediately come to mind when assessing UP's operation of Metra service, but this recent behavior, even if temporary, is a welcome change...
--Dorian--