Metra Extra/Modified Schedules

Oddly there are usually not any cancellations mentioned for Halloween extra's, which is strange because there are tweaks made to the schedule every other time extras are added. The same extras have been added since at least 2006, with the exception of the newly added MED run.

metraRI wrote:Oddly there are usually not any cancellations mentioned for Halloween extra's, which is strange because there are tweaks made to the schedule every other time extras are added

Yeah, I don't get it either. And since the 10/31 extra on UP/W terminates at West Chgo, passengers west of here won't get the benefit of the earlier express service, so to compensate, no regular trains were canceled. It is what it is...

Election Day extra's..... This is a first... a lot of changes as well.

The following lists revised schedules for Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Please note that some of the revisions include extra trains and that other trains will not operate or will make additional stops. In addition, to handle the expected crowds from Senator Obama's event, Metra will augment its regularly scheduled outbound late-night service between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

The Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service and North Central Service lines will operate their normal weekday schedules on Election Day, which means there will be no extra early rush hour trains and no late-night trains.

BNSF Railway

Departs Chicago at 2:25 PM - Express to Downers Grove & all stops to Route 59
Departs Chicago at 3:04 PM - Local - all stops to Route 59 except LaVergne, Hollywood, Congress Park, Highlands and West Hinsdale
Departs Chicago at 3:10 PM - Express to Naperville-Rt. 59
Departs Chicago at 3:50 PM - Express to Naperville-Rt. 59

Train No. 1271 (5:32 PM) will not operate.

Extra train will make all stops inbound from Fairview (LV. 6:26 PM) ahead of Train No. 1292 to Chicago Union Station.

Union Pacific North Line

Departs Chicago at 3:15 PM - Express to Wilmette & all stops to Waukegan
Departs Chicago at 3:45 PM - Express to Wilmette & all stops to Kenosha
Departs Chicago at 4:00 PM - Express to Wilmette & all stops to Waukegan

Train Nos. 343 (5:10 PM), 345 (5:15 PM) & 353 (5:50 PM) will not operate.

Train No. 341 (5:03 PM) will make all stops to Kenosha.

Union Pacific Northwest Line

Departs Chicago at 3:20 PM - Express to Mount Prospect & all stops to Crystal Lake
Departs Chicago at 3:35 PM - Express to Mount Prospect & all stops to Crystal Lake
Departs Chicago at 3:55 PM - Express to Mount Prospect & all stops to Harvard

Train Nos. 635 (4:57 PM), 641 (5:16 PM), 645 (5:23 PM), 650 (depart Des Plaines 4:20 & arrive Ogilvie Transportation Center 4:59 PM) & 651 (6:01) will not operate.

Train No. 623 (3:25 PM) will add all stops to Barrington.
Train Nos. 637 (5:06 PM) and 643 (5:20 PM) will make an additional stop at Palatine.
Train No. 647 (5:33 PM) will make all stops Des Plaines to Harvard.

Union Pacific West Line

Departs Chicago at 3:10 PM - Express to Elmhurst & all stops to Elburn
Departs Chicago at 3:30 PM - Express to Elmhurst & all stops to Geneva
Departs Chicago at 3:55 PM - Express to Elmhurst & all stops to Geneva

Train Nos. 49 (5:09 PM), 51 (5:13 PM) & 55 (5:34 PM) will not operate.

Train No. 47 (5:04 PM) will make all stops Elmhurst to Elburn.
Train No. 53 (5:19 PM) will make the additional stops of train Nos. 49 and 51.
Train No. 57 (5:42 PM) will make an additional stop at Oak Park.

Inbound train no. 60 (LV. Elmhurst 6:28 PM & arrive Ogilvie Transportation Center 6:54 PM) will make all local stops.

Metra Milwaukee District North Line

Departs Chicago at 3:20 PM - Express to Northbrook & all stops to Fox Lake
Departs Chicago at 3:27 PM - Express to Morton Grove & all stops Deerfield
Departs Chicago at 4:00 PM - Express to Morton Grove & all stops to Fox Lake

Train Nos. 2129 (4:40 PM) & 2135 (5:12 PM) will not operate.

Metra Milwaukee District West Line

Departs Chicago at 3:05 PM - All stops to Franklin Park
Departs Chicago at 3:25 PM - Express to Bensenville & all stops to Big Timber
Departs Chicago at 3:50 PM - Express to Bensenville & all stops to Big Timber

Train Nos. 2233 (4:55 PM) & 2237 (5:17 PM) will not operate.

Train No. 2235 (5:05 PM) will make additional stops for 2233 (4:55 PM). Train 2239 (5:23 PM)will make additional stops for 2237 (5:17 PM).

Metra Rock Island District Line

Departs Chicago at 3:10 PM - Beverly Branch
Departs Chicago at 3:15 PM - Express to Blue Island and all stops to Joliet
Departs Chicago at 3:35 PM - Express to Blue Island and all stops to Joliet
Departs Chicago at 3:40 PM - Beverly Branch

Train Nos. 415 (5:10 PM) and 615 (5:15 PM) will not operate.

Train No. 411 will make additional stops at 95th St. Longwood and 103rd St. Washington Heights.

Metra Electric

After 10 AM the Roosevelt Road station will be closed.

Departs Chicago at 2:25 PM - Express to 57th – Kensington & all stops to Univ. Park
Departs Chicago at 3:10 PM - Express to 57th – Kensington – Calumet & all stops to Univ. Park
Departs Chicago at 3:15 PM - Express to 57th – Kensington & all stops to Calumet
Departs Chicago at 3:35 PM - Express to 57th – Kensington & all stops to Matteson
Departs Chicago at 3:45 PM - South Chicago Local
Departs Chicago at 3:55 PM - Express to 57th – Kensington & all stops to Matteson

Train Nos. 733 (4:50 PM) & 753 (4:53 PM) will be combined, departing at 4:53 PM
Train Nos. 735 (5:05 PM) & 755 (5:08 PM) will be combined, departing at 5:08 PM
Train Nos. 737 (5:20 PM) & 757 (5:23 PM) will be combined, departing at 5:23 PM
Train Nos. 709 (5:37 PM), 739 (5:40 PM) & 759 (5:43 PM) will be combined, departing at 5:43 PM

NOTE: A $5 ticket will be sold on all trains arriving in Chicago after 6:00 PM.

Interesting... which means on UP/W, there'll be 4 trains between 3 and 4 o'clock running express to Elmhurst, then local to at least Geneva; I think that's overkill. Besides, UP likes to run a lot of westbounds during that time of day, and couple that with the ongoing tie replacement project between Wheaton and West Chgo, freight train interference/track construction delays is a sure bet to spike these extras with at least minor delays...

And once again, no 3:30 departure for SW; man, what's it going to take? It's gotta be a conspiracy, I tell ya...

The 2:25 pm express on BNSF surprises me...it looks like to me that there will be two trains 5 minutes apart running express to Downers Grove then all stops to 59. I wonder if Metra meant the 2:25 train to be a Naperville/59 express.

The extra train departing Fairview at 6:26 pm is deadhead #1290 being converted to a revenue train. Its being turned from #1275.

doepack wrote:And once again, no 3:30 departure for SW; man, what's it going to take?

I too don't understand why Metra won't add a 3:30 departure on SWS, but the logical reason is because of scheduling complications if something were to be changed. The 5:40 (#829) could be canceled for an earlier 3:30 to Manhattan... but that would leave a 5:18 (#827) to 6:15 (#831) gap. If I were the one deciding the schedules, of course I'm not, I would have that 3:30 departure then simply move #827's departure to 5:30, which still gives decent time at 179th Street for a flip... in fact, that was the schedule before 1/30/06.

doepack wrote:Interesting... which means on UP/W, there'll be 4 trains between 3 and 4 o'clock running express to Elmhurst, then local to at least Geneva; I think that's overkill. Besides, UP likes to run a lot of westbounds during that time of day, and couple that with the ongoing tie replacement project between Wheaton and West Chgo, freight train interference/track construction delays is a sure bet to spike these extras with at least minor delays

Well, let me be the first to eat my words: UP kept the freights out of the way, the tie gang finished up around 3, and the extras ran fairly well. But WX-3 (the 3:50 special), and especially regularly scheduled 41 were pretty much empty by the time they hit Wheaton. But since they've added stops to 47, 62 will be 10-15 min. late heading back to OTC, which wasn't mentioned on the extra service page. A minor oversight...

I'm still wondering how they're going to "augment" tonight's late-night service between 11pm and 1am: Extra cars on existing trains, or additional departures (which will no doubt require deadheads...)? We shall see...

First posting under Metra's "Service Updates" on modified post-rally service:

Metra wrote: Tuesday, November 4, 2008

METRA BNSF
METRA BNSF TRAIN #1299 SCHEDULED TO DEPART UNION STATION AT 11:40PM TO ARRIVE AURORA AT 12:55AM WILL BE DEPARTING AT 12:10 AM OUT OF UNION STATION TO ACCOMMODATE TONIGHT'S PRESIDENT-ELECT RALLY DOWN IN GRANT PARK/HUTCHISON FIELD.

Pre Thanksgiving Schedules have been posted for next Wednesday. Changes from last year are on MD-N where the extra continues to Fox Lake and train 2135 is canceled, last year the extra ended in Lake Forest and deadheaded back downtown. On MD-W the 2:20 extra continues to Big Timber, train #2233 is canceled. Last year the extra ended at Bartlett and deadheaded back downtown. Additional changes have been made to other MD-W trains as well. Also Metra has made a schedule for MED instead of advising 'Standby equipment ready to use after 2:30 PM'.

Last Saturday (11/22/08) BNSF ran 3 extra trains (2 inbound, 1 outbound) for the downtown lights festival. Schedules were posted at all stations between Aurora-Downers Grove.

And this year BNSF is only running two extra inbound express trains on Friday 11/28/08. They axed the 12:10pm Aurora departure.

Checking back on todays schedules, looks like Metra made some changes... They added a 1:25 train on RID and the 2:10 extra is continuing to Joliet instead of Mokena. This has been done with no additional cancellations.

metraRI wrote:Checking back on todays schedules, looks like Metra made some changes... They added a 1:25 train on RID and the 2:10 extra is continuing to Joliet instead of Mokena. This has been done with no additional cancellations.

Yet I don't think that 2:10 extra went all the way to Joliet. The equipment ran deadhead past Oak Forest at about 3:45, which is too early for that deadhead to be coming from Joliet.... odd.

Extras on UP/W didn't fare so well, WX-1 got held up by "the bird" (a hot afternoon westbound "Z" train), and it arrived Wheaton only 5 minutes ahead of 37. WX-3 wasn't much better, but both trains were well patronized. The two extras, plus 41 were the busiest trains by far, everything else was pretty light by comparison...

metraRI wrote:

metraRI wrote:Checking back on todays schedules, looks like Metra made some changes... They added a 1:25 train on RID and the 2:10 extra is continuing to Joliet instead of Mokena. This has been done with no additional cancellations.

Yet I don't think that 2:10 extra went all the way to Joliet. The equipment ran deadhead past Oak Forest at about 3:45, which is too early for that deadhead to be coming from Joliet.... odd.

I thought I saw something about a special to Tinley Park; perhaps it was equipment heading back downtown?

Holiday 08 Schedules have been posted. Also looks like there are a few additions to these schedules. However I never understand why Metra only gives a weeks notice to schedule changes... seems a bit short to me.

metraRI wrote:Holiday 08 Schedules have been posted. Also looks like there are a few additions to these schedules. However I never understand why Metra only gives a weeks notice to schedule changes... seems a bit short to me.

I think a week is sufficient, and besides, most regular commuters will usually find out about the modified schedules at their downtown terminals anyway. And is it my imagination, or are some lines running extra trains earlier from downtown, like the 1225 on UP/W? Used to be just BNSF ran trains that early, if IIRC...