April On the Bi-Level

PTC prompts revision of BNSF schedule

Metra’s busiest line, the BNSF Line between Aurora and Chicago Union Station, will be the first Metra line to have the new Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system in full operation – but the enhancement will require a significant revision of the line’s schedule starting this summer. Metra and BNSF Railway unveiled the proposed weekday schedule revision in late March asking for public comment. Copies of the proposed schedule are available on trains and at Chicago Union Station and posted online at metrarail.com. Customer feedback on these changes can be sent to BNSFservice2018@metrarr.com until April 15. The goal is to implement the new schedule in June or July.

Track project impacts MDN

A major tie replacement project between Libertyville and Fox Lake will impact midday and weekend service on the northernmost part of Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line during the month of April, including a shutdown of the line north of Lake Forest for three consecutive weekends. “Track projects like this are absolutely essential to maintaining safe and high-quality rail service,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “Limiting rail traffic during the work period will significantly condense the project timeline and the overall customer impact.”

PTC-related changes coming to Metra Electric

Metra will be changing the schedule on the Metra Electric Line, including the cancellation of one outbound South Chicago Branch train during the evening rush, beginning April 23. The changes are being made to increase spacing between trains in preparation for the implementation of PTC. Metra Electric riders will notice changes in departure and arrival times of a number of trains, ranging from two to five minutes, during the morning and evening rush hours. The changes are necessary to meet PTC’s requirement that each signal and switch be tied into its communications system.

UP North schedule to change
for bridge replacement project
Metra will implement a new schedule for evening and weekend trains on the Union Pacific North Line beginning April 9 in order to complete a multiyear bridge replacement project.

JUGGLING ACT

At Chicago Union Station, the 5:12 p.m. and 5:17 p.m. afternoon trains both share the same walkway. This causes congestion near departure times. It seems that this could be alleviated by pairing trains with departure times that are further apart. Would it be possible to assign trains accordingly so as to minimize congestion on the walkway between the trains?

Christopher

Track assignments for both rush hours are extremely tricky. Bear in mind that only six tracks (three platforms) have Madison Street access and that Milwaukee District North, Milwaukee District West, North Central Service and Amtrak trains must all be accommodated. In order to make this work, equipment for the next outbound train must come into the depot just as soon as the track is vacated by the previous train. We are further limited in that some platforms are shorter and can only accommodate the smaller trains. The 5:12 p.m. and 5:17 p.m. departures have been sharing a common platform since 2006, and while the platform can be congested for brief periods, the crowds dissipate quickly once either train opens for boarding. Given the limitations of the existing infrastructure, moving either of these trains would disrupt the flow of traffic and would likely create the same situation on one of the other platforms.

WEEKEND WANTS

Why does Lockport not have weekend service ?

Lyle

Metra does not own the tracks over which the Heritage Corridor operates. They are owned by CN, which uses the tracks extensively for freight trains, and our agreement with them only allows us to operate our current schedule.

HELPING HAND REDUX

I would like to thank the woman on Rock Island Train 410 into Chicago on March 12, 2018, who stopped to help my adult daughter who was ill on the train platform at LaSalle Street Station. Her simple act of kindness, offering a package of tissue paper to my daughter, was and is greatly appreciated. As is often noted in this column, there remain many decent and caring folks, who vastly outnumber the self-absorbed riders on the trains Metra runs and I am glad this woman was on board this train. One pleasantly surprised dad. You continue to provide good service (most of the time) and this woman deserves to be commended.

Greg

We agree. While it appears easier to vent frustrations about the behavior of others, it’s the actions of those who take the time to care for their fellow man that separate our riders from the pack.

LOST OBJECTS

I’m getting old – and forgetful! As a result, I have now lost a jacket and two winter hats on the Northwest line over the last couple of years, none of which ever found their way to Lost and Found. I know that there are some people who abide by the adage “finders keepers, losers weepers.” But for those honest ones who do give left items to the conductor, I would please ask that the conductors not stuff them in the racks with the newsletter and train schedules. And, if the conductor finds an item stuffed there, please remove it and put it with the items to be delivered to Lost and Found. I have no idea how passenger cars are assigned and no idea whether the car that I was in on Thursday night where I left my hat will be the same car on the same line at the same time and in the same position behind the first car on Friday night. So, chances of me finding it in the rack 24 hours later are about a million to one! Worse yet, when a conductor puts an item in the rack, it now is an open invitation to many more “finders-keepers” to help themselves. P.S. To those who found my hats, I hope that they are keeping your ears warm. To the one that found my Eddie Bauer yellow jacket hanging on the jacket hook last March 2017 on the evening Northwest train, please turn it in to Lost and Found with a note “For Liz”. It was a Mother’s Day gift from my sons, and I’d really, really like to have it back.

We hope this prompts someone to return your jacket, but if it did indeed make it to our Lost and Found and was not recovered by you within 60 days, it was likely donated to charity. More valuable items like electronics are often held for a longer period. As for leaving items in the newsletter racks, anything left at the end of the day is picked up by the crew or by the coach cleaners and turned in. Crew members do try to reunite items with owners if they find any contact information. If you do lose something on one of our trains don’t despair, it can take one to three days for an item to make its way to our Lost and Found offices.

ODE TO CIVILITY

      Please:
Cough/sneeze into your coat/scarf/shirt/arm (better yet stay home).
Take turns.
Keep your feet off the furniture.
Don’t take up two seats.
Don’t like the Quiet Car, go sit in one of the other eight.
Have your tickets out and phone app ready.
Close the lavatory door.
Hold the door between cars for the next person.
Be nice!

Couldn’t have phrased it any better. Thank you!

The Metra Board of Directors has approved a $29.4 million contract for the renovation and expansion of the shops that house the agency’s railcar and locomotive rehab programs. Metra’s 47th/49th Street facility serves as the main mechanical yard for the Rock Island Line and is also the site of Metra’s main railcar rehabilitation program.

Metra is renovating the LaSalle Street Station concourse. The $2.95 million project began Monday, March 26 and is expected to be completed by mid-July. The project includes the replacement of the surface of the 20,000-square-foot concourse area, as well as the replacement of a number of support pillars.

As Metra and its partner railroads move toward the full implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC), Metra has created videos explaining the project and how PTC will affect train schedules. You can check them out at metrarail.com/PTC or by scanning the code at the top of this article.

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E-mail: onthebilevel@metrarr.com.
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