Metra's line to Aurora is busiest, tardiest line

Metra's mighty BNSF Line out to Aurora dominates ridership with 16.7 million passenger trips in 2014 out of 83.4 million overall for the agency, new stats show.

But before spontaneous celebrations erupt between Chicago and Aurora, here's the downside: BNSF nation is multitudinous, but so are the delays experienced by long-suffering commuters.

Data for January released by Metra Friday showed the BN (as we regulars call it) led the pack in tardiness with a 91 percent on-time performance compared to a system average of 95 percent in January.

The BN also won the dubious honor of most signal and switch failures on a line with 28 out of 93 messups last month.

It's significant given that Metra's other freight partner Union Pacific, which runs the three UP North, Northwest and West lines, had only nine such failures.

Big can be problematic, Metra CEO Don Orseno explained. The BNSF with its unique three tracks hauls myriad freight and commuter trains. The potential for a service implosion when one thing goes wrong is always there.

“You have one failure and you have 30 delays depending on the time,” Orseno said. He added, “We're relentless on trying to get that line's performance where it needs to be, and we're not going to stop until we get there.”

Metra Chairman Martin Oberman asked administrators to dig deeper into the January numbers.

“I want to stay on top of it. If I know the specific reasons (for the problems) — it's easier to go into ‘why can't that be fixed?'” Oberman said.

One more thing

Overall, Metra ridership jumped by 1.3 percent in 2014, increasing from 82.3 million to 83.4 million passenger trips. The UP Northwest Line came in second to BNSF with 11.6 million trips. The Metra Electric Line was third with 9.4 million, and the UP North followed with 9.3 million.

The agency also ended up with an $11 million surplus in 2014 revenues from a mixture of fares, advertising, leases and undertaking projects for other entities. Asked if that meant riders might get some of that back after fare increases this month, Orseno said any excess is needed to pay for capital needs.

“We need to take every penny we can get and apply it to areas that are our highest priority to get things fixed,” Orseno said. “You can't expect to run trains on time with cars that are failing.”

Your voice

Why is I-355 so expensive? a reader recently lamented, noting “it is almost double than what I used to have to pay going down I-294 or I-88.”

Here's how tollway spokesman Dan Rozek explained it:

“The Illinois Tollway sets its toll rates at a level necessary to maintain and operate the system while retiring its bond deb. Higher toll rates on the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) reflect the higher cost to build the roadway in 1989 and then extend it in 2007 as prices increased due to inflation and other economic factors.

“In addition, because local communities along the South Extension of I-355 requested to have only one toll plaza, the Tollway had to combine the tolls which otherwise would have been split between two plazas.”

Auto show fever

My mailbox is jammed with readers' picks for the Chicago Auto Show, which runs through Feb. 22 at McCormick Place.

“I would like to see the new Lexus NX. I have a 10-year-old Lexus RX that I bought used. A girl can dream,” Lorri Gyenes of Glen Ellyn said.

Lisa Sprague of Antioch thinks the “sexy cars, like the Lamborghini, are what I'd like to see, but, sadly, a minivan is more my reality.”

David Corona of Gurnee is “a fan of small, practical, yet capable vehicles and would really like a close-up view of Jeep's new Renegade.”

And Linda Bonen of Wheaton is “very interested in seeing the new Mustang at the Chicago Auto Show.”

“Is it a midlife crisis?” she asked.

Got an opinion about Metra, the auto show or anything else transportation-related? Just drop me an email at mpyke@dailyherald.com. You could win some genuine auto show swag, including the coveted Kia scarf.

Going Green to McCormick? Pullout for print

Just in time for the auto show, the Chicago Transit Authority opened up a new station at McCormick Place. The station is on the Green Line and is about two blocks from the venue. If you're taking Metra, special “auto show” buses are available from Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center. To learn more, go to www.chicagoautoshow.com/about-the-show/.