Schedule back on track for Union Pacific North Line riders

Frustrated commuters derailed a massive bridge improvement project along Metra's Union Pacific North Line until the spring.

The commuter rail agency has received grief from passengers since it revised schedules for the UP Line in August to accommodate repairs to 22 bridges.

The agency tried to save money by using a single track through the construction zone but complaints from riders about crowded trains and reduced service caused it to rethink priorities, Metra Chairman Carole Doris said Thursday.

"We know our attempt to operate on a single track has been difficult and we apologize to our riders for the problems," Doris said in a statement.

The agency had intended to try out another schedule the first week of October but now will revert to the original timetable. Officials will reconsider how to keep two tracks open when construction resumes next year.

The project is pegged at $185 million and is located on Chicago's North Side between the Fullerton and Balmoral Stations.