Schedule tweaks coming on Metra UP West and Northwest lines
Metra passengers on the Union Pacific Northwest and West lines can expect some schedule churn next week.
Alterations that start next Tuesday range from adding stops to tweaking departure times as the railroad adjusts to fluctuating ridership trends.
"The changes are being made to better match actual operating conditions and create service patterns that provide riders with more options," officials said.
Metra has been gradually restoring service cuts related to COVID-19. And in April, trains were added to the UP Northwest Line as a counter to road work on the Kennedy Expressway.
The latest revisions on the UP Northwest were needed to ease conflicts affecting on-time performance, planners said.
Here's a look at changes effective next Tuesday.
UP Northwest Line
• Inbound Trains 618, 632, 658 and 662 will all leave Des Plaines five to six minutes later.
• Train 651 will depart Chicago at 5:07 p.m.
• Train 653 will leave Chicago at 5:05 p.m.
• Train 647 will arrive at Harvard at 6:23 p.m., six minutes later than the current time.
• Train 706 will always stop at Irving Park on weekends, not solely for Chicago Cubs home games.
• Trains 620, 622, 624, 634 and 636 will stop using the center track platform from Palatine to Cumberland.
• Trains 639 and 651 will start using the center track platforms to board from Jefferson Park through Des Plaines.
• Trains 643 and 657 will stop using the center track platform for boarding at Clybourne and Des Plaines.
UP West Line
• Train 13 has new stops at Glen Ellyn, Wheaton and West Chicago.
• Train 15 will end its run at La Fox.
• Trains 43 and 47 are adding stops at Villa Park and West Chicago.
• Train 49 will arrive in Elburn at 6:30 p.m., five minutes later than currently.
• All trains that depart from or arrive at Ogilvie Transportation Center at 7:40 p.m. or later will stop at Melrose Park and Maywood.
Executive Director Jim Derwinski said the railroad would continue to monitor performance on all lines and make adjustments as necessary.
For more details, go to metra.com.