news-photos-metra-tests-waters-of-ohare-service-with-convention-shuttlehttps://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/news-photos-metra-tests-waters-of-ohare-service-with-convention-shuttle/News photos: Metra tests waters of O’Hare service with convention shuttle - TrainsCHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention may be over, but Metra’s O’Hare Shuttle service, operating between Chicago Union Station and the airport, will continue for a few more days. The commuter operator arranged with Canadian National, host railroad on the North Central Service portion of the route, and CPKC, dispatcher of the Milwaukee West segment, [...]Read More...https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TRN_OHare_Shuttle_06_Lassen.jpgInStockUSD1.001.00news-wirenews-reviewsarticleTRN2024-08-272024-08-24206102
Trains from Union Station continue through Aug. 30
O’Hare shuttle train No. 715 stops to unload passengers at platform 2 of the O’Hare Transfer station on Aug. 19, 2024. Three-car trainsets were standard for the shuttle operation. Bob Johnston
CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention may be over, but Metra’s O’Hare Shuttle service, operating between Chicago Union Station and the airport, will continue for a few more days.
A sign at the Western Avenue Metra station promotes the O’Hare service, including a QR code for more information. Flyers on board also had the code and invited passengers to take a survey. Bob Johnston
The commuter operator arranged with Canadian National, host railroad on the North Central Service portion of the route, and CPKC, dispatcher of the Milwaukee West segment, to offer trains between Union Station and the O’Hare Transfer station on the North Central route from Aug. 12-30. Not only did this see the number of weekday trains between Union Station and O’Hare boosted from 11 (six inbound, five outbound) to 42 (21 round trips), it provided 16 weekend round trips on what is normally a weekday-only route.
Perhaps not surprisingly, ridership was reported to be modest — out-of-towners were unlikely to be aware of the temporary service, and locals may not have been willing to adjust their usual methods of reaching O’Hare on a short-term basis. But the operation still could provide operational proof of concept for a service Metra eventually hopes to provide full time [see “On the radar: Metra service to O’Hare airport,” Trains.com, Dec. 18, 2023].
Trains News Wire correspondent Bob Johnston sampled the shuttle earlier this week, while senior editor David Lassen made a trip to capture some photos of the activity. Here’s some of what they saw.
O’Hare-bound passengers at Western Avenue prepare to board regular North Central Service train No. 105, also serving the airport. Bob JohnstonOn Aug. 20, North Central train No. 105 makes its stop at Belmont Avenue in Franklin Park, Ill., while returning O’Hare Shuttle No. 712 waits to the north of the station for passengers to clear the platform. The O’Hare shuttles stop at some intermediate stations, but Belmont Avenue is not among them. David LassenAfter rolling through the Belmont Avenue station and across the street of the same name, train No. 712, pushed by SD70MACH No. 500, curves around the connection from the North Central to the Milwaukee West line at the B12 interlocking. David LassenIn a view from atop O’Hare’s rental car and remote parking structure, the Multi-Modal Facility, shuttle No. 718 departs for downtown. The Metra station is adjacent to the northeast corner of the structure; inside is the terminal for the peoplemover to the airport. David LassenA few minutes later, regular North Central train No. 109 arrives, with Metra’s Milwaukee heritage MP36PH-3S No. 405. David LassenViewed from the cab car, shuttle No. 714 meets outbound Milwaukee West train No. 221 at River Grove on Aug. 19. This is a stop for Milwaukee West, North Central, and shuttle trains; only Milwaukee West trains stop at all six stations between River Grove and Western Avenue. Between River Grove and Tower A-5, trains travel in the 55-70-mph range. Bob JohnstonShuttle No. 717 meets No. 714 near the dormant tower A-5, visible in the background. A-5 is where the North Central and Milwaukee West trains join the Milwaukee North Line also used by Amtrak. It is about 3 miles north of Western Avenue. Bob Johnston
10 thoughts on “News photos: Metra tests waters of O’Hare service with convention shuttle”
Nice to see the old Milw. Rd ROW. A-5, if memory serves, also was called “Pacific Junction” back when.
After rolling through the Belmont Avenue station and across the street of the same name, train No. 712, pushed by SD70MACH No. 500, curves around the connection from the North Central to the Milwaukee West line at the B17 interlocking. David Lassen. That should be the B12 interlocking in Franklin Park. B17 is at the West end of Bensenville Yard where the cutoff from A20 joins the D&I main.
If Amtrak’s Hiawatha/Borealis service could include a stop at Mayfair (where also CTA stops), it would make for an easier method for passengers intending to go to/from O’Hare airport and points along the Hiawatha/Borealis route. Example: fly from Gatwick airport in England to O’Hare, take CTA a short distance to Mayfair, then walk over to the Amtrak boarding zone, then hop on the Borealis train to La Crosse, Wisconsin.
This should be a no brainer. Trains should run all day every day every 15 minutes.
Make it EASY for patrons. Too many transit agencies fail to heed this by offering token service with few amenities and so no one uses the service. It’s really not rocket science. When Caltrain dramatically increased frequency and speed (the Baby Bullet, in 2004) it was a HUGE success. I was a regular rider then and it dramatically improved my commute and thus my life.
Mike’s 15-minute passenger headway may be a bit unrealistic but not as totally crazy as it sounds. CNR inside EJ&E isn’t a heavy freight route, nor is Milwaukee District West.
As someone who has actually used the Metra-O’Hare stop here is my humble opinion.
– Better than the CTA service because you can carry luggage easily on Metra.
– Schedules are better on Metra from the Loop, CTA takes forever due to local stops
– Needs a climate controlled escalator & walkway from the Metra station to the O’Hare Rental Car Transit station, right now you have a choice of taking the station to terminal shuttle bus or walking about 400-500 yards around the parking garage to get on the rental car transit escalator. Not practical in the rain or cold/snow seasons.
– No access from the suburbs unless you go through the Loop or live on the NW service line.
I know Chicago wants to bypass CTA with a O’Hare to Loop express service, but cant afford it. I know the suburbs (all of them) want a comprehensive service to O’Hare that doesnt require a car, a bus, a limo, or going through the Loop.
Why this hasn’t happened is due to that big issue with Chicago….”control”. They want 100% control of everything that touches O’Hare. In the 1980’s, DuPage County (based on a survey on transit) looked into development of a transit center that would express people to and from O’Hare.
It was a non-starter. Chicago wouldn’t even talk or negotiate terms with the county because CDA and CDOT protested. They were afraid of losing 2 things, parking revenue and tax income from rental cars. So the whole idea was dropped.
Its part of the same dumb arguments about building an express transit between O’Hare & Midway. The airlines scream bloody murder because it puts them in direct competition between the 2 locales.
When Chicago finally relented and allowed the I-490 tollroad around the westside of O’Hare, DuPage County agreed as along as they could get a western access to O’Hare. But after 9-11, Chicago reneged on building a underground transit system to the terminal “for security reasons”.
Chicago constantly tries to block IDOT from funding the third airport near Peotone because in their mind it takes money and patronage jobs out of their control.
For years you couldn’t even buy a Illinois Lottery Ticket at O’Hare. Finally they horse traded, Chicago gave up control of speed patrol of the interstate highways in Chicago to the ISP (lucrative speeding ticket revenue) , in return they get a cut of Lottery ticket sales revenue.
North Central Service is now 21 years since establishment. There’s all sorts of overdue reasons for weekend/ holiday trains but aviation isn’t one of them. There will never be enough METRA frequency for O’Hare Airport traffic to depend on it — airline passengers or airport employees, either one.
Amtrak MKA stop for the Hiawatha at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport is a much-needed and very well patronized south suburban park-ride that has little to do with the namesake airport.
I don’t know who uses MBTA’s stop at PVD Rhode Island Theodore Francis Green Airport, as I’ve not yet been there. It can’t be airline passengers as there are only a few trains weekday rush hours only. (Weekend and off-peak service goes no further soth than Providence.) The whole point of T. F. Green Airport is that it’s a great place to rent a car. Unlike the competition BOS Logan International Airport in Boston, which is more suitable for the numerous transit and bus options.
Nice to see the old Milw. Rd ROW. A-5, if memory serves, also was called “Pacific Junction” back when.
After rolling through the Belmont Avenue station and across the street of the same name, train No. 712, pushed by SD70MACH No. 500, curves around the connection from the North Central to the Milwaukee West line at the B17 interlocking. David Lassen. That should be the B12 interlocking in Franklin Park. B17 is at the West end of Bensenville Yard where the cutoff from A20 joins the D&I main.
Corrected. Thanks.
If Amtrak’s Hiawatha/Borealis service could include a stop at Mayfair (where also CTA stops), it would make for an easier method for passengers intending to go to/from O’Hare airport and points along the Hiawatha/Borealis route. Example: fly from Gatwick airport in England to O’Hare, take CTA a short distance to Mayfair, then walk over to the Amtrak boarding zone, then hop on the Borealis train to La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Thirty-minute headways on every commuter line would be a solution to the area’s traffic problems on all expressways.
It would be nice if there was some reporting on any increase in Chi-Milw Hiawatha traffic during the conventions.
This should be a no brainer. Trains should run all day every day every 15 minutes.
Make it EASY for patrons. Too many transit agencies fail to heed this by offering token service with few amenities and so no one uses the service. It’s really not rocket science. When Caltrain dramatically increased frequency and speed (the Baby Bullet, in 2004) it was a HUGE success. I was a regular rider then and it dramatically improved my commute and thus my life.
Mike’s 15-minute passenger headway may be a bit unrealistic but not as totally crazy as it sounds. CNR inside EJ&E isn’t a heavy freight route, nor is Milwaukee District West.
As someone who has actually used the Metra-O’Hare stop here is my humble opinion.
– Better than the CTA service because you can carry luggage easily on Metra.
– Schedules are better on Metra from the Loop, CTA takes forever due to local stops
– Needs a climate controlled escalator & walkway from the Metra station to the O’Hare Rental Car Transit station, right now you have a choice of taking the station to terminal shuttle bus or walking about 400-500 yards around the parking garage to get on the rental car transit escalator. Not practical in the rain or cold/snow seasons.
– No access from the suburbs unless you go through the Loop or live on the NW service line.
I know Chicago wants to bypass CTA with a O’Hare to Loop express service, but cant afford it. I know the suburbs (all of them) want a comprehensive service to O’Hare that doesnt require a car, a bus, a limo, or going through the Loop.
Why this hasn’t happened is due to that big issue with Chicago….”control”. They want 100% control of everything that touches O’Hare. In the 1980’s, DuPage County (based on a survey on transit) looked into development of a transit center that would express people to and from O’Hare.
It was a non-starter. Chicago wouldn’t even talk or negotiate terms with the county because CDA and CDOT protested. They were afraid of losing 2 things, parking revenue and tax income from rental cars. So the whole idea was dropped.
Its part of the same dumb arguments about building an express transit between O’Hare & Midway. The airlines scream bloody murder because it puts them in direct competition between the 2 locales.
When Chicago finally relented and allowed the I-490 tollroad around the westside of O’Hare, DuPage County agreed as along as they could get a western access to O’Hare. But after 9-11, Chicago reneged on building a underground transit system to the terminal “for security reasons”.
Chicago constantly tries to block IDOT from funding the third airport near Peotone because in their mind it takes money and patronage jobs out of their control.
For years you couldn’t even buy a Illinois Lottery Ticket at O’Hare. Finally they horse traded, Chicago gave up control of speed patrol of the interstate highways in Chicago to the ISP (lucrative speeding ticket revenue) , in return they get a cut of Lottery ticket sales revenue.
North Central Service is now 21 years since establishment. There’s all sorts of overdue reasons for weekend/ holiday trains but aviation isn’t one of them. There will never be enough METRA frequency for O’Hare Airport traffic to depend on it — airline passengers or airport employees, either one.
Amtrak MKA stop for the Hiawatha at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport is a much-needed and very well patronized south suburban park-ride that has little to do with the namesake airport.
I don’t know who uses MBTA’s stop at PVD Rhode Island Theodore Francis Green Airport, as I’ve not yet been there. It can’t be airline passengers as there are only a few trains weekday rush hours only. (Weekend and off-peak service goes no further soth than Providence.) The whole point of T. F. Green Airport is that it’s a great place to rent a car. Unlike the competition BOS Logan International Airport in Boston, which is more suitable for the numerous transit and bus options.