UPDATE: Railroads and unions have reached a tentative agreement as of early Thursday morning, averting a work stoppage. Watch Trains News Wire for more information.
Los Angeles-area commuter rail operator Metrolink, which operates some of its trains on BNSF Railway and Union Pacific trackage, has informed customers that some operations will be suspended on Friday if there is not a settlement in the current freight rail labor dispute.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s Metra has updated its plans in event of a freight rail shutdown and now expects to be operate on at least five of its 11 routes.
For Metrolink, service on the Antelope Valley and San Bernardino lines will continue without interruption, the commuter operator said in its Wednesday message, while Ventura County Line trains would operate only to Moorpark, Calif. Metrolink owns the track on that line to Moorpark; beyond that point, trains operate on Union Pacific right-of-way. Amtrak will also offer limited Pacific Surfliner service between LA and Moorpark, with Metrolink and Amtrak tickets accepted on all trains.
Traffic on four other lines — Orange County, Riverside, Inland Empire-orange County, and 91/Perris Valley — would be cancelled. Some Amtrak service will be available as an alternative for Orange County line passengers, with Amtrak trains adding some stops that are normally served only by Metrolink.
Some Metra trains to be cancelled Thursday night
Metra, which had expected to operate on the Metra Electric and Rock Island District lines — which it owns and fully controls — now says it will also be able to run full schedules Friday on the SouthWest Service, Milwaukee District North, and Milwaukee District West. The status of the Heritage Corridor and North Central Service, both of which operate on Canadian National lines, remain unresolved as Wednesday.
Metra has previously said it would not be able to operate on the BNSF and three Union Pacific lines in the event of a work stoppage, and now says late Thursday trains on those four lines will be be cancelled because the host railroads will begin curtailing service in preparation for a shutdown. A total of eight BNSF trains are cancelled, along with six on the UP North, six on the UP Northwest, and three on the UP West. Details are available here.
