CHICAGO —Metra on Tuesday began the rollout of a new live train-tracking website which the Chicago-area commuter rail operator promises will allow riders to see the exact location of their trains and their station arrival times.
The new site, metratracker.com, is made possible by a wholesale replacement of the previous train tracking system. It also includes features designed to make it easier to view schedules and plan trips, Metra says. The reai-time system map is updated every 12 to 30 seconds. More information is available here.
The system is now operation for the Metra Electric, Rock Island, Heritage Corridor, North Central, Milwaukee District North, and Milwaukee District West lines. Equipment is still being installed on the Union Pacific, BNSF, and SouthWest Service lines and tracking on those lines will increase as the rollout is completed this year.
“This new train tracking system is a major upgrade and will be a dramatic improvement in our communications to My Metra customers,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a press release. “It enables us to do a better job of tracking trains and conveying timely, accurate information, and also includes a variety of interactive new features.”
The new $26.7 million system from Clever Devices of Woodbury, N.Y., requires installation of GPS tracking devises and other equipment on more than 1,000 railcars and in 238 stations. Among its features, it will allow workers in the Metra facility responsible for customer communications to send texts to trains and platforms that will be instantly turned into audio announcements and messages on platform signs. It will provide more accurate announcements of the arrival of the next train or that the next train to pass will be running express.
Hey UP, meet Clever Devices. They might be able to help you.
SEPTA has a similar functionality. It presents a map showing train number, consist (!), where the train is, what are the next stop and destination and whether the train is on time.
Good news. Looks like BNSF is live now too.