CHICAGO — Metra has launched a rider survey to help shape its future scheduling and infrastructure plans to meet its goal of becoming a “regional rail” operation — one providing more service at all times rather than focusing on weekday commuter-rush trains.
The commuter operator has already taken some steps to increase off-peak service, such as trains at roughly half-hour intervals most of the day on the Union Pacific North line and a recent increase in Saturday and Sunday trains on the BNSF line [see “Metra to expand BNSF line weekend service,” Trains News Wire, April 5, 2024].
Now under study are more comprehensive changes that will guide operations and capital spending over the next two decades. As part of this program, the survey seeks more information on how riders use Metra now and how that might change in the future. The survey is available here. Metra also plans a virtual public meeting on Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. to discuss its Systemwide Network Plan; registration for that meeting, on Zoom, is available here. Additional public outreach are planned in early 2025.
Do we really need a study or a survey or a committee or whatever to plan out scheduling changes? We could start with this: Metra planners could look at their own timetables. Most lines have (limited) Saturday service and (even more limited) Sunday/Holiday trains. Some lines do not. How hard is that to notice?
I can’t imagine that there are different Saturday or Sunday travel patterns depending on which suburb. IE that people in Hinsdale or Geneva or Hyde Park travel on weekends, but people in Antioch or Round Lake do not.
There may well be reasons why Metra cannot alter its schedules – financial shortfall, freight railroad preferences, etc. Doing another study won’t change that.
Metra has always done rider surveys. When freight interference was the leading cause of delays on the SWS, they took the lead to work out their schedules with the freights.
When people complained about the inadequate air conditioning on the BNSF Aurora line, they transferred extras from another line and spent a weekend pulling out the bad cars so they could be repaired.
The one that took the longest from a survey perspective was electronic ticketing. Disagreements inside RTA (CTA) and some unions drove some of the delay before they finally got an RFP out.
When Metra hosted a survey for the “next gen” gallery car, they listened. The RFP included WiFi, Bicycle attachments, more handicap space, and other items. Only Nippon Sharyo’s inability to produce a shell blew that up.
So while some of the suggestions on surveys seem like from outer space, right now they are trying to see where people are on the work from home trend. Growing? Declining? They need to know.
A public agency that actually promotes feedback from its customers is a great thing.
I’d rather them ask then not ask and do some bone-head move, Metra seems to have a survey every other year or sooner and they tend to follow through.