CHICAGO — Metra will make major changes to the weekday schedule on the BNSF line, historically its most-used route, with a net increase from 86 to 91 trains as the route moves closer to its pre-pandemic level.
The new schedule, effective March 28, will include four new trains, restoration of three trains dropped in November 2021, and discontinuance of two late-morning all-stop trains between Chicago and Brookfield, Ill. There will be other adjustments to departure times and stopping patterns across the schedule.
Metra says in a press release that the changes reflect rider requests and tracking of ridership patterns. Current ridership is about 19,000 passenger trips each weekday, about 30% of pre-pandemic levels. The full schedule is available here.
All politics aside, when Omicron flared up, many large corporates delayed their mask withdrawal dates out of an abundance of caution. The CDC just 2 weeks ago started lifting the mask mandates for cruise lines using US ports.
From what I have read, many Fortune 500’s are terminating their workplace masking mandates and making them optional going forward. This will spur the next level of office attendance and in turn transit ridership (like Metra).
Once other mask requirements are dropped in the transit chain (like in train stations, etc) ridership should start to gradually increase again.
As for BNSF increasing their schedules, hopefully, they got their gallery car issues fixed during the Covid break. NewsWire had reported pre-pandemic about how the Aurora Yard couldn’t keep the air conditioners working on the older cars and it was causing over crowding and warm cars. I know Metra “lent” them some backup cars from the California Ave. shops, but with the gallery car replacement order just being placed with Alstom (finally), hopefully they can get through the summer of 2022 without the same operational headaches they had in 2019.
Metra ridership isn’t down because it requires masks. It is down because most companies in the Loop have not recalled their employees back to be in their offices full time. I’m not sure they are ever going to call them all back, which makes me wonder why Metra is adding trains when it really should be cutting them to match the decreased ridership.
Its not the Covid restrictions that have caused the harm to this county but Covid itself. Without the restrictions the pandemic would have been much worse and also the harm to the country. That’s a FACT backed up by thousands of doctors and scientists. It would sure be nice if certain individuals would stop spreading their lunatic ideas on this site. We could do without it!
FACTS:
Where I live (go to church etc.) masks are practically extinct.
Congress wasn’t wearing masks at the presidents SOTU address, nor was the president himself.
Britain and other nations are just about done with masks.
MY OPINION:
A mask doesn’t promote health or serve any purpose whatsoever.
MY DOCTOR’s ADVICE:
My doctor never advised me to wear a mask or to observe social distancing. Her only COVID advice to me was to get vaccinated — I complied three times. I’ll take my doctor over all the Fauci quacks in the universe and certainly over braindead Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg.
Mr Landy why don’t you take your rant to Trumps Fox News I am sure they would love it! O an by the way if you listening to any other news besides the one above you would have known that the mask mandate was dropped be for the presidents SOTU address. An keep the Political BS off this comment section. It’s for train buffs and people who just like trains not Political grandstanding!
Hi Charles,
https://getunmask.com/
The mask for non-maskers. Have a great day!
Charles, many railfans are called foamers. But your rants about masks make me think about rabid dogs. And I would like to treat your rants about how terrible the impositions on your freedoms are make me wish the same remedy given dogs could be given to you. I do not wish harm to you but I would applaud if a muzzle was in your future.
Thank you Charles for another logical, well-reasoned explanation. Others would go down a conspiracy-theory rat hole like changes in work-from-home options for professionals that made up large portions of Metra ridership pre-pandemic.
Patronage is 30% of re-pandemic levels? What more proof is needed that the COVID restrictions have horribly harmed this country.
I wonder if it has occurred to COVID pinheads like Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg that people won’t ride because they despise wearing face diapers? That’s 100% of the reason keeping me off the Hiawatha and Metra BNSF —- rides I would have taken numerous times but haven’t in two years. That’s the reason I didn’t take my usual rail commute to LaGrange earlier this week.
British Airways and Heathrow Airport have dropped face diaper requirements entirely, which our own chipmunk-brained SecDOT just extended.
Am looking forward to my next flight, despite the face diaper requirement, because I love seeing the number of face diaper cheaters at an airport I often patronize. I’m betting on 50% outside of the TSA checkpoint. I will be one of them.
Ok boomer.
Spoiled much?
Exactly Charles.