CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Residents along Metra’s U.P. Northwest Line will have more trains to choose from starting next Monday — a welcome addition for commuters now that a three-year construction project on the Kennedy Expressway has begun.
Spokesman Michael Gillis said the decision to add 12 more trains a day comes as part of regular assessments based on ridership.
“It’s not entirely due to the Kennedy, but we were working on this schedule already,” he said. “We knew that Kennedy work was starting, so we thought it would be a good time to start it roughly coinciding with Kennedy work.”
The additional trains mean there will be 78 trips each weekday — more than before the pandemic.
Gillis said they don’t have plans at this time to increase service along other lines affected by the construction but will be monitoring ridership on the U.P. North and Milwaukee District North Lines.
If ridership does jump, he said they could add cars to existing trains more quickly than whole new trains, which has been slowed by a lack of staff.
Other additions may come at different times based on changes in riders' patterns.
“They need service that’s different from what it was before the pandemic,” he said. “We don’t need the commute to downtown offices so much anymore.”
Gillis says it’s a major revision to the U.P. Northwest line, so regular riders should check the schedule because some train times will change starting Monday.
Related
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!