CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Businesses are making plans to return to the office, which means more people will be returning to Metra trains.
The commuter railroad said it is keeping track of the number of riders on trains. Spokesman Michael Gillis told WBBM Newsradio that ridership is currently at 17 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and that the number of trains in service is at 60 percent of the pre-pandemic schedule.
He added that Metra is adding more rush hour trains next month to meet the slow and steady increase in demand. Metra is also running an experimental schedule on the Metra Electric, BNSF, Union Pacific North, and Rock Island lines. Gilles said the schedules add more service to non-rush hour times to accommodate office workers who may not have traditional hours.
"This is something other commuter railroads in the US and Canada are doing as well. Boston and Toronto most notably. It's something that's sort of a best practice to try to take advantage of the need for flexibility from riders and to make the service more useful for non-work trips," Gillis said.
Expressway traffic is starting to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and Gillis anticipates frustrated commuters will eventually ditch their cars for the train.
"There may be people who may be afraid to take our trains and are trying traffic. But they will get frustrated with traffic and we think they'll come back to us. They'll get comfortable riding again and we'll see ridership increase," Gillis said.
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