CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Amtrak has suspended some service out of Chicago in anticipation of a freight rail strike and most Metra service would be impacted should the strike occur.
The earliest a strike by conductors and engineers could occur is Friday, which will be the end of a 60 day cooling off period.
The freight companies own most of the tracks and a strike would impact commuters on nine of Metra’s eleven lines.
Nigel Johnson rides the train from Naperville.
“I’ve been commuting from the suburbs to Chicago now for over 30 years, I can never remember this happening. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that,” Johnson told CBS-2.
It has been 30 years since there has been a national rail strike. For Metra riders, only the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines would operate, should there be a strike.
If freight isn’t moving at a time when there are already supply chain issues, the impact would go beyond an inconvenience for commuters.
Amtrak service that has been suspended includes routes from Chicago to Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco.
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