Metra will implement minor changes to its weekday schedule on the Union Pacific Northwest Line beginning Tuesday, May 31.
Metra launched a post-pandemic pilot schedule on the UP Northwest Line on April 25. After gathering preliminary ridership data and customer feedback, Metra has made some minor adjustments. In this newest version of the schedule, passengers who board and alight at intermediate stops will have more options for service with fewer transfers. Metra will continue to monitor customer feedback, adjusting schedules as ridership rebounds, and it is evaluating opportunities to add additional express service.
“Metra is using the region’s emergence from the pandemic to reimagine our service by better matching ridership patterns and providing more opportunities for off-peak trips,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski. “This will be an ever-evolving effort with our customers’ needs at the forefront. We expect to further revise the UP Northwest schedule in the near future and are especially focused on opportunities to add more express service as our riders have requested.”
The new schedule makes changes to the following trains:
- Train 602 will depart Crystal Lake 10 minutes later at 4:15 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 5:42 a.m.
- Train 610 will depart McHenry 2 minutes earlier at 5:41 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 7:04 a.m. to allow for better spacing with Train 612.
- In response to riders in Crystal Lake and Fox River Grove who wanted more options for intermediate stops, Train 612, which departs Crystal Lake at 5:55 a.m., will make all stops and now arrive in Chicago at 7:24 a.m.
- Train 618, which departs Palatine at 6:59 a.m., will now make all stops to Chicago, arriving at 8:01 a.m. to address riders’ requests for more intermediate stops.
- Train 622, which departs Barrington at 7:20 a.m. and arrives in Chicago at 8:14 a.m., will now operate on the center track to provide better spacing with Train 624.
- Train 624 will depart Harvard at 6:40 a.m. and make all stops to Chicago, arriving at 8:34 a.m., to accommodate riders requesting more intermediate stops.
- Train 634 will depart Palatine at 8:42 a.m. and make all stops to Chicago, arriving at 9:44 a.m., to accommodate riders requesting more intermediate stops.
- Train 611 will depart Chicago 5 minutes later at 7:10 a.m. and make all stops to Harvard, arriving at 9 a.m., to better accommodate passengers transferring from UP North Line trains at Clybourn.
- Train 627 will use the middle track between Jefferson Park and Des Plaines.
- Train 629 will now depart Chicago at 3:45 p.m. and arrive in Harvard at 5:37 p.m.
- Train 630 will express from McHenry to Barrington and then make all stops to Ogilvie in response to requests from intermediate riders/Arlington Park riders.
- Train 631 will depart 5 minutes later at 4:26 p.m. and make all stops to Crystal Lake, arriving at 6 p.m., to provide more options for intermediate riders.
- Train 637 will depart 5 minutes later at 4:56 p.m. and make all stops to Palatine, arriving at 6 p.m., to accommodate rider requests for more intermediate stops and a slightly later departure from downtown.
- Train 643 will depart Chicago 5 minutes later at 5:26 p.m. and make all stops to Palatine, arriving at 6:30 p.m., to accommodate rider requests for more intermediate stops and a slightly later departure from downtown.
- Train 649 will depart Chicago 5 minutes later at 5:56 p.m. and make all stops to Palatine, arriving at 7 p.m., to accommodate rider requests for more intermediate stops.
- Departure times are also being adjusted for Trains 651, 653 and 655 to improve train spacing and operational performance. Train 651 will now depart Chicago at 6:15 p.m., Train 653 will depart at 6:26 p.m. and Train 655 at 6:45 p.m.
The new UP-NW schedule can be viewed here. All customers are encouraged to review the new schedules for changes.