CHICAGO — Metra will roll out a revised schedule for its Rock Island District on Jan. 28. The schedule reflects changes required under operation with positive train control, as well as adjustments reflecting rider comments on its earlier schedule proposal. [See “Metra releases proposed Rock Island schedule for PTC operation,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 17, 2018.]
Adjustments cited by Metra in a press release include restoration of the departure times for two outbound trains from LaSalle Street Station, conversion of one train into an express, and new trains that arrive downtown before 6 a.m. and depart at 7:05 p.m. The new schedule is available here. Metra is calling it a “pilot schedule” that will be evaluated for several months.
The new schedule reflects the increased time for trains to “flip,” or head in the opposite direction after completing a run. That process requires more than 10 minutes, which required changes to schedules for about a dozen trains. Those changes, in turn, affect other trains.
Metra’s BNSF line underwent a similar process with a proposed and adjusted schedule before beginning operation under PTC in 2018. [See “Metra begins service with new BNSF schedule,” Trains News Wire, June 11, 2018.] Other Metra lines will begin PTC operation later this year and in 2020.
