The Future of Metra

Metra recently released their Strategic Plan for 2023-2027. In it, a few interesting developments are noted. These include the installation of new ticket machines, as well as repeating schedules and consistent stopping patterns. This all to transition Metra from a commuter rail to a regional rail, as the system continues to face lower ridership than before the pandemic.
Strategic Plan: metra.com/sites/default/files...
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[@avi8r263]

Its great to see Metra moving in this direction. I think Chicago has some great bones for a good regional rail service, they just need to take action.

[@Thom-TRA]

Agreed. It’s one of the longest systems in the US and if we could just get the state to truly understand it’s significance.

[@leereeder2293]

Bypassing Downtown Chicago will be huge on Metra as there are certain ways that it can be done

[@markdangerfield8140]

@@Thom-TRA yes, I like those train those trains are really good

[@robmazur1253]

METRA has always had a high reliability rate for on time performance. The issue, like with AMTRAK, is METRA has to lease time on freight trackage. Also, like AMTRAK, getting their own trackage is the challenge and takes $$$ to accomplish. I routinely used the Link Up Pass back in the day. METRA into downtown and L back to DePaul

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

It's nice to see American rail finally catch up with the times and move in the right direction. This shows that when Americans actually appreciate their history, in this case their rail heritage, they realize what has truly unified the country. Rail is simply the way to go. We don't have a regional rail system but five of the lines (Pyongui Line, Pyongbu Line, Pyongdok Line, Pyongnam Line, and Pyongra Line) of the Korean State Railway network begin or end at Pyongyang station. Can't believe you didn't bring up the crucial fact that in Australia there are 48 million kangaroos and in Uruguay there are 3,457,480 inhabitants, so if kangaroos decide to invade Uruguay, each Uruguayan will have to fight 14 kangaroos

[@Thom-TRA]

Let’s train some of the kangaroos to be Metra engineers and then maybe we can have higher frequencies

[@alhollywood6486]

Why aren't you out shooting 18 on a par 64?

[@MiaCollinsNeighborhood]

Sorry Thom, training kangaroos is on the wrong track

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Do the NORKS serve Orange Juche on their rail network?

[@JustAGamer70]

With students making up a good portion of riders, I personally would like to see trains every half-hour (at least until 10-11am). Mainly because the line that I use, usually has its trains arrive at Chicago around 15 minutes before the hour ends. This means if you have lecture at 11am and you want to take the 10am train, you likely only have 15 minutes (if not less sometimes) to get to class, which means you’ll probably be late unless you happen to catch the bus as soon as you arrive or if you take a Divvy. This leaves you with having to take an hour earlier train if you want to be on time which usually means waiting around for like 50 minutes before your class begins.

[@Thom-TRA]

The higher the frequency, the lower the stress around things like schedules and time management. Students could make up a huge group of riders if the schedules were adapted to fully meet their needs.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

@@Thom-TRA This is a great point. GO transit has been catering to students (mostly using frequent all-day highway coach bus services) and has built up quite a lot of ridership that way, which supports higher frequencies which benefit all riders (not just students). But they seem to underestimate uni students' value of time, since they tend to only provide all-day express services on routes with at least 2 buses per hour all day, but the problem is that without express services they never generate enough ridership to warrant a second bus per hour. In many cases the local service can be as much as 40 minutes slower than the express service, so its frequency doesn't even matter to most riders, they either ride the express bus or they use other transport modes. For Metra I think the moral is that in the short term they may need to limit service hours to stations with low potential: those with low-density surroundings, other stations nearby, and no bus connections. Those stations might need to be peak-period only until ridership grows to the point there can be multiple off-peak stopping patterns each with reasonable frequency. I've noticed they're already starting to do this, and I think it's a good move.

[@donutey]

100% agree, I would love a more consistent schedule so I'm all in favor of a 'regional rail' model. You shouldn't have to memorize the schedule for a system like Metra. As is, it's almost easier to keep track of the Lincoln Service than Metra's goofy scheduling lol.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Chicago is actually situated better for pan-regional rail than Boston, New York City, Philadelphia or Washington DC, or any other US metro area because of all its multitude of circumferential railway lines. And Metra could be profitable if it were to leverage real estate development and obtain an income stream that's not dependent on the farebox or the largesse of the state or feds.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

I can definitely see a regional rail system working in Chicago and NYC. Especially the NYC metro considering the LIRR which is the busiest commuter rail in North America, the Metro-North Railroad (which is second), and NJ Transit (which is third). MNR's Penn Station Access, which will make NY Penn even more of a hub is part of making this possible. Regional rail for both these metro areas would boost ridership and economic opportunity by making public transportation more accessible, and offering higher-frequency service would bring in new users beyond the traditional 9-to-5 commuters. The existing system largely operates as a premium shuttle service for a niche market. And as more people work from home, commuter rail needs to evolve. Towns on Long Island grew because of rail, and passengers have shown that they still take the LIRR during the day and not just at peak periods, whether it's to spend the day in the city, see family members or watch a hockey game. The LIRR is very much an important asset to Long Island and making it regional rail would enhance that. We have the bones for a very robust rail network, we just don’t really operationally have a system that meets the needs of more of the region’s population.

[@Thom-TRA]

I like New Yorks plan to build TOD by every train station

[@briangasser973]

LIRR desperately needs a North-South connection to link the lines together in the suburbs/Suffolk Cty. If I want to go from Port Jeff to Patchogue, I have to go all the way to Jamaica, Queens to switch lines

[@alhollywood6486]

@@Thom-TRA Nah, too far for even HSR. But Chicago-STL or even Cleveland (Hello Cleveland!) might work

[@adamaviation6236]

​@@briangasser973 they should but I mean you could take a bus probably

[@redlion45]

​@@briangasser973 agree there. Plus that would relieve Hamptons traffic, because more people would take the train.

[@StevenAlpert]

We really need to push for the STAR line to happen and PACE to be be more densely present in the distant suburbs... There is no reason for the lack of consistent bus service on Route 59 to make Metra more accessible to people between the Joliet and Route59 train stations.

[@hiawathafilms4821]

Thx for riding with me yesterday thom hope u liked our crew

[@Thom-TRA]

We had a lot of fun riding with you!

[@maas1208]

I'd like to see a shuttle train betwen the west lines

[@Thatguyjack758]

Moscow’s metro network actually has its own circle route (ring) that connects all the metro lines without having to connect through the city center.

[@Thom-TRA]

A lot of cities have that, the most famous being Tokyo's Yamanote Line

[@jakestar121]

It’s quite amazing how similar Chicagos commuter/regional rail network is to Toronto’s. Both are in a similar spot rn with similar issues (like increasing frequencies and changing commuter-only lines to have all day two way service). The most annoying thing with Torontos regional rail rn is how they are doing this massive multi-billion dollar overhaul, track and station expansion and electrification of all the main lines except for the Milton (Orange) and Richmond Hill (Light Blue) lines. The Milton line serves residents from the dense nearby city of Mississauga and is only limited to one way commuter rail service because it’s line operator Canadian Pacific is notoriously anti-passenger rail and always prioritizes freight traffic on the Milton line so they can secure their profits (even at the cost of lengthy passenger delays). Idk if a similar situation exists with any of the Metra Lines where the transit agency desperately wants to upgrade their services but can’t due to the freight company that owns said line

[@Thom-TRA]

The Metra North Central Service is like this! It serves the airport but because the tracks are owned by Canadian National there is only a weekday frequency of 6 trains a day.

[@davidmakuch1154]

I love, love, love riding Metra when I can, however, the schedules make it difficult for my needs. This last week I had a gig downtown and found that it took less time to drive 30 minutes to CTA Cumberland Station and ride from there than it would be to drive over to Palatine or Barrington stations on the UPNW line and ride in that way. And the best part about riding CTA was that I never had to wait longer than 10 minutes for a train. If I miss a non-commuter Metra train I'd have to wait another hour. I recognize that it's difficult to increase frequency of trains without ridership but perhaps this is one of those "if you build it they will come" situations..

[@seamusmckeon9109]

Your naming system reminds of of SEPTA’s new naming system for the trollies

[@dblissmn]

Until they truly connect Metra into a system, regional rail isn't going to work. This is why the Chicago Access Project is so important; it connects BNSF, Milwaukee District, Southwest, Heritage Corridor, Metra Electric, North Central, and South Shore together, and hopefully they also somewhat take the opportunity to integrate Rock Island too. But they also need to integrate fares with bus and rapid transit providers, mainly the CTA. Chicago's past land use and missed opportunities also cause trouble -- putting almost a one block gap between LaSalle Street Station and the Loop L; overdeveloping Union Station and making it difficult to integrate into a high capacity through station; failing to retain the direct connection between the L and Union Station after the closure in 1957 of the original link. A further challenge exists with the UP services; Ogilvie Station is 50 feet above most of the other downtown tracks, and doesn't even have the benefit of a bypass line to hook into like LaSalle Street potentially does. The only option here is the Green Line, which is why the L connections become so important.

[@Thom-TRA]

Downtown connectivity is what bothers me most about Chicago. I think it’s ridiculous that L stations next to a Metra station have a different name than the Metra station. Or that there’s barely any connecting infrastructure between stations.

[@zacscalafini6545]

An orbit line around the middle suburbs would be fantastic! I’ve loosely proposed a line that follows a series of rivers like the fox river in this area of need.

[@chicagolandrailfan143]

Nice video, I just wonder if Metra would ever consider replacing their old gallery cars with the new Alstom-built cars, but it doesn’t look like they’re doing that anytime soon 😂

[@Thom-TRA]

The new cars are being delivered end of this year

[@chicagolandrailfan143]

@Thom-TRA Really? Metra only has one article on their website and one video on their KZbin channel about the new cars, and I even spoke with a Metra conductor and he said that he doesn’t think Metra is going to be getting new cars anytime soon, so I was almost for sure that this was not going to happen, but you probably know more than I do, so I cannot wait to see what these new cars are going to be like!

[@Thom-TRA]

@@chicagolandrailfan143 they made the order a few years ago and they’re almost on their way over here. Confirmed by a conductor yesterday.

[@Strasburg_Railfaner611]

In my opinion they should keep atleast a few of the gallery cars

[@ck4426]

I think you have an excellent plan for Metra and I sincerely hope they listen to you!!! Love your videos, thank you!!!

[@mariovieira838]

Metra seems to be heading in the good direction with those ideas of Memory scheduling and a variety of frequencies thruout the day, all things that are, for a long time, tools of the trade here in Europe. I'm doing something similar on a project comprising some NJT lines (Morris & Esses, Montclair)Boonton) and the proposed Amtrak service to Scranton, but with lots of enhancements not considered in the original proposals that are now being worked out. It is bring fun. It's like a big chess game of service design.

[@RTD8481]

I miss riding Metra everyday when i worked downtown. I rode the UP NW line 😢

[@Thom-TRA]

I’ve been on the UPNW a few times!

[@ganadu]

Thom, I hope the folks at Metra watch this! Your schedule looks fantastic, and you have very good suggestions.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@maas1208]

That system you proposed could work for the L network too, for example: Red line: R1, R2 Orange line: O1, O2, O3 Yellow line: Y1, Y2 Green line: G1, G2 Blue line: B1, B2, B3 Purple line: P1, P2 Brown line: B1, B2, B3 Pink line: P1, P2 [New lines] Silver line: S1, S2 Gold line: G1, G2 Maroon line: M1, M2 Lime line: L1, L2

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m seeing some colors I don’t recognize…

[@maas1208]

@@Thom-TRA those are new concept lines

[@maas1208]

In my opinion the line names should be like this: Kenosha/Milwaukee line, Fox Lake line, Harvard line, Mchenry line, Antioch line, Elgin/Rockford line, Elburn/DeKalb line, Aurora line, Manhattan line, Will county line, etc...

[@eirinym]

Looking at those rail cars, I do think they need new equipment pretty badly. That they only have one door per car is pretty dire, not to mention the low amount of space on the top level, either commit to a full seating layout up top or switch to a single level car design.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

Great suggestions, and it's great to hear that Metra wants to move in that direction! I wonder if it's really necessary to use up one of the characters in the service identifiers just to identify the downtown terminal. I think it's important to keep them as simple as possible to avoid being daunting for potential customers, and it's not like there's any uncertainty regarding which downtown terminal a given line will serve. I like the system they use in Germany with a letter to describe the stopping pattern (S-bahn, Regional, Regional Express, Intercity or Intercity Express), and a number for the line. So for example RE-1 for regional express line number 1. In a Metra context, maybe the BNSF corridor would be corridor 9, so you'd have L9 (local), R9 (regional) and E9 (commuter express). Or in a more American style, 9L, 9R and 9E.

[@maas1208]

I think Metra should use a system similar to the AB skip-stop system that was used by the CTA.

[@briangasser973]

What you are missing is commuters pay peak fares where off peak users get a significant discount. You may increase passenger numbers with more off peak travelers, but will lose more money by not serving commuters who pay more.

[@Thom-TRA]

Metra commuters do not pay peak fare, it doesn’t exist. And Metra is also not abandoning commuters, it just wants to expand service for non-commuters since demand in that category is rising faster.

[@TenMinuteTrips]

San Francisco Bay Area transit options are pretty much a joke. In the 34 years I’ve lived in this area, it took twenty of those years to come up with a common pay scheme that was useable for the myriad of transit agencies. The Clipper card is now useable throughout the area but they have built in a money grab scam. If you are a casual user of the system, you may not burn through the balance on your card on a regular basis. If not used within six months, your funds on account simply disappear. That means that your next rare trip to the City will be the first time that you notice that your card is no longer valid even if you know you had a balance on your account. Getting your money back is a designed hassle (they assume that you’ll just give up) and is worse for survivors trying to manage the postmortem affairs of their late family members. If they want people to use the system, they can do better than to end up on the “(channel) Seven on Your Side” segment of the local news broadcast.

[@chicagolandrailroader]

I really think metra should look into more longitudinal routes to connect their lines. There's definitely infrastructure to do so and demand.

[@Thom-TRA]

Something down Harlem Ave (though that could be cta) and then something a little farther out would be a good start

[@garysprandel1817]

There's been the on and off proposal to use the former EJ&E outer belt as a connector but I don't know if that's still even on the back burner now that it's no longer the lightly used line after the CN merger

[@maas1208]

​@@garysprandel1817 F**k CN they have no place in Chicago if they acting like this to passenger service

[@michaelformaini7053]

Well presented Thom! Your ideas on route mapping and coding show a lot of thought has gone into this. Hopefully someone in transportation planning within Metra and the City of Chicago sees this and follows up with you. The cross town travel problem is one that could partially addressed with smart bus routes connecting with trains at strategic stations on your map pattern and a ticketing system that is available on all public transit within the network. Now I must check out your video on the Business Class Venture Carriages.

[@Thom-TRA]

I like your idea on the connecting buses. It would be slow but better than nothing. They could have numbers that match the Metra numbers (like a route U-N-S). It would be fun if someone from Metra discovered this video!

[@johnalder6028]

Very informative ! I would like to see Metra add tavern cars like the New Haven railroad (to name one) had years ago. It could generate more riders and more cash flow.

[@Thom-TRA]

What are tavern cars? I’m curious

[@johnalder6028]

@@Thom-TRA Basically they are club cars or lounge cars. People went to them for beer, smokes and other drinks. They were popular especialliy on the commute home from NYC to Connecticut. I think tge Amtrak Hiawatha service could benefit from a cafe car.

[@legitimatebusinessman5537]

Metra used to have a bar car, but got rid of them about 15-20 years ago (IIRC they had a concession setup in one of the doorways instead of that being an entry/exit point). I believe they just removed the bar setup and made them regular cars with normal entry/egress. Problem with a bar car is that a lot of the trips aren’t that long, it’s more staff you have to have, and it really only did business during the PM rush.

[@georgekarnezis4311]

One connection that looks like a small easy thing on a map is between the rock and SWS In new Lenox.

[@Thom-TRA]

Just build a platform on the SWS and the RI turns into a halfway decent connecting line for southern services.

[@thetrueglasses]

semi-local here - a bus connection for that would be awesome if that's what you mean, but there should probably be infrastructure built for that. also, i don't think that most people would have a reason to go between sws and ri (unless you missed your train to sws and decide to go back on ri somehow or you ended up staying in chicago on a friday night). it is impossible to walk between (laraway rd for sws is in the middle of farmland). i'm not a train expert so i'm not sure what would have to happen with a train connection.

[@georgekarnezis4311]

@@thetrueglasses I mean I think there should be a single station built at the intersection of the two lines so you can seamlessly walk from one to the other. Think of a trip from Joliet to orland. I know the current schedules and land use don’t allow for this to be worthwhile but if we want to build a sustainable future. I think being able to get from suburb to suburb via train is important part of that. Plus connecting these services would create a strong network effect.

[@thetrueglasses]

@@georgekarnezis4311 that would seem like it would make sense but it's kind of a tight spot - unfortunately i think it would have to involve new road + parking infrastructure as well unless metra decides to make it a station where you can only get there by connections?

[@neilskinkle3019]

Fantastic summary, you just gained a new subscriber

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@delibakerytravel]

You Are One Bright Young Man!! Thank You!!! Happy Travel!!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@MiaCollinsNeighborhood]

@@Thom-TRA You are really on track to get more views with these videos!

[@johnnicpon5783]

You have some interesting concepts. Having ridden Metra for many years, the problem was and still is capacity at peak times. I use the Milwaukee District North Line out of Fox Lake. By the time you get south of Libertyville, good luck with getting a seat (impossible south of Deerfield). The other hold back for regular interval schedules are the single track lines. Again using the line I use, the Milwaukee District North line comes off the multi track line just past Roundout (no longer a stop for many years, but a confluence of different train lines) and goes Northwest out to Fox Lake on a single track. And while there is a siding track at Grayslake, due to timing and freight traffic, the train can sit there for a while. They need to double track these! And yes, the other need is for a line that circles the city proper and connect the suburbs. They kind of have the start of this with the North Central line out of Antioch. Lastly, just like with Amtrak, prioritization needs to be given to trains transporting people, not to freight trains!

[@MiaCollinsNeighborhood]

You are really on the right track with this video!

[@UFOWIS]

Yes!! Hopefully means more trips to and from Kenosha. Cos right now, if I wanted a day trip to Chicago, the Metra doesn’t run frequent enough. So I drive to the Lindon Station, and get in the CTA there. I’d love where I can omit the car all together.

[@bensmediauk]

UP North ending in Milwaukee wi would be amazing and help people with having more options on trains to Chicago from Milwaukee and won't have to rely so much on amtrak who doesn't have a lot of trains to chicago from milwaukee

[@johnjones9641]

Also, Illinois now allows agencies such as METRA to use a dedicated portion of the sales tax on gas to pay back debt incurred for capital improvements this guaranteed flow of money should make a large difference in improving equipment going forward for METRA.

[@Thom-TRA]

This is good news

[@nachbarslumpi7093]

Our most popular regional railline runs every 20 minutes now, very comfy. The Netherlands started a 10 minutes schedule between the most popular cities. Greetings from Berlin, Germany

[@schwenda3727]

Just now read that Rockford is getting Metra service in the coming years… and the state already wanting to extend Amtrak service all the way to Dubuque IA (overwhelmingly likely sharing the exact same corridor). That’s easily a few daily trains east of Rockford if both services coordinate accordingly… as I recall reading that Metra will likely only run two daily round trips. Last fall, I drove through Galena IL and talked with a bartender at a local joint I was eating lunch at and he said the city just supposedly had talks with the state if not Amtrak to get a station built within town should said line become reality. Understand that Galena is supposedly among the biggest tourist draws in the state outside of Chicago (also has US Grant’s old house at the edge of town).

[@Thom-TRA]

I actually made a video about the new announcement, you should check it out!

[@ProspectElevators]

Great video as always! I've always wanted Metra to extend the Union Pacific West to DeKalb with stops in Maple Park and Cortland which they honestly should've done in 2006 when they first extended the line west of Geneva but I believe they would have to triple track it all the way there with how much freight traffic which will make it a bit expensive to do but recent studies have showed up to 10,000 people could use Metra to commute from DeKalb which would easily make it the busiest non downtown station in the Metra system plus DeKalb being a college town via Northern Illinois University, I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of college students would take the train to Downtown Chicago on the weekend if they wanted to so and of course, the Meta Data Center being built in that area as well. It's definitely an expensive project but should pay off big time when it's all said and done

[@paulcastillo1310]

Great video 👍

[@timectrl]

Great Video

[@theaterhanz]

Something that would help would be connecting areas without having to go into the city. Loop lines to make connections to airports, event centers, and communities would go a long way. Circle Lines instead of a spoke and hub design, and more integration to a central station, instead of 4 stations.

[@lukestrainsandotherstuff]

Great video and I agree!

[@dvferyance]

I would love to see the Metra come up to Lake Geneva.

[@Thom-TRA]

I would definitely ride that

[@schwenda3727]

First & foremost, they oughta immediately integrate Ventra cards into ALL Metra operations instead of literally demanding first time/weekend tourists to download an app they’ll overwhelmingly likely NEVER NEED AGAIN after their adventure/vacation/excursion through the region ends. Second, they oughta post the travel times using Metra trains from the suburbs on highways & tollways between the Tri-State Tollway (or Indiana line and Eden’s Spur) and the absolute edges of town versus literally driving the entire way into the Chicago Loop. The second in particular because other than the Stevenson/I-55 & maybe the Dan Ryan/I-90/94 expressways, EVERY major highway going between the Tri-State Tollway & “the Circle interchange” have historically been known for EXTREME OFF PEAK CONGESTION (and the Kennedy in North Chicago is currently under a presumably years long rehabilitation). And third, I’d personally recommend Metra, suburban Chicago in general, as well as any interested developers, property owners, you name it all getting involved to build as many hotels and/or apartments (much less restaurants & businesses inbetween) within IMMEDIATE proximity to various existing Metra stops as humanly possible. The 3rd not only as a decades long post Covid “insurance policy” on ridership, but also related to the potential of the new Chicago mayor potentially HIKING hotel room taxes within the city limits… worst case the entirety of Cook County following suit. If one has researched accordingly, hotel rooms within a lot of Chicago are quite expensive… BEFORE factoring the EXISTING taxes into the total… to which are already well among the highest nationwide. If anyone researches accordingly, I trust that plentiful people will opt for the Metra weekend pass and finding that one upper middle tier hotel room (IHG, Hilton, Marriott, or nicer BW) for below $150/night after tax if they can find it. And don’t get me started on the Bears building a brand new stadium somewhere well away from Chicago city limits…

[@coleallen3895]

The reason why service hasn’t restored to pre-pandemic levels is because a lot of people have become comfortable with working remotely during the pandemic and many employers are have their employees continue to do so because it saves time and hassle, especially during inclement weather. Many people didn’t realize that they could do this until the pandemic, so now, fewer people have to travel to Downtown Chicago in order to perform their duties. The good news with that - less trains on the tracks mean less emissions from diesel locomotives that are aging and Metra doesn’t have enough money to replace them all

[@Thom-TRA]

One polluting diesel engine is still way less emissions than a busy highway. People will continue to travel, so less trains is never a good thing.

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoyed the video👍👍

[@bening1940]

Nice video ❤

[@JeffBazell]

If I were the head of Metra, I'd hire you as a consultant! Great ideas!

[@SpotterCrazyperson]

Nice video!

[@johnchambers8528]

I have visited Chicago many times and have used METRA trains to get around to suburban destinations. As you mentioned being from out of the area you need to access the schedule for where you want to go as well determine from what downtown station they use. Other than that off peak frequency could be better but that is true for most American commuter train systems. I live in the Philadelphia suburbs and we do call are commuter trains Regional Rail service. We used to have a letter system like you proposed but SEPTA our regional transit system dropped that to just naming the lines for their outer end of line name. One thing we have going for us is that years ago they built a center city tunnel to unite our two separate commuter rail services that PRR and Reading railroad used to operate to two separate terminals in the downtown area. While you still have to go through the downtown Philadelphia stations to go out to other suburban lines you may get lucky and be able to ride through on one train to your other suburban destination. SEPTA is also now using a single ticketing system the Key card that can be used to pay fares on both train and transit lines. However the fares so far are not coordinated so if you use both rail and transit you have to pay separate fares on each system. They are now doing a review of both service and fares to try to also grow ridership on all lines since like Chicago they lost many riders during the medical crisis. Any improvement in scheduling and fares combining using both modes of transportation should help grow long term ridership.

[@Thom-TRA]

The Center City tunnel is one of my favorite features of an American railroad. I think using the destinations only really works if all trains continue to that destination.

[@jimmyalbin2445]

A great video! Glad I watched but had I seen it sooner I’d have tried to be more eye catching comment wise. Self burn aside this was super informative and I kinda geeked out about it tbh

[@Thom-TRA]

Hey hearing that you geeked out is a compliment to me

[@yardmstr]

The former Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern “outer belt line” would be perfect to tie, literally every Metra Route together, but I’m guessing Canadian National would consider that a non-starter.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yep. Freight railways are king.

[@tyhik9338]

Great video bro

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@harlemRose381]

A great plan for Metra and hope that eventually that ridership could help out for sure. Only thing from Metra to note is to figure out how to get people off the train tracks to prevent bad press from the news about Metra 'hitting' pedestrians or vehicles, its the reason why I use the hybrid Car/CTA method if I want to get to downtown now. I have a video idea for you to add on this: Metra and the CTA has been pushing hard to bring passengers back to transit right? Well, what about PACE? it was mentioned in the comments here and to note on my personal experience on Pace when I rode it here in Aurora, if you cant get ridership between both ends of the map what's the point having bus service on that road when no one uses it, for example Route 59 (Pace Rte 559) was planed to cut off Saturday service back before the pandemic, considering there weren't people riding the route, but only stayed cause other routes on that list had big outcries not get axed so it was postponed. I'm not sure how long you known PACE for but if you know about the pre pandemic Bus routes that existed before those routes got axed cause of the pandemic, about 90 percent of those axed Routes were Commuter Rush Hour only Routes mostly served by Naperville, Lisle, and Downers Grove but many more throughout the system. And of course to figure out how to get riders back onto PACE as well, considering the new style busses that were coming in for Pace West, Aurora, Joliet, and soon the electric busses in Waukegan, all the new fleets coming in and imagine only 2 people per ride at a time, would be such a waste. Just throwing it out there.

[@Descriptor413]

PACE could use a lot of similar reforms, I think. More straightforward routes that cover greater distances, for one, and also with greater frequency. In other words, make it so that you don't have to plan heavily ahead of time to travel on the bus. Just have it connect sequences of downtown areas more consistently, and you immediately have a more useful bus network. The system as it is now has very winding, unpredictable routes that often double-back on themselves confusingly in an effort to hit every random potential destination, such that you can never be sure where the bus is going. And frequencies are often only once an hour, which means a mistake can really screw you over. For instance, the first time I tried to ride the bus, I missed it because I went to the wrong bus stop, and should have gone to one around the corner (since that's the one it uses on the 2nd leg of its route). But if you hadn't very carefully read the rather confusing bus map, it was not at all clear which stop was which. Bus routes which require a degree in mathematical topology to understand are not useful routes, and people will consider them unreliable.

[@johnnicpon5783]

The hitting pedestrians or vehicles is not a Metra problem. People need to be responsible for themselves. I can't count how many times I have seen people pull up behind a car stopped at a light, and they are on the railroad tracks. For some reason, some people have a mental thing about needing to fill that space between them and the vehicle in front of them. Even if it means stopping of railroad tracks. And of course there are those idiots who go around the crossing gates, that are in the down position, in order to beat the train. It is said that nature abhors a vacuum. I would add, traffic abhors an interval.

[@TheLewistownTrainspotter8102]

I feel the biggest caveat towards running more trains on any route would be A) are there areas of single track? and B) What's the freight traffic like? So, the Union Pacific North and Northwest Lines could easily get more trains in their schedules because there's not much in the way of freight movements on either of them. The West Line would be a bit of a problem since it does have a lot of freight traffic. Same for the Racetrack because of it carrying Metra, Amtrak, and BNSF freight trains. With the Milwaukee District West Line, more frequent service seems pretty doable since it's triple track from downtown to Franklin Park and then double track from there to Elgin. With the North Central Service, there's the caveat of there being two stretches of single track: through Desplaines (including the diamond where it crosses the Union Pacific Northwest and New Lines), and in the north between Mundelein and Round Lake Beach (including the stops at Prairie Crossing and Grayslake-Washington Street). At minimum, I could see five or six trains per hour at least between downtown and ORD Transfer, with three of them continuing up to Antioch. The Milwaukee District North Line has the same issue, as the line is double track from downtown to Rondout, but then is single track from Rondout to Fox Lake save for a passing siding at Grayslake. Provided you put in a crossover at Lake Forest, you could probably run five or six trains per hour, with half of them turning back at Grayslake or Lake Forest and the others going all the way to Fox Lake. The Heritage Corridor could run more frequent trains with no problem. The SouthWest Service is single track past Orland Park-143rd Street, so I think the line would have to be double tracked to Orland Park-179th Street to make more frequent service doable. The Rock Island District could be run with somewhere around 5 trains per hour that travel from LaSalle down to Blue Island via the Suburban Branch, while another 5 trains per hour run express from downtown to Blue Island via the main line, and then make all stops from Blue Island to Joliet. The Metra Electric, being self-contained, would be easy to up to even higher frequencies. You could make it to where there's 5 or 6 trains per hour on the main line and South Chicago branch, and 3 or 4 trains per hour on the Blue Island branch. University Park trains would run express from Kensington/115th Street to Millenium Station, stopping only at the Hyde Park stations as well as Museum Campus and Van Buren Street. Blue Island branch trains would make all stops north of Kensington/115th Street, as would South Chicago branch trains.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for breaking it down line by line! The Metra electric used to have super high frequencies.

[@quidprobro]

Metra seems to be taking a lot of recent criticism well. My only hope is that the zero-emissions locos they refer to in the strategic plan are pantograph instead of battery electric

[@Thom-TRA]

Sadly, I’d say don’t get your hopes up…

[@bryanCJC2105]

Love that you dug into Metra's planning documents. Lots of transit advocates don't bother to examine their agency's actual plans. Good for you to actually do that. It gives you a lot of insight to be able to advocate from a position of knowledge. A Regional Rail Model. Decades late but finally! As you noted, the STAR plan died but something like it is imperative if Metra is to truly offer a regional rail solution. The East-West gap in the Northern suburbs is a huge opportunity as is the North-South gap from the NW suburbs to the SW suburbs. An East-West Southern Suburb connection, especially if it includes NW Indiana, will also give South Suburban people a more options to jobs and shopping in other suburbs. Even operating BRT or Express Bus services through these gaps to build and gauge demand would be a great way to start. In addition, Metra needs more and better direct connections to the L. For example, there are opportunities along the North Side Brown Line (for quicker access to Chicago's North Side). CTA should also think about extending some lines to connect w Metra such as the Brown Line (for better access to the NW suburbs) as well as direct connections to Union and Ogilvie stations. There is a great opportunity to connect the Red Line extension to Metra Electric and South Shore services down around 120th St. Both suburban and city resident needs can be met this way. Great video! I have reason to be optimistic because this time around, Metra's situation is different than ever before. Downtown demand is not likely to return to the way it was and this will "force" Metra to think and act regionally since it will be the only way for them to survive. As you know, regional rail services in Europe are designed to meet all-day needs for all people rather than just am/pm rush downtown needs.

[@Thom-TRA]

The STAR line would have made my commute to work SO MUCH easier since I actually had to work in the suburbs this last year.

[@alexlindsey6446]

The only problem with the regional plan is there will be more traffic jams. I live in Palatine and it's not too bad but places like Arlington Heights and Barrington which already have congestion issues would have even more problems.

[@redlinedreamin]

Love seeing the Metra content! Keep it up Thom these videos always make my day!

[@Thom-TRA]

I love comments like this!

[@johnalder6028]

I bet you could get hired by Metra ! I hope they watch your videos !

[@maas1208]

I think Metra should use a system similar to the AB skip-stop system that was used by the CTA.

[@Thom-TRA]

I disagree, the AB system is not a good way to spread riders

[@maas1208]

@@Thom-TRA Understandable.

[@guyfaux3978]

Philadelphia used to have such a number system once they started through-routing their trains. They eventually abandoned it. People perhaps more naturally find it easier to associate a train route with its outbound terminal, as is done in Boston, Long Island NY, and CT. If the UP-N were the Kenosha Branch, the MD North were the Fox Lake Branch, etc., you could identify trains with the Chicago terminal as an initial (U/O/L/M) and the outbound terminal, e.g. the O-Kenosha, the U-Fox Lake etc.

[@Thom-TRA]

Metra has a lot of services that do not go all the way down to the end of the line, so that may complicate things just a little bit. Plus there’s Joliet. I do think you’re onto something with the lettering.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

Toronto used to only use names for their subway lines, but now they use numbers while also maintaining (but simplifying) the names. For example "The Yonge-University-Spadina Subway line" was renamed "Line 1 Yonge-University". Prior to the numbering scheme, many people would refer to the lines by their colours (which were already consistent acros all wayfinding) because the names were too complicated or difficult to pronounce or remember, especially for people who aren't from the area. Maybe a way of making the transition easier would be to keep the corridor names, but integrate that into the service identifier. So maybe for the Electric District you'd have - E11: South Chicago branch, all stops - E21: Mainline, all stops - E22: Mainline, all stops University Park - Kensington, limited stops Kensington - Millenium. - E23: Mainline, limited stops - E31: Blue Island branch, all stops - E32: Blue Island branch, all stops Blue Island - And for a simpler (fewer branches) line like BNSF: - BN1: all stops - BN2: all stops for a section (TBD) and then non-stop - BN3: all stops for a section (TBD) then limited stops - BN4: limited stops

[@Descriptor413]

Metra might actually be useful now? Sweet. Now Pace just needs to get off it's lazy keister and get useful. I'm sad to say that I'm pretty sure Houston has a better bus network than Pace, which is frankly a bit embarrassing. If Pace really worked on making coherent routes, and getting better than once an hour service, it could really fill in the outer wheel gap in Metra's current hub-and-spoke design and compliment it excellently. Add that to ticket integration between the three major transport groups like you suggest, and then we might really get somewhere (literally)!

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, as a former daily user of Pace, I do wish they would have better schedules. Many routes don’t even run on the weekends.

[@Chronograph71]

Do you, guys, have a phone app in Chicago or, wider still in Illinois, that would give you the next few trains, one you enter start point and finish points of the journey (stations).My country has an app like that and I use it all the time when I ever travel via regional rail. (There is also a third-party app which allows you to buy a ticket for regional rail online - I rarely use that one as I am used to buying my rail tickets on a laptop - call me old-fashioned!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

Yes, there is an app called “Transit” that shows real time information. It also shows available bicycle rentals nearby.

[@vincentng2392]

There is still no plan to build a streetcar or light rail system to connect all the Metra stations in Downtown Chicago.

[@Thom-TRA]

We could call it the MetraMover

[@CreightonRabs]

On the BSNF/S1-A, shouldn't that service terminate at Downer's Grove instead of Fairview Ave? Admittedly, I'm not familiar with the track patterns on the BNSF line, but in those rare circumstances where you have someone from Aurora/Naperville heading to stops between Fairview Ave and Hinsdale, you're basically going past, say, Clarendon Hills to get to Hinsdale, then you have to backtrack to get to Clarendon Hills if your trip starts at Route 59. But, other than that, it sounds like a good scheme, but let's just hope the Metra/RTA boards see things the same way.

[@Thom-TRA]

Fairview is the current terminus for a lot of trains so I kind of just followed that. It’d be really cool if the RTA saw this lol.

[@nixcails]

Wow I wish my city had a 50% fare box recovery rule. Buses have to be commercially viable (ie make the most of their money back in fares with only a few subsided routes) Whilst trains are funded nationally but I think the commercial revenue aim is 70%. However certain lines get extra funding in the absence of alternative transport options or those serving National Park and Tourist Recreation Areas or areas where bus and road networks provide limited access. The pandemic has created Emergency Recovery Management funding but how long this will last remains to be seen, especially as we have a major election before mid January 2024. I am astounded you can't pay on board by contactless. Even my local community rail in rural Devon and Kernow (Cornwall) offers this.

[@andrewreynolds4949]

It looks like they need an integrated bus network to cover journeys between lines

[@scrappytracy5557]

Very informative! Thanks for giving us a bit of what the future might look like.

[@Thom-TRA]

Hoping the future is at least this bright if not brighter

[@ianweniger6620]

Tom R Awesome!

[@CrabMan2539]

0:22 that's actually a MARC unit (which obviously was a BN unit before that). I guess they gave it to Metra (Whom I know also had those same units from BN) but you can tell that specific one was MARC because of the mostly faded Maryland flag on the side.

[@Thom-TRA]

It was MARC and then returned to Metra

[@CrabMan2539]

@@Thom-TRA Ah, gotcha.

[@legitimatebusinessman5537]

I like your idea of renaming the routes. That’s something I think Metra should do, with the intent of phasing out the old names. Especially the Milwaukee District Line, as there are numerous obvious chances of confusion as Amtrak passengers unfamiliar with Metra see a boarding sign on the North concourse for a Milwaukee-North train that doesn’t go anywhere near Milwaukee, on a track adjacent to an Amtrak train heading to Milwaukee. Who cares about what railroad used to operate the service before they went bankrupt before half the people riding it today were even born? Extra confusion would ensue if Metra ever gets extended to Milwaukee (which would be on the UP-North Line through Kenosha; as that seems to be an on-again, off-again proposal). Having a route identifier that is consistent with the stopping pattern would be far more meaningful than the departure boards that just list the end station. Perhaps my only slight adjustment would be that two branches of UP-NW would get separate subletters instead of each getting their own separate number.

[@Thom-TRA]

I agree the names are pretty ridiculous. A lot of them repeat themselves too, or their just a mouthful (who really wants to say Union Pacific Northwest). The reason i gave all branch lines their own number is because I’m already using subletters for express service. It seems too much to have a U2bB train, when numbers don’t cost anything and you could just have a U3B.

[@vahonenko]

Why not simply U21 and U22? Look, for example, at Koleje Sląskie (Silesian Railways) in Poland: they have services named S6, S61 and S62 going in the same direction but to different branches.

[@pilotaburch172]

You know what the funny thing is that I am taking the rock island train tomorrow

[@Thom-TRA]

I hope you have fun! I took UP North today

[@pilotaburch172]

Cool 😎

[@brianhubert8418]

This looks like a real step in the right direction. I hope it gets implemented. Hope it could lay the foundation for high-frequency EMU service someday, but I know that won't be eaay with the freights. But India proves electrifcation and double stacks can work if we're willing to do it.

[@Thom-TRA]

Metra owns so many of their own tracks, electrification really would not be outside the realm of possibilities if they got the appropriate amount of funding.

[@brianhubert8418]

@@Thom-TRA Oh that's good to hear. It should definitely be a priority. Operating costs would go down once it's built too. EMUs can be just so reliable too.

[@maas1208]

Nah Turkey's rail system is much better than India's

[@TBTboston]

**almost** FIRST COMMENT! Great stuff! Keep up the great work!

[@timectrl]

mine was

[@TBTboston]

@@timectrl well it wasnt there when i posted mine lol

[@timectrl]

@@TBTboston it's because of a youtube bug

[@paulmoreno6279]

Awesome video 😎 Metra is an impressive operation 👍

[@alhollywood6486]

I lived in Chicago from 94-05, but I come back a lot. I stayed with my buddy in Highland Park, so I took Metra into the city for the first time. Man, if they could increase frequency it would be amazing.

[@drdewott9154]

I am really glad an american transit as major as Metra is considering moving more in this direction. Your idea for wayfinding and schedulign are also really great and easy to understand. I wonder what the frequencies would be, but I think at least to begin with that once per hour on some of the lesser used lines and maybe half hourly on some busier lines. Lines like the BNSF line could probably even sustain every 20 minutes frequencies if we went that far, or at the very least every 30 across both express and local services.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m glad my idea was understandable. I appreciate feedback like this.

[@rapidshareag3962]

Hey dude, ate you one of the actors from Shameless????

[@Thom-TRA]

No lol

[@samuelitooooo]

Still no electrification 😕 Fantastic news otherwise though. Looks like Metra will get to regional rail before MTA does. 😛

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Thank you for this interesting review. The reality is Covid ruined everything for commuter travel world wide. Working from home has become almost “the norm”, and season ticket sales everywhere have been shot to ribbons. Whilst I am a huge fan of Metra for the type of trains they operate, the schedules generally are poor, apart from the BNSF line to Aurora. It is difficult to see how things will change, unless Metra receives shoals of money to increase frequencies on all routes.

[@terryb0241]

Metra should hire you Tom :)

[@Thom-TRA]

Bummer I no longer live in Chicago haha

[@tylermcintyre1454]

Tyler Mac I need metra

[@thetrueglasses]

can you explain your logic with like... the whole "express" part of the video? especially the parts pertaining to lasalle st station and rock island bc i'm truly not understanding what basis this is coming off of. sorry if i sound sarcastic i'm just genuinely perplexed

[@Thom-TRA]

So right now, each Metra train has its own schedule: Train 101 stops here, here, and here. Train 103 stops here, here, but not here. Train 105 skips all those and stops here instead. Get the picture? What Metra is proposing is to just have one type of express. No matter what time it is, if a train is called express, it will stop at the same stations. That way you don’t need to check the schedule.

[@thetrueglasses]

@@Thom-TRA okay cool! thank you :D (tbf, i use the ontime app for schedules. it's extremely nice but i wish that the fare and schedule apps were integrated)

[@dawdawes]

About time they changed, most European countries have run this was for decades

[@babyjesusvideo]

I've literally missed concerts because of how bad metras schedule is.

[@superiorjr154]

Unfortunately, metra’s way of solving issues is on a budget. which doesn’t necessarily mean quality.

[@Thom-TRA]

You can’t really blame Metra for that though

[@brianalexeu]

I think it's interesting that in the US so many systems are struggling to gain back ridership. In Europe, many systems are already back to pre-pandemic levels and on track to exceed them. If this is truly due to the systems being more focused on all kinds of trips then what Metra is doing could work.

[@thomasgrabkowski8283]

Also the fact that only US city to gain back ridership to pre-pandemic levels is NYC where transit is more like Europe than rest of US

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

In southern Ontario, the regional rail ridership is exceeding pre-pandemic on weekends, but on weekdays it still lags behind. This is because on Weekends they've fully restored (and even expanded) pre-pandemic service levels and they provided new fare discounts, while on weekdays the service is often quite a lot less than pre-pandemic, and there are no new fare discounts. It is critical that transit agencies get enough subsidies in the short term to rebuild the ridership which they need in order to be financially sustainable in the long term.

[@samuelitooooo]

​@@thomasgrabkowski8283 NYC transit ridership has not gotten back to pre-pandemic levels. Only car congestion.

[@railfandepotproductions]

@@samuelitooooo I went to NYC last year, both happened

[@0fficialdregs]

metra! metra! :D how i love you :D

[@roberthansen2008]

I like the regional rail concept. If they did that I know I would ride metra more often. I think it would be neat if we had trains every 15 minutes or 30 minutes. You know downtown isn't downtown like it was pre-pandemic and those days are done.

[@Thom-TRA]

Every 15 minutes would be so helpful. Staff is gonna be the biggest issue, since most of the trains run with empty cars anyways.

[@roberthansen2008]

And you know they could probably adjust the car lengths so they don't have all those empty cars. I remember seeing metra trains back in the '90s and they would be these big long like eight car long trains with two cars open. I think they were cheap and not cutting those cars because then they could put them in use if they had to. You know they should try to do what they can but I think it would be pretty neat. 15-minute metra trains from 5:00 in the morning till 1:00 in the morning. Hahaha and that sounds pretty ambitious.

[@anthonyhunt701]

With covid rising again as we head towards fall, ridership may fall again. The Rockford extension..👍🏻

[@jonathankleinow2073]

When I lived in Madison, my family and I would drive down to Chicago every few months to take the kids to Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, etc. I looked into options for parking on the outskirts and taking the L or Metra in, but especially on weekends, Metra service wasn't running at times where I would have found it useful, and the trains to the northwest all go to Ogilvie, which is a decent hike or a transfer or two on the L to the Museum Campus. Some form of regular service and a suburban loop line would go a long way to making it useful to a lot more people.

[@AdiposeExpress]

Isn't that what the Van Galder is for?

[@Mrtraveler01]

Usually I just park at Rosemont and take the Blue Line into town anytime I visit Chicago.

[@leereeder2293]

Metra was started in the early 1980s

[@Thom-TRA]

The company, yes, but the framework was laid in the 1970s when the RTA was created to subsidize commuter rail service

[@osmanjeffrey]

Another element is housing. Downtown has been gaining (wealthy) population who seemingly work there or remotely, so relatively little ridership there, except for leisure trips. Metra is wise to rework the scheduling, for sure. Thanks for the reporting and cheers to your proposal. Seems a solid base.

[@kevanhubbard9673]

Clock face timetables are best.It's pretty easy to remember if trains run at say 15 and 45 minutes past the hour.

[@michaelbilgen2976]

They need new equipment.

[@Thom-TRA]

They’re getting new cars

[@michaelbilgen2976]

I know. I'm surprised that they haven't ordered Siemens Chargers.

[@twillkickers]

Lets discuss electrification as well! A one time investment that would bring down fixed operating costs.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d love to discuss electrification and have many times in the past. Unfortunately it’s not in the strategic plan.

[@twillkickers]

@@Thom-TRA Disappointing to hear but not a surprise coming from Metra. While I personally believe they have poor leadership, I do appreciate your optimism when presenting. And overall the plan seems to be a move in the correct direction. I may also be judging their leadership a bit harshly considering how ridiculous Metra's funding model is... Would be interested to hear your opinion on that. Sorry if it has already been discussed in another video that I have missed.

[@maas1208]

​@@twillkickersThe Problem is the freight railroads

[@kemperlewis7139]

The whole METRA system should be electrified, like Philly's regional rail, not just on the South Shore line.