Metra, the operator of the Northeast Illinois commuter rail system, has announced a revision of the BNSF Line schedule that includes numerous minor adjustments to departure times. These revisions, which better reflect actual operating conditions and minimize customer wait times, will begin on October 9, 2016.
The changes are from a BNSF Railway commissioned analysis of months of operating data. The timetables for approximately two-thirds of BNSF trains have been adjusted for some or all stops along the route, mostly by adding 1 or 2 minutes per stop, but in rare cases adding 4 to 7 minutes.
The new schedule does not change the arrival and departure times of trains at Union Station; they will continue to arrive and depart there at the same times as the current schedule.
“We understand that for our customers, the timely arrival of our trains at their departing station can be nearly as important as the timely arrival at the final destination,” said Don Orseno, Metra executive director and CEO. “That’s why we periodically review our schedules and adjust our timetables to make them as realistic – and therefore as reliable – as possible.”
The new schedule used months of recent GPS and signal data to determine the most realistic, typical schedule. BNSF Line customers are urged to review the new schedule carefully to see if there are changes to their trains.