Bridge rebuilding will mean changes for Metra commuters

February 14, 2001 A major program to rebuild nearly two-dozen century-old railroad bridges on Metra's Union Pacific North line is expected to start next month and will mean schedule changes for thousands of commuters, the Chicago Tribune reports. Although the bridges are on Chicago's North Side, the entire line will be affected because the project will force northbound and southbound trains onto a single track at work sites, officials said.

As a result, Metra is
revising UP North arrivals and departures, and some trains will skip certain
stops. Rush-hour commutes will be affected most, Metra said.

With nearly 10 million
passenger trips a year, the UP North is Metra’s third-busiest line, after the BNSF
and the Electric lines.

Metra will officially announce
the first phase of the eight-year, $185-million program at its board meeting July
16. The new schedules will start about the third week of August and be
available by next week. Train times will vary by about two minutes, Metra said.

"The staff has been
working on preparing a phased program that will be done with the least
disruption in terms of schedules," said Jim Labelle, a Metra board member
who represents Lake County. "Metra riders are creatures of habit. If I’m
used to getting on the 8:03 [train] and its now 8:05, that’s a big change in my
lifestyle."

Commuters on Thursday said
schedule changes are worth it to keep bridges in good repair.

"Safety first. I want
to get there. I want it to work," said Debra Kujbida, who commutes to
Evanston every weekday.

Metra is also building a
new Ravenswood station, the most-used stop on the UP North and ninth-busiest of
all stations. Currently, passengers must wait on an open platform south of
Lawrence Avenue. The new station will be accessible for the disabled and will
also accommodate longer trains.

Metra had planned to build
the new station north of Lawrence, but community concerns prompted a review by
Metra and a final decision has not been made, spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said.

At a recent open house for
area residents, concerns were raised about the loss of landscaping and
neighborhood gardens that line the tracks.

Metra had previously
planned to keep double-track service by building new retaining walls and
widening the right-of-way to accommodate a temporary track. The plan would have
wiped out some gardens, but was scrapped because it would have cost an additional
$80 million, Metra said.

Some money for the project
is coming from federal job-stimulus funds. Metra awarded the contract to Walsh
Construction, which has already been paid $67 million. The rail line estimates
the project will create 358 jobs.

Metra plans a series of
public meetings to discuss the project and schedule changes.

Steven Lichti, who commutes
between Kenosha and Evanston, was unfazed by the prospect of changing his
routine.

"I’d rather not sit in
a derailment," Lichti said. "If they need to repair something, I’d
rather they repair it, and if it takes me 20 minutes longer to get home, so be
it."