Chicago area bridge repair project causes delays

Metra's massive bridge-rebuilding project on the Union Pacific North Line between Chicago and Kenosha, Wis., got off to a rough start August 23 as commuters got tangled in a new train schedule complicated by crew mistakes, the Chicago Tribune reports. Delays and confusion were common complaints as commuters crammed aboard trains, with some riders inadvertently boarding late-running trains that didn't make expected stops.

"It was a horrible
commute," said Kurt Peters, a long-time rider, after boarding at Central
Street in Evanston. "Trains were late, and they were packed to standing
room only."

Both Metra and the Union
Pacific Railroad, which staffs the UP North line, apologized for the snafus and
promised to work out the kinks.

The UP North is Metra’s
third-busiest line, handling 3 million passenger trips a year along the North
Shore and North Side.

The new schedule presented
a chance for critics to raise concerns about the eight-year, $185-million project
to rebuild 22 bridges on Chicago’s North Side.

Commuters reported fewer
coaches and aisles so jammed that conductors were unable to get through to
collect fares. Passengers said they were allowed to exit inbound trains at
intermediate stops before downtown, but conductors barred riders from boarding.

Metra announced the
bridge-repair project July 17 and issued a new schedule, posting it on Metra’s
Web site, metrarail.com. The schedule was revised earlier this month in
response to customers’ complaints, Metra said.

To accommodate
construction, Metra said it had to go from a double track to a single track
along the line, restricting the flow of trains.

Metra had pledged there
would be no disruption of service during construction and that only "minor
adjustments" of a few minutes would be made to timetables.

But riders pointed to
differences between the old and new schedules, which showed fewer trains. For
example, the old schedule had six inbound trains stopping at Central Street
between 7 and 8 a.m., compared with four under the new schedule.

Metra acknowledged problems
Monday and said it was working to address them.

"These schedule
changes are very complex," Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said.

There were six morning
delays that lasted between 6 and 16 minutes and two or three as long as 25
minutes, Pardonnet said.

A crucial mistake occurred
when two trains were sent off in reverse order, she said. One, a shorter train,
incorrectly went first and filled up quickly, before a second, longer train. The
late departure of another train caused it to pick up more passengers than
usual.

An urban think tank,
meanwhile, said it is sending Metra its concerns about the project. The Center
for Neighborhood Technology questioned why Metra is rebuilding the bridges
higher than the current structures, and whether this was done to benefit truck
traffic, said Maria Choca Urbana, the group’s director of transportation and
community development.

The group likewise
questioned whether Metra was being shortsighted in not building three tracks in
the right of way, instead of two. The group asked whether Metra fully informed
the public about the scope of the project. The rail line said it had several
public hearings.

The new bridges, Metra
said, are being built to modern design specifications and not just to
accommodate trucks.

The rail line said it will
have room to add a third track in the future, but rebuilding retaining walls
would cost $80 million more, money it doesn’t have.