Minor changes coming to Metra BNSF schedule

Written by jrood

Starting July 12, nearly two-dozen weekday trains on the Metra BNSF Line between Chicago and Aurora, Ill., will see minor schedule changes to accommodate a major construction project and/or to make the schedules more reliable. In most cases, the trains will have slightly later or, in a few instances, slightly earlier departure times from some or all stations. Some of the changes will result in a slightly longer overall trip, but in other cases the total run time will not be affected.

In addition to the weekday
changes, several outbound weekend trains will depart 10 minutes later than the
current schedule, which will create a more consistent schedule.

Some of the weekday changes
are being made because of the project to route Belmont Road under the BNSF
tracks in Downers Grove, Ill. That project, expected to be completed in early
2013, aims to eliminate a chronic source of road congestion on a significant
north-south artery in DuPage County.

Major construction starting
in July will require the BNSF Line to be reduced from three tracks to two
tracks near the Belmont Station. The train schedule must be adjusted because
some express trains will no longer be able to pass local trains in the area,
since the third, passing, track will be unavailable.

The remaining weekday
changes are being made to make run times more accurately reflect actual
operating conditions, resulting in more reliable service.

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