Metra recounts 2015

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Metra says it has had an eventful 2015, with construction and trackwork projects being completed and launched, new safety awareness campaigns and an app, as well as many other accomplishments.

 

These achievements came in addition to the usual concentration on providing timely service, which resulted in Metra exceeding its on-time-performance goal for 10 consecutive months and should see 2015 finish as one of the best years ever for that performance measure.

“Looking back on 2015, I am proud at everything the Metra team was able to accomplish,” said Metra Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Don Orseno. “I believe we’ve created a real ‘can-do’ atmosphere among managers and staff that is paying off for the benefit of our riders. We still have much work to do, but I am very optimistic and excited for 2016 and beyond.”

Among the developments expected next year are the launch of an onboard Wi-Fi experiment, upgrades to the website (including the train tracker tool), a new marketing effort and upgrades to the Ventra App.

Some of the year’s highlights for Metra included:
• Metra conducted the first-ever live Internet video stream of its Operation Lifesaver rail safety training presentation at Tinley Park High School. The live broadcast built on the more than 950 face-to-face, classroom-based Operation Lifesaver presentations the agency does at schools from pre-school through 12th grade each year.
• The Metra Board of Directors approved one of the first components of the agency’s plan to modernize its rolling stock, authorizing a $91.1-million contract to rehabilitate 41 locomotives.
• Ridership on Metra climbed 1.3 percent in 2014, to 83.4 million passenger trips – the second-highest annual total in Metra’s 30-year history.
• Metra began to replace approximately 5,000 ties on the inbound track of the Milwaukee District North Line between Libertyville and North Glenview, followed by the replacement of 10,000 ties over all three tracks along a five-mile stretch from Canal Street to Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood.
• Representatives of Metra management and transportation unions joined officials from the Federal Railroad Administration to announce the creation of a “Confidential Close Call Reporting System,” which is designed to proactively address safety issues and create a more positive safety culture.
• Metra opened the first half of a bigger and better Ravenswood Station on the Union Pacific North Line. The new station is being built in stages as part of a major project to replace aging bridges along the UP North Line on the North Side of Chicago.
• For the third consecutive year, the Association of American Railroads honored Metra for its safety initiatives, this time for an employee-produced newsletter that promotes safety and operational excellence among engineers and crew members on the Rock Island Line.
• Metra launched a trial program to enhance weekend service on the Rock Island Line by adding express trains that shorten the trip between suburban stations and downtown Chicago by about 20 minutes. Six mainline express trains were added to the schedule in each direction on Saturdays and Sundays, creating speedier service for suburban riders
• Metra and Flossmoor officials dedicated the newly completed $4 million reconstruction of the platform and related facilities at the Flossmoor Station on Metra’s Electric District Line.
• Metra, Waukegan and Lake County officials kicked off a $530,000-project to rehabilitate the Waukegan Station on the Union Pacific North Line.
• Former Metra Board member and Chicago Transportation Authortiy executive Elonzo Hill was posthumously inducted into the American Public Transportation Association’s Hall of Fame.
• Metra began a project to replace 17,500 ties and resurface track over a nearly 25-mile stretch of the Rock Island Line between Blue Island and Joliet.
• BNSF renewed multiple sections of rail along the Chicago-to-Aurora route used by Metra commuter service. The project replaced 19,000 feet of rail that was worn and had reached the end of its useful life.
• As part of its efforts to reduce costs and hold the line on spending, Metra announced savings and efficiencies totaling $5.7-million that were incorporated into the agency’s 2016 annual budget plan, helping to reduce the projected fare increase for 2016 from five percent to two percent.
• Metra, the CTA and Pace unveiled the new Ventra App, which allows Metra riders to buy and display Metra mobile tickets with their smartphones using a credit or debit card or Ventra account. The app is the first ever to allow customers to pay for rides on all three transit systems –CTA, Metra and Pace – with a few taps on their mobile devices. The app also includes a train tracker function for all regional buses and trains and Ventra account management features.
• The Metra Board approved a $945.5-million budget that provides for $759.8 million in operating costs and $185.7 million to fund capital improvements in 2016. The 2016 Budget includes a two percent net increase in fare revenue instead of the previously projected five percent for a total of $6.5 million.
• Metra, Union Pacific, the city of Lombard and DuPage County officials celebrated the completion of nearly $9.8 million in improvements at the Lombard Station along the UP West Line, including a new pedestrian underpass, rebuilt platforms and new platform canopies.
• Metra shows off some new weapons in its annual battle against cold and snowy weather: switch covers and supercharged heaters on several of the most critical switches in its system. It also continues to repair and replace railcar doors that are prone to fail in winter conditions.
• Metra completed repairs at the Homewood Station on the Metra Electric Line that were aimed at making the station more welcoming and comfortable until a more extensive rehabilitation can be designed and funded.

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