Metra Electric Line Service To Be Impacted by Construction
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Metra Electric Line
David C. Lester
CHICAGO –– Metra announced recently that it will be adjusting its Electric Line schedules to accommodate construction work.
The construction work will take place between Saturday, July 13 and Saturday, July 20, and is related to the South Shore Line’s service expansion. Metra says that riders are advised to expect delays and allow for extra travel time, even though schedules will be adjusted to some degree. On each Saturday of the construction work, the Metra Electric Line will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Between July 15 and July 19, midday service on the Blue Island Branch will be impacted. Four midday inbound trains (Trains 226, 620, 624 and 628) and four midday outbound trains (Trains 215, 617, 621, and 625) will be canceled. Inbound Blue Island Branch trains 216, 218 and 220 and outbound trains 219, 223 and BX01 will operate as shuttles between Kensington and Blue Island. To allow connections for transfer between the shuttles and mainline trains at Kensington, trains 216, 218 and 220 will depart Blue Island 8 minutes earlier than the regular schedule. Outbound train BX01 is an added shuttle train to minimize gaps in service and provide connections with mainline train 125. Mainline trains will also make extra stops at Kensington to 75th Street as well as 47th Street and 18th Street to accommodate riders.
Detailed schedules can be found here.
The construction work will add a fourth track between 11th Place and Millennium Station. This will provide Metra additional operational flexibility and allow for the expansion of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD)’s South Shore Line train service. This work follows work done in May of this year to enable NICTD to expand its schedule with the completion of a project that added 26.6 miles of second track between Michigan City, Ind. and Gary, Ind.
In addition, NICTD is scheduled to complete construction of the West Lake Corridor branch line between Hammond and Dyer in 2024, and service is scheduled to begin in 2025. NICTD will also reimburse Metra up to $65 million to cover the costs of electric power upgrades, signal upgrades and the new track.
