Chicago train services preparing for extreme cold this winter
Written by RT&S Staff
Metra
Last year’s polar vortex in the Chicago area was no joke, and it might not be a no-show this winter season.
On Jan. 20, 2019, the temperature was a record minus-23 at Chicago O’Hare. New power lines on the South Shore line broke and there was also a freight derailment. Service was interrupted for days, and officials are bracing for the worst this winter … and preparing accordingly.
Heated horns on locomotives and plans to cut service if the weather turns too cold are just a couple of adjustments heading into December, January and February. If the temperature is forecasted to drop to minus 20 or lower, the South Shore Line may cancel trips. Metra is also discussing going with alternative snow schedules for trains in extreme weather. Metra also will attack the cold with newer locomotives and rehabbed cars. The rail service, which moves commuters between Chicago and the Chicago suburbs, also has added heaters to yard switches and will use new air jet blowers to keep the yards clear. Communication procedures also have been altered.
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