1 0REASONS YOU CAN COMMUTE WITH CONFIDENCE - WELCOME BACK - Summit, IL
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FALL 2020
10
REASONS
YOU CAN COMMUTE
WITH CONFIDENCE
WELCOME BACK
Get to know My Metra
TRAVEL SMARTER
New Ventra App Upgrade Is Here
PTC ON TRACK
Discover Our New Safety System
IN THIS ISSUE
message
4 10 Reasons You Can Commute with Confidence
6 Discover the My Metra Campaign
7 The New Ventra App Upgrade
8 Understanding Our Current Schedules
James M. Derwinski, CEO 9 Our New Positive Train Control Safety System
6 10
11
Customer Spotlight
Employee Spotlight
12 How to Connect with Metra
13 Honoring Our Railroading Past
Board of Directors Welcome to the premier edition of My Metra, 13 Commuter Crossword
Romayne C. Brown
Chair
the new periodical for Metra riders. 14 Coming Soon to Metra
Cook County Why call it My Metra? Think about all the important things you claim 15 Ask Us Anything
Norman Carlson with the small but powerful word, my. My family. My neighborhood.
Vice Chair
Lake County
My community. My school. My team. These are essential things that
7
define you, support you, help you, and add joy to your life.
John Plante
Treasurer
Suburban Cook County
We are calling this newsletter My Metra because we want you to claim
HELP US CELEBRATE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
us, too. We aspire to be that important in your life.
Rodney S. Craig Has a Metra employee gone out of their way to get you on your way? Maybe, he just greets you
Secretary The My Metra concept, which we are also using in a marketing plan with a smile when you need one. Or she helped you find something you thought was lost.
Suburban Cook County
this fall, is about making sure we’re there when you need us. It’s
Every day, Metra employees are hard at work making sure you arrive at your destination
Don A. De Graff about getting you home safely and comfortably. It’s about always
Director safely and on time. From the engineers who drive the trains, to the conductors who help you
Suburban Cook County meeting your expectations. And it’s about communicating our value on board, to ticket agents and station personnel who make sure you get to where you want to go.
Ken Koehler
and relevance to you and the region. And every day, Metra employees go above and beyond
Director to help our riders. So, we’d like your help in acknowl-
McHenry County
That’s even more critical in the time of COVID-19. Throughout this
edging great service. We invite you to tell us about an
crisis, Metra never stopped running. We demonstrated that we are a
Steven K. Messerli employee who deserves recognition. Then, in upcoming
8
Director source of continuity and connection for our riders, an irreplaceable issues of My Metra and online, we’ll tell their story. To
Kane County component of their lives and a vital cog in the economic and social nominate an employee, send us an email at the address
Donald A. Orseno life of northeastern Illinois. below, tell us the employee’s name and how they helped
Director you. Contact us at: mymetrarecognition@metrarr.com
Will County So now, as the region slowly regains its footing, we are using the
You deserve great service and our employees deserve
Stephen Palmer My Metra concept to assure area residents that we’re ready for them recognition for delivering it! We look forward to hearing
Director when they are ready for us. We’ve adopted comprehensive cleaning from you.
Suburban Cook County
protocols to make the system safe for workers and riders. You can
John P. Zediker
Director
read about those protocols in our cover story. Our initial advertising
DuPage County efforts showcase all the ways you can Commute with Confidence on
My Metra magazine is a great, cost-effective way to
our safe, healthy, comfortable and reliable trains. WOULD YOU LIKE
Vacant connect with Chicago area commuters. Your ad will
Director TO REACH THOUSANDS be seen by riders on all 11 of our rail lines and will
We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. We hope you continue to OF DAILY COMMUTERS?
11
City of Chicago appear online in the digital version of My Metra. For
enjoy riding our trains. And we hope that when you think about us, more information on advertising opportunities and
James M. Derwinski ADVERTISE WITH US! costs, email us at marketing@metrarr.com.
CEO/Executive Director you think of us as My Metra.
2 3
THE MAIN LINE
Since the start of the pandemic, we have reviewed everything about how we operate and looked for ways
to do it better and provide our customers with the safest possible experience.
“We know the importance of providing a clean, healthy experience on our platforms and on our trains, and
we know we have to promote safe and healthy practices, such as social distancing and wearing masks” said
Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “We want you to feel safe and confident using our service.”
Here are 10 reasons you can Commute with Confidence on Metra:
1 he cars have never been cleaner. We spent
T and announcements. Please cooperate and
10
the spring deep cleaning our more than 1,000 help us help keep everyone safe.
6
railcars and Metra Electric Highliners with
e are asking everyone to practice social
W
high-pressure power washers, steamers and
distancing, and we are similarly reinforcing
other disinfectants.
that message with signs and announce-
2We’ve adopted a new regimen to clean,
sanitize, disinfect and inspect all cars at
ments. Please, no more than one person
per two-seater.
7
least once a day, with an extra emphasis on
We’ve launched a ridership dashboard to
disinfecting high-touch areas as frequently
show how many riders are on our trains
REASONS
as possible, including using new electrostatic
to help you make informed decisions about
disinfecting foggers. Our intention is to
your trip. Find it at metrarail.com/dashboard.
maintain the cleanliness we have achieved
We’ll add cars to trains or trains to schedules
by deep cleaning.
to maintain that space as long as we can.
YOU CAN
3 8
e are cleaning Metra-maintained stations
W
e’ll wait in stations longer. We want every-
W
multiple times a week, paying special at-
one to stay in their seats and not crowd the
tention to disinfecting high-touch surfaces,
aisles and vestibules before getting off at
and we are using extra crews to increase the
your station. So please stay seated until your
cleaning and disinfecting of downtown sta-
COMMUTE WITH
stop—and we’ll give you plenty of time to
tions. And we have asked the municipalities
get off.
or other entities that maintain the stations in
9
CONFIDENCE
their communities to do the same. We’ve installed two new touchless hand
sanitizer dispensers in every car. Our bath-
4Railcars are equipped with hospital-grade
MERV-13 filters to keep the air clean. In
rooms already had dispensers.
addition, the HVAC system on railcars cleans
and replaces the air on cars 15 times an hour. 10You can use the Ventra app to buy and
display tickets, which will eliminate close
5
interactions with crews and keep everyone
Masks or face coverings are a must for the
safer. (And the app got an upgrade this fall—
Metra riders have always expected fast, reliable and entirety of the ride on our trains, and we are
see story on Page 7.)
reinforcing that message with plenty of signs
safe service, but the definition of safe has taken on
a whole new meaning in the time of COVID-19.
The safety and health of our customers and employees is our top priority. We promise you we are doing
everything we can to assure a safe commute, and we promise to stay on top of the latest trends and emerging
technologies to make improvements whenever and wherever we can.
5
ON BOARD DIGITAL DEPOT
WE’RE WORKING TO KEEP YOU VENTRA APP GETS
SAFE AND BRING RIDERS BACK MAJOR UPGRADE
Trip planning, user-friendly design highlight changes
will impress existing Ventra users and also create
A major new upgrade to new ones.”
the Ventra app was just We tried to make the transition to the upgraded
released, making the app as smooth and painless as possible. Here’s
safe and convenient how it works:
app an even better • If you have automatic app updates
enabled on your device, the Ventra
choice for buying app already should have automati-
and displaying cally updated on your phone. You’ll
Metra tickets. know your Ventra app has been
updated if the Ventra icon on
“
The upgrade has a simplified your device has changed from
The air in each car user interface and dashboard
for train or bus tracking and
white to blue.
is replaced every • If you don’t have auto updates
”
account management. For
enabled, you’ll have to down-
four minutes.
Metra customers, the other
load the new version from the
highlights include:
App Store or Google Play.
• You can easily summon
Once you have the new (blue
your Metra pass from the
icon) version on your phone,
main screen.
log in with your existing Ventra
Perhaps you’ve seen conductor Beth Now, Metra is poised to play a key role That’s the message Metra employees • If you need a new pass or ticket, you username and password to view
Birkenfeld on TV. Or you’ve heard one of in helping our economy open up again. are sharing throughout our region. can quickly choose to reorder based your transit value and passes
our radio commercials. We’re spread- We’re ready for riders to return in We want everyone to think of Metra as on your most recent purchases. and retrieve your Metra mobile
ing the word that people can commute larger numbers. My Metra—my safe, reliable way to get tickets. (If you forgot either your
• And if you upgrade to a new device, you can
with confidence on Metra. We’re also to work and get back home. username or password, you
“We’re sanitizing and disinfecting our move your tickets to the new device yourself,
reminding everyone that Metra really can go to the Ventra website,
trains daily,” notes Kevin McCann, “We really are your best way to commute,” without going through Ventra customer service.
belongs to everyone—our service ex- ventrachicago.com, to retrieve
Chief Mechanical Officer. “On board, adds McCann. “Beyond our ongoing, • The new app also gives you quick access to an inte- either of them.) Then click
tends across 11 lines and 242 stations.
riders will find physical distancing strict cleaning regimen, we have a 95 grated trip planning tool to help you fi nd your way “Tickets” and select “Move
In fact, while other operations shut measures, hand sanitizer dispensers, percent on-time record, riding the train across the Chicago area on Metra, the CTA or Pace. tickets from another device”
down due to COVID-19, Metra never and hospital grade air fi lters. In fact, is 15 times safer than driving and every and your existing tickets will
“More than half of Metra customers are already using
has. We really have been My Metra for our air comfort system circulates air car we take off the road helps our com- automatically download to
the Ventra app to pay their fares, which shows how
first responders, essential workers, so efficiently that the air in each car is munity become greener.” your phone.
convenient and useful it already is,” said Metra CEO/
and thousands of others who couldn’t replaced every four minutes.”
To learn more about My Metra, visit Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “Now we’ve made it For more information, go to
shelter in place.
metrarail.com/confidence. even more convenient and useful. We think this upgrade metrarail.com/ventra.
6 7
ON SCHEDULES
FOCUS ON SAFETY
PTC REACHES
THE FINISH LINE
It has been a long, complex, expensive
trip, but Metra’s journey with Positive
Train Control (PTC) is finally nearing
the end—and the result is an even
safer system for our riders.
Sometime this fall, we expect to complete all the required steps Why was it hard in Chicago?
to implement the safety system, with a couple of months to
One of the main PTC challenges was a requirement that any
spare before the yearend deadline. The new system, man-
train operating over another railroad’s tracks must be able
dated by Congress after a fatal California accident in 2008,
to communicate seamlessly with that railroad’s PTC system.
represents a major safety upgrade to an already safe mode
Metra is exploring new ways to rebuild including an outbound evening train ules more predictable for customers. Nowhere is that more difficult than Chicago, with its dense
of travel.
our schedules while ridership remains that expresses to Tinley Park/80th While times might change, Metra hopes railroad network. Metra’s PTC system must work with the
low during the coronavirus pandemic, Avenue from LaSalle Street Station that these stopping patterns will remain in “Installing PTC was a huge technological, logistical and PTC systems of 12 other railroad companies.
using this time as an opportunity to had been popular among riders before place post-COVID. financial challenge, and we are incredibly proud of the work we
What’s next?
improve the commuting experience the pandemic. have done to complete it on time,” said Metra CEO/Executive
Metra also looks at requests from Director Jim Derwinski. “The reward is knowing we can now PTC software will continue to evolve, adding functionality
once riders return.
In addition to express service, Metra’s customers themselves to refine these give our customers even greater confidence that our trains and improvements to operations, reliability, security, and
In March, Metra implemented our scheduling team is testing new stopping schedule changes. For example, several are as safe as they can be.” maintenance. We will also need to continually maintain and
alternate schedules, which were orig- patterns. On the BNSF Line, several BNSF customers called for reverse com- update the system’s hardware. And our train crews, dispatch-
inally designed to be used in cases of trains used to express to or from mute trains to stop at Halsted Street, What is PTC?
ers and field personnel on both mechanical and engineering
extreme winter weather. Our intention and that change was incorporated into PTC is a system that will automatically stop a train if the will require time to understand and adjust to a new way of
was to add cars to trains or add trains the August schedule change. engineer fails to obey a signal or exceeds the speed limit, doing business.
to the schedules as ridership increased thereby preventing accidents. It uses GPS tracking, onboard
All changes are guided by six service
to allow for customers to physically
We’ve tweaked restoration principles Metra has ad- computers and Metra’s centralized train dispatching system
distance. We’ve tweaked schedules a to monitor the crew’s operation of the train.
PTC by the Numbers
opted: provide consistent and frequent
schedules, but
few times since March, but instead of
service throughout the day; establish What did it cost?
ridership, innovation has been the
easily understandable and memorable
driving factor.
instead of ridership, service patterns; include new express
The final bill for implementation on Metra comes to about
$415 million, money that for the most part had to be diverted
innovation has been
“We look at passenger counts every service when possible; consider trans-
from our already inadequate capital funding. In fact, Metra’s $415 million Total installation cost
morning, and with COVID, we haven’t fers; explore reverse commute and
financial struggles with PTC were a major contributing factor $20 million Annual operating cost
run into a wall where we couldn’t just
add cars,” said Metra Manager of Ser- the driving factor. new ridership markets; and promote
regional equity.
to fare hikes Metra implemented earlier this decade. Going
$11 billion Installation cost to railroad industry
forward, Metra expects PTC to cost about $20 million annu-
vice Design Dan Miodonski. “So when 522 Metra locomotives, cab cars and
“Before when we would try a schedule ally to operate and maintain.
we add service, we’re doing it because Highliners equipped with PTC
change, we had such overwhelming
we want to make service more attrac- How did you do it? components
rush hour demand that if we tried
tive to riders.”
Congress Park, skipping over the more something and it didn’t work, we’d PTC had to be designed from the ground up. The software 347 Wayside interface units installed
Metra in June added express service popular Brookfield Station. Brookfield have stuffed trains,” Miodonski said. had to be customized to each railroad and its specific attri-
12 Railroads that must be interoperable
to the SouthWest Service and North has become the express point for those “Now we can try new things and see if butes. And because the entire industry pursued this project with Metra
Central Service for the first time on trains in the current alternate schedule. it works operationally without that con- simultaneously, there were parts shortages, delays in acquir-
either line. On the Rock Island Line, we On other lines, the team is trying to cern. We have an opportunity to really ing radio spectrum and in delivering software updates. Metra 217.5 Miles of track mapped by Metra
added two Tinley Park express trains, group stations together to make sched- start from scratch.” had to hire dozens of workers to design and install PTC. 2,043 Employees trained
8 9
RIDER SPOTLIGHT CREW SPOTLIGHT
Anne Kozek Carrie Andrade
We love to hear from our How long have you been riding Metra? and 30 minutes at the end of the day to In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, “She’s been so friendly, so accurate,
Carrie Andrade’s career has
decompress and think to yourself. Andrade in May moved from her job as very detail-oriented and has helped us
passengers. Your stories and I just started again in January of this
a ticket agent at Chicago Union Station review some critical safety information run the gamut from teacher
experiences are what make year. I had ridden back in the day, but How has your experience been?
to become a lead clerk at Metra’s central in way that would not have happened if to tower operator and sever-
I just got a new job and moved back to
Metra what it is. In each Chicago and now I’m back to riding.
I think it’s great. I have no concerns. dispatching facility, CCF, where she’s she had not been here,” Godfrey said. al stops in between.
issue, we’ll highlight one I think it’s been clean; you can safely responsible for creating a healthy and
She’s also responsible for day-to-day But one constant for this
What do you do for a living? social distance. The conductors are
of you. This quarter, we clean environment that ensures trains
safety at CCF. Andrade is assisting
10-year Metra employee is
wonderful, and I haven’t had any issue across the Metra system can continue
spoke to Anne Kozek, a Rock I’m a dietician in genetics at Lurie Chil-
with any of them. They’re always polite running.
with the janitorial duties to help stem
her glowing outlook on life.
Island Line rider who boards dren’s Hospital. We work with those
and helpful.
the spread of COVID-19. Before CCF,
kids who need us to take specific parts “I try to bring positivity wherever I go in Andrade spent several years as a ticket
at 99th Street/Beverly Hills, of their diet and modify it—otherwise What’s been the best part of your whatever capacity I can,” Andrade said. agent at Chicago Union Station, where
who wrote Metra to thank us it would be toxic to the body. We treat train trip? “I just always wanted to be positive and the mother of five daughters loved
for the free rides we provided from infancy to adulthood.
Just the fact that I don’t have to think
could always see the good. Even in times interacting with customers.
for healthcare workers from Have you been taking Metra during about traffic. I don’t have to worry that
like these, I just prefer to change my
“Regardless of what position I’m at,
March to August. the entire pandemic? someone is going to hit me because
view and look away from the bad stuff
I’ve always wanted to do whatever I
and look towards the good.”
I’m going too slow, according to their do well,” Andrade said. “I think that
For the most part, in the beginning we
opinion. I don’t have to worry about That point of view is one of her many all jobs are important, and we’ve all
could work at home. But even when we
parking. I can relax. admirable qualities, said Greg Godfrey, learned through this coronavirus time
worked at home, we still went in one
the director of CCF. Andrade’s first task that grocery store employees, janitors—
day a week. I would drive, but then I What would you tell others who are
when she came to CCF was to organize those are the people we were leaning on
went back to the train. considering riding the train?
30 years of files that had been bogging the most.”
When I didn’t have to deal with down- If they’re worried, I would say don’t down the operation’s efficiency. Among
town traffic, driving was fine. But when worry about it. It’s fine. It’s clean. Every- those were safety notes that she tran-
it started to pick up again, I said “forget body has their mask on, and you can scribed and compiled into a PowerPoint
it.” I like to sit on the train and have my socially distance. that train dispatchers will use in 2021
30 minutes in the beginning of the day as part of a safety review.
10 11
CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY HONORING OUR RAILROAD HERITAGE
Metra as we know it wouldn’t exist without the railroads that first
CONNECT
made Chicago the rail center of the country. To honor the legacy of
these storied railroads, Metra created a locomotive painting program
that brings a glimpse of the past to tracks across Chicagoland.
WITH METRA
+ Through its heritage locomotive program, Metra is reproducing the
color schemes of its predecessors on its locomotive fleet. So far, five
locomotives have received special paint jobs: one in the colors of
the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad; one in the colors of the
Chicago Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad; one in the colors of
the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad; one in the colors of the
state of Illinois; and the most recent one, just introduced, in the colors
of Chicago & North Western Railroad, the forerunner of routes operated
for Metra today by Union Pacific Railroad. historic
et ra e n g in e painted in ad colors
M n Railro
Because the paint job is part of the regular rehab, the special ones don’t
hic a g o & N orth Wester
cost any extra money. But the payoff is huge. C
See more heritage painted locomotives at metrarail.com/heritage.
Across 63. The night before
1. Small job 64. Thanos’ grandfather
5. Athens’ ancient rival 65. Katy Perry hit
11. U.S. uncle 66. Stop color
14. Regulation 67. Net worth
15. Kane County town original- 68. Work location
Did you know Metra In recent weeks we’ve highlighted Metra’s You can follow us to get all that informa-
ly named Blackberry
16. Home of the Bulldogs Down
is active on Twitter, essential workers, honored retiring tion and more. And on Twitter, you can 17. Persia 1. Alternative to treat
18. Australian marsupial 2. Spirit or vibe
Facebook, Instagram railroad veterans, promoted railroad follow your individual line for service
19. Start to hunt, kind, handle 3. Insult response
and LinkedIn?
safety, provided the latest about our updates as well as the main @metra 20. Chicago gangster 4. Wisconsin town named
COVID-19 response, shared videos handle for general Metra news. 22. Tombstone words for pike
You can follow us on all those social about our upgraded cleaning efforts, 24. Automatic control system 5. Flushing destination
described our program to honor prede- And don’t forget the Metra website, 27. Take your vitamins 6. Arafat’s org.
media channels to get service updates,
metrarail.com, which also is packed “__ _” day 7. Missile initials
fi nd the latest Metra news, learn inter- cessor railroads with specially painted
with information about our system and 28. Pain 8. Yokel
esting facts about our system, see what locomotives, put the spotlight on Metra 30. A bad kind of failure 9. Catch
workers. And you can go to our website
we’re doing behind the scenes, meet employees working in their commu- 33. Wide 10. Lake County town
nities, honored women who made a to sign up to receive emailed service 34. Material with Biblical name
interesting Metra workers and riders,
difference, featured new technologies alerts about your line, and to receive 35. Choose 11. Poisonous plant
view unique photos from our system 37. South Side tech school 12. Surprised mouth
to make our trains more reliable and emailed news from us. It’s just another
and from other riders and discover 38. Tracks 13. A bite of the Big Apple
shared throwback photos of our system. way to think about Metra as My Metra.
employment opportunities. 39. Federal anti-drug group 21. Require
40. Petrol 23. Explosive initials
41. Mushroom family 25. Empty Crossword solution can be found online at metrarail.com/crosswordsolution
42. Portland soccer player 26. Indulges
44. Pointed beard 28. Opera component 41. Lake County town 50. Rub out
45. Tortoise challenger 29. Temporary beds originally known as 51. Abbreviated alternative
How far will Metra go to serve you? With 1,155 miles of tracks 46. Reference tool 31. Will County town named Nippersink Point to valet parking
METRA and 488 miles of routes, Metra can get you just about anywhere 49. Turn for French explorer 42. Formal you 53. Belongs to us
52. One-piece swimsuit 32. More than one alien 43. The Northwestern 54. Horse’s gait
BY THE you want to go in the Chicago area. We even go all the way to 55. Improve 33. Paul Bunyan’s target? of the East 56. Lotion ingredient
58. Container 35. Smell
Manhattan (IL). And, serving all of that track are 242 stations— 44. Hair fixer 57. Business school grads
NUMBERS 59. City in Wayne’s World 36. French father 47. Innocent 60. “Hooked __ _ Feeling”
one of each will be highlighted in each issue of My Metra. 62. Actress Jessica 38. Lisbon street 48. Ate 61. Decompose
12 13NOW APPROACHING… COMMUTER CHATS
COMING SOON
We also have plans to make our stations more inviting and
ASK US
safer. But there are still several stations that are not accessi-
ble, many of them on the Metra Electric Line, and those are
to our highest priority. Next year, we expect to begin work on
59th/60th Street, 147th Street and Homewood. We are also
ANYTHING
working on designing rehabilitations of the following other
Metra Electric stations:
Thanks to our regular federal capital 79th Street 87th Street 95th Street
funding and a significant increase in 103rd Street 111th Street
funding from Springfield, Metra has
We are also planning a major renovation of the historic Van
more than $2 billion to spend over the
Buren Street Station, which will likely start in 2022.
next five years to attack a backlog of Here’s an opportunity for you to ask us anything
Other Metra stations that are expected to be worked on next
important capital work.
year include:
about Metra. To get us started, we’re running
One of the most exciting items on our wish some of the questions that riders frequently ask.
list is new railcars. Sometime this fall/winter we expect to • Grayland (MD-N)–in conjunction with replacing
If you have something to ask us, email your
the nearby bridge over Milwaukee Avenue
fi nalize plans to buy up to 200 new railcars, with an option
question to mymetra@metrarr.com.
for up to 300 more. We’ve allowed manufacturers to propose • Blue Island Vermont (RI)
designs other than the gallery bi-level cars we now use. It will
• Hubbard Woods (UP-N)
take about three years for the first of those cars to be made
and delivered. • Ravenswood (UP-N)–completing the inbound
half of the station
In early 2022, we expect to receive the first of 15 newly
remanufactured locomotives designated as SD70-MACH • North Chicago (UP-N)
locomotives. If we like them, we can order up to 27 more. These • Highland Park (UP-N)
Sinister: Why do Metra trains run any given time) so they can remind Quieting the influence: Are passen-
new locomotives will increase reliability and fuel efficiency.
We are also starting a multimillion dollar project to add on the left side of the railway? the engineer and be prepared to gers or conductors responsible for
Construction of two new Chicago stations is in the works. warming shelters to stations that lack them, and we are plan-
take action should the train fail to ensuring Quiet Cars remain quiet?
Work on Peterson Ridge, on the UP North Line, should begin ning to replace multiple elevators across our system. Finally, The most plausible theory is that the
lines originally had a single track, slow down.
early next year, and some preliminary work has started at our new GPS tracking system will come online next year, Our policy on Quiet Cars is that they
Auburn Park, on the Rock Island Line. providing much more accurate, timely tracking information. with the depots on the left side Catching fakes: How do conductors are largely peer enforced. If you
(as you head downtown). When know if the monthly tickets they are encounter someone being loud in
a second track was added, it was being shown by passengers on the the Quiet Car, we encourage you
easiest to put it to the right of the train are real or a copy? to politely point out that they are
STATION BREAK first track, since the depots were
taking up space on the left side. But
We have several features on our in the Quiet Car and ask them to
kindly tone it down. If the passenger
the first track remained the inbound monthly passes designed to thwart
fakes. We don’t detail what they are continues to make noise, you should
track, because the depots were all on
The oldest Metra stations are the Lemont and as we don’t want counterfeiters to inform the conductor. While our goal
that side, and you want the sheltered
Lockport depots on the Heritage Corridor Line. know. Our conductors, however, is to keep cars as quiet as possible,
waiting areas for inbound riders
They were built by the Chicago and Alton Railroad know what to look for. passengers should not expect the
since most people waiting at the
in 1859. Both are built of Joliet-Lemont limestone, car to be completely silent.
station are heading downtown. Why the tap dance? Love the Ventra
which was also used in more than 30 other still-
Chime time: What’s the deal with the app. But why do we have to tap the No seat hogs: What is Metra’s policy
standing buildings in downtown Lemont as well
chimes every so often on the trains? screen? on riders ‘saving seats’ on trains or
as the famous Chicago Water Tower. Both stations
blocking them with their belongings?
witnessed the passing of Lincoln’s funeral train in The chimes sound when a train is It’s a security feature—if it changes
1865. Metra acquired the stations in 1987, when it approaching a location where the color, we know the ticket is valid and “Seat hog-ism” springs eternal. Our
bought the commuter assets of Illinois Central Gulf maximum authorized speed drops not a reproduction. And be sure to policy is first come, first served. If you
(ICG retained ownership of the tracks, however, by 20 mph or more. It’s to remind download the newly updated Ventra encounter a seat hog, we recommend
later selling them to CN, which still owns them). the crew (who may be in any car at app today. politely asking if you can sit.
15You can also read
