Metra revises BNSF Line schedule to reflect actual arrival times

Metra has revised the BNSF Line schedule to reflect actual operating conditions and minimize customer wait times, the Chicago-area commuter railroad announced yesterday.

The changes stem from a BNSF Railway Co.-commissioned analysis of months of operating data, Metra officials said in a press release. The timetables for about two-thirds of Metra trains on the BNSF Line have been adjusted for stops along the route, mostly by adding one or two minutes per stop.

In some rare cases, Metra added four to seven minutes to arrival and departure times. The new schedule doesn't change the arrival and departure times of trains at Union Station, however.

"We understand that for our customers, the timely arrival of our trains at their departing station can be nearly as important as the timely arrival at the final destination," said Metra Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Don Orseno. "That's why we periodically review our schedules and adjust our timetables to make them as realistic – and therefore as reliable – as possible."

The railroad's schedules are designed to correspond to typical conditions and circumstances along the route, meaning that trains can run slightly behind schedule due to a variety of unpredictable factors. This is the case for intermediate stops in particular, Metra officials said.

The new schedule was created based on months of recent GPS and signal data to determine the most realistic, typical arrival and departure times. Trains now should depart more reliably as scheduled from intermediate stops, Metra officials added.