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7/28/2020
Metra on Aug. 3 will add express trains to its BNSF and Rock Island commuter-rail lines in Chicago in response to an increase in riders returning to Metra during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metra will add two inbound and two outbound express trains to its weekday Rock Island Line schedule, and weekday morning and evening express service to the BNSF Line schedule.
Other BNSF Line trains also will make additional stops at Brookfield and Halsted Street stations to better accommodate ridership patterns.
In addition, Metra will adjust the schedules of two trains on the Electric Line to “more accurately reflect operating conditions,” Metra officials said in a press release.
“We see the disruption in commuter travel brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to rethink and retool our schedules where possible,” said Metra Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “This means looking for opportunities to provide new express services or change stopping patterns to better meet demand.”
Metra will monitor ridership and add cars to trains or add trains to schedules to ensure enough room for physical distancing, agency officials said.