July 3rd Schedules

Metra released its July 3rd Schedules today, some interesting changes. Some trains have been cancelled for the 3rd, including some morning rush hour trains. Metra added an inbound train from Manhattan on SWS, leaving 3 minutes after the train is scheduled to arrive. There was no change to NCS's inbound schedule, however one extra outbound was added as train #113 was cancelled. On RI train #413 was pushed up to leaving at 5:00, arriving into Joliet at 6:16....#526 is scheduled to leave at 6:18, something doesn't look to be right with that.

I don't like how Independence Day (July 4) is a holiday connected to a certain date. Which means if July 3 falls on a weekday, downtown terminals which are already crowded will turn into complete madhouses. The same goes at suburban platforms too. I've had horror stories in the past at Union Station, during the afternoon rush and after the fireworks.

In past years on the BNSF, when July 3 fell on a weekday, equipment would be shuffled around where the longest trainsets ran early in the rush, cars would be added, and the trainsets used for the 3:58, 4:28, and 4:44 outbound express trains would contain 2 engines. That's when the double headers get shuffled around. Trains that deadhead back to Chicago during the afternoon rush now become revenue trains and still have to make their regular late outbound runs. Trains that would normally tie up at Hill now make express runs back into Chicago. 24 extra trains will be run on the BNSF on July 3.

I'm wondering if Metra actually needs to run a "normal" morning rush hour Monday on BNSF, since it's quite likely that a lot of people will have the day off. Other lines, most notably Milwaukee and UP, are running a modified schedule on 7/3, saving two or three of the longer sets for use as "extras" for the heavy crowds heading to/from the annual Taste fireworks show. BNSF's contract with Metra obviously allows much more equipment flexibility than UP does, and although the overall deadhead mileage will be lower than normal on Monday, 24 extra BNSF trains sounds a bit like overkill...

BNSF does well with the weekday July 3rd schedules until the end of the rush hour when normally deadhead trains turn into revenue trains, and heavy boardings make them later than Metra schedules. When I went out on BNSF a few years back when July 3rd was a weekday, longer trains still ran at the 5:00 hour, then ran back to CUS. BNSf is one of the lines where cancelling trains isn't needed, as rush hour trains can get to Aurora and other points in an hour or less, where as other lines wont have spare equipment until well after 6:00. RI's 1st set that goes into the yard at Joliet isn't until 5:30, the next at 6:10. One problem I see with the BNSF schedule, is that there are only 3 minutes scheduled between trains for some flips in Downers Grove.

metraRI wrote:BNSF does well with the weekday July 3rd schedules until the end of the rush hour when normally deadhead trains turn into revenue trains, and heavy boardings make them later than Metra schedules

With the way BNSF's 7/3 schedules are structured, the deadhead trains converted to revenue service still have an express run built into the schedule, to ensure all of the normal scheduled turnaround time isn't lost. The only problem could be with train 1290, normally a DG-CUS deadhead, but will instead be making local stops all the way downtown, with a CUS arrival of 6:47, just three minutes before its scheduled outbound departure as 1287. With all of the extra equipment moving about in order to accomodate the heavy crowds, minor delays should be expected, and this one in particular looks like a good bet.

Meanwhile over on UP-W, it's pretty odd that train 4302, normally a Elmhurst-OTC deadhead, wasn't converted to a revenue train for 7/3 to provide local service between those two points. Further, this train turns to 59 (local back to Elmhurst) downtown, which wasn't among Monday's outbound cancellations. 59's 7/3 schedule could've been easily moved up 15-20 min. or so to accomdate 4302's local run. Also, outbound trains 41 and 45 are still on the schedule, and are normally the first two trains that tie up at Elburn. Neither one will return downtown on 7/3, so it looks like a repeat of last year, when UP-W only ran three extra 9-car trains, while keeping the regular six-car consists of trains 73 and 11 the same. Then again, 71 is usually a nine-car set anyway, so that'll help, I guess...

doepack wrote:The only problem could be with train 1290, normally a DG-CUS deadhead, but will instead be making local stops all the way downtown, with a CUS arrival of 6:47, just three minutes before its scheduled outbound departure as 1287. With all of the extra equipment moving about in order to accomodate the heavy crowds, minor delays should be expected, and this one in particular looks like a good bet.

I wouldn't be surprised if #1290's equipment is used for #1289 and #1288 were to become #1287.

Keep in mind that 18, 22 and 32 were canceled, all the trains that come out the west end of the Elburn yard for service. So you should have 3 extra trains all with 9 cars, besides 71, 73, and 11. My guess is UP won't allow them to run 4302 as a local from Elmhurst to Chicago...

Something interesting about the Milwaukee West schedules...They will be turning some trains at Spalding instead of turning them at Elgin. Looks like I'm going to hang out at Bartlet this year.

AMTK84 wrote:Keep in mind that 18, 22 and 32 were canceled, all the trains that come out the west end of the Elburn yard for service. So you should have 3 extra trains all with 9 cars, besides 71, 73, and 11. My guess is UP won't allow them to run 4302 as a local from Elmhurst to Chicago...

Despite the fact that UP runs the most Metra traffic (with all three lines added together), Metra's contract with UP isn't very flexible, due primarily to a complex combination of political, historical, and philosophical reasons, as I understand it. As a result, the lack of contract flexibility often manifests itself in the operational details of the service, which becomes a little more obvious when juxtaposed against the way Metra's other lines are run. Still, an added benefit of running 4302 as a local revenue train is that it would allow Metra to run one of the three afternoon "extra" sets as an express from Elmhurst to OTC...

For anyone who enjoys late night railfanning, note the 0-dark-thirty after-fireworks outbound rushes that will occur. Also note the great number of inbounds during the outbound rush. This primarily only applies to the MILW lines and the BNSF.

Are any lines running extra trains today (6/30)? Not until I got to Union Station did I see that BNSF is running 4 extra express trains today (1 midday, 2 during the early part of the afternoon rush, and one in the late evening).

MetraBNSF wrote:Are any lines running extra trains today (6/30)? Not until I got to Union Station did I see that BNSF is running 4 extra express trains today (1 midday, 2 during the early part of the afternoon rush, and one in the late evening).

While on board a UP-NW train yesterday, the conductor announced that an extra outbound train was scheduled for today (6/30) leaving at 3pm, running express to DesPlaines, then all stops to Harvard. To accomodate this, he also said one of the regular rush hour trains to Harvard will be anulled today, didn't quite catch the train number...

AFAIK, UP-W is running their normal weekday schedule...

The only extra that I can find online for today is on BNSF, which is scheduled to leave at 8:28.

Metra posted on its web site schedule changes for today for all the UP routes.

Although not on the website, BNSF has extras leaving at 12:25p (express to D.G., all stops to Aurora), 3:15 and 3:50 (Naperville/Rt. 59), and the extra at 8:28p.

July 3 should be an intetrsting day of railfanning, especially during the afternoon/early evening.