Now Running: SWS Saturday Service

metraRI wrote:I can see the need for padding between Wrightwood and CUS or around Chicago Ridge, but south of the ridge there is no traffic... and even there Metra pads way too heavily. 4 minutes between Palos Park/Palos Heights, easily be 3.... 6 between 143rd/153rd, could be 5. It just baffles me that the timetable was lengthened while there were speed increases with the 2006 New Start.

Yeah, go figure. Maybe it's just that they overestimated the amount of freight train interference east of these stations...

Now that Saturday service has been running for a couple of months now, has there been any noticeable ridership increases? Any changes to Saturday ridership on the Rock?

I rode the earliest inbound train yesterday, and maybe a dozen people got on at Oak Lawn (where I got on). I don't think the Rock will be impacted by the new SWS weekend service because it has so few trains. Maybe double the current 3/3 count and see what happens. Even then I sort of doubt that it would be stealing riders from the Rock. Weekend service seems to serves more downtown-bound recreation seekers in groups (who would otherwise drive, like families going to museums) than anything else.

In other news, the SWS crews are still keeping up their tried-and-true practice of stuffing all the passengers into one car of a 6+ car train. Great way to retain riders - make sure the only seats left after Oak Lawn are the flip-down ones on the upper level! (eyeroll)

Crews on both RI and SWS do not like to open "unnecessary" cars, even when a car is getting full.

Weekend RI crews will still start out with one car open at Joliet then open cars as needed... which usually has to happen by Mokena, and again by Oak Forest... so I don't understand why three or more cars are not opened from the start. Even if the train runs light, at least people are comfortable. Maybe something to ask OTB?

Typical RI scenerio: People are spread out along the platform. Train stops, people walk toward doors... realizing they walked to a car that is closed. Turn around. Once in the vestibule they look both ways, see which side looks most empty, pick a way to walk. After walking halfway through the car, they realize there are barely any seats open and turn around and try other side. Maybe by that time a crew memeber notices and decides to open another car... maybe. This is probably where the delay of 'heavy passenger loading' comes from, especially on weekends.

I have not noticed any decrease on RI during Saturdays, the heaviest loads for SWS probably get on at Oak Lawn... which is the point where people would not go to RI, rather go to Midway to take the Orange Line.

A couple weeks back, if I'm remembering correctly, the last SWS Saturday outbound had a car and a half open. The rear car and half of the car in front of it had lights on. The other half was black. Does this happen on any other line? Why not just open two cars? Some times there are some things that just do not make sense.

metraRI wrote: A couple weeks back, if I'm remembering correctly, the last SWS Saturday outbound had a car and a half open. The rear car and half of the car in front of it had lights on. The other half was black. Does this happen on any other line? Why not just open two cars? Some times there are some things that just do not make sense.

I saw this once on the SWS (sometime last fall), except it was on a train with only a half car open to passengers, not a car and a half. From what I could ascertain, the crew was chilling out in the darkened half between stops, which was lighted as such to deter passengers from entering (the door to it was unlocked).

metraRI wrote:Crews on both RI and SWS do not like to open "unnecessary" cars, even when a car is getting full.

Weekend RI crews will still start out with one car open at Joliet then open cars as needed... which usually has to happen by Mokena, and again by Oak Forest... so I don't understand why three or more cars are not opened from the start. Even if the train runs light, at least people are comfortable. Maybe something to ask OTB?

Yes, definitely. As I noted before, they seem to like your questions, so give it a shot...

metraRI wrote:A couple weeks back, if I'm remembering correctly, the last SWS Saturday outbound had a car and a half open. The rear car and half of the car in front of it had lights on. The other half was black. Does this happen on any other line? Why not just open two cars? Some times there are some things that just do not make sense.

1 1/2 cars usually seems to be enough for late night runs; it's pretty common on UP/W trains 11 & 70, the last runs of the night in each direction. I've also taken a ride on NCS train 120, the last scheduled inbound, and last time I rode there was just a half a car open. Which was plenty, since there were only 5 people onboard, including the crew...

SWS has been able to take full advantage of the summer crowds; yesterday's busy runs (864/863) filled 5 cars, which I thought was impressive. Even the last inbound of the day was able to fill 2 cars, more than I had expected... granted I'm sure Venetian night goers had some effect. Hopefully a sign that the service is here to stay.

I'm wondering: how does a conductor open just half of a car? The only thing I can think of is not permitting passengers up top.

Rockingham Racer wrote:I'm wondering: how does a conductor open just half of a car? The only thing I can think of is not permitting passengers up top.

I would think using just half a car refers to just using the A end or B end of the car with the vestibule separating the 2 ends. By keeping one half of the car dark you only open it up if passenger loads require it. Thats usually how you only use a half car not closing the upper seating area.

qboy wrote:

Rockingham Racer wrote:I'm wondering: how does a conductor open just half of a car? The only thing I can think of is not permitting passengers up top.

I would think using just half a car refers to just using the A end or B end of the car with the vestibule separating the 2 ends. By keeping one half of the car dark you only open it up if passenger loads require it. Thats usually how you only use a half car not closing the upper seating area.

Yeah, that's it. You get on the car, and either go left (for example), or try and open the doors on the right and find that they're either locked or the lights in that area are out. If you made the mistake of going right, you will then turn around and go to where the passengers are, where you will have the distinct privelege of sitting next to someone who's blabbing on their phone/smells/is glaring at you or up on top in the flip-down seats where your knees are going to block the aisle.

metra RI wrote

SWS has been able to take full advantage of the summer crowds; yesterday's busy runs (864/863) filled 5 cars, which I thought was impressive. Even the last inbound of the day was able to fill 2 cars, more than I had expected... granted I'm sure Venetian night goers had some effect. Hopefully a sign that the service is here to stay.

Venetian night had everything to do with the crowds. Normally 866/865 carry about 30-35 people. I for one hope the Saturday Service fails because I do not want to be forced to work Saturday. On my time off the last thing I want to do is play with a train.

So some numbers are out: According to the '10 budget, the average Saturday ridership for SWS is 100 riders; equivalent to SWS's weekday reverse commute.

metraRI wrote:So some numbers are out: According to the '10 budget, the average Saturday ridership for SWS is 100 riders; equivalent to SWS's weekday reverse commute.

Really packin' em in, huh? Works out to just under 17 passengers per train, on average. Not good...

I'm curious as to what Metra's goal for Saturday ridership is... when you've only got 3 options, I can't imagine ridership is expected to be high. The majority of riders come from the two mid-day runs... Metra would probably have better luck updating the schedule based on current ridership.

In comparison ME's Blue Island Branch has 30 trains each Saturday and averages 23 passengers per train.

metraRI wrote:I'm curious as to what Metra's goal for Saturday ridership is... when you've only got 3 options, I can't imagine ridership is expected to be high. The majority of riders come from the two mid-day runs... Metra would probably have better luck updating the schedule based on current ridership

Looking back at the original article (2nd post of this thread) there was talk about the potential for the Saturday trains to spur development in Orland Park and Oak Lawn, but otherwise, I couldn't really tell what Metra's goal was for adding the service. But since there was a unique funding mechanism used to start the service, I guess the money had to be spent...