Service Disruptions

doepack wrote:
35 eventually arrived in Elburn about 75 minutes late; it was so late in fact, it delayed 37, which left OTC an hour later, by 15 minutes, as it eventually wound up poking along behind 35, although there was actually a lite power move for the Belvidere job wedged in between 35 and 37 from Proviso to W. Chgo yard. Meanwhile at Elburn, 35 turns to 54, and 37 turns to 56. But, despite the massive delay to 54, UP commuter control decided to make both 54 and 56 locals to Elmhurst, then express to OTC; while turning equipment train 4302 into a revenue local run from Elmhurst eastward. Luckily, the mess was cleaned up in time for the PM rush

Not for the reverse commuter, such as myself from Wheaton to OTC. I was on train 54 yesterday, scheduled to leave Wheaton at 3:54. It left Wheaton at 5:05, 69 minutes later, and arrived OTC 70 minutes late at 5:57 I thusly missed the 5:16 and 5:33 trains to Harvard.

The morning trains on the UP west have only been late for me (only 15 minutes late) once, in 6 months of nearly daily commuting to Wheaton. It is always the afternoon trains that are screwed up. There have been many 15-25 minute delays due to freight interference.

At least I made the connection to the 6:25 to Harvard, and that train arrived in Harvard on time at 8:05.

Yesterday was the worst train delay yet for me, ever. I have missed all of the collisions, vehicle problems, etc. on the lines, with the exception of once on the UP-NW, when I was once 45 minutes late due to a truck stuck on the tracks.

A few more boners like yesterday and Metra will start losing ridership. I talked to some regular passengers while I was waiting in the Wheaton station who bailed by having family pick them up or they took the Pace buses to their destination (or to connecting CTA transit).

Prairiefire wrote:A few more boners like yesterday and Metra will start losing ridership

Indeed. Unfortunately, the needed capacity improvements on UP/W between Elmhurst and W. Chgo are years away from being a reality, meaning that the risk for these types of delays will continue. Wouldn't surprise me if this route is among the first to begin losing riders, especially since it's the worst performer in OTP.

(btw- that's a helluva commute you've got there, Wheaton-Harvard; how do you manage it? Even with express service, that's still a long haul. It's a good thing indeed you made that 6:25 UP/NW at OTC...)

When I thought it could not get any worse....

The Metra website indicated a grade crossing incident, cancelling service for the western two stations on the MD-west line - Big Timber and Elgin...

From Metra website

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN SERVICE - UPDATE @ 4:29 P.M.
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE PASSENGERS TRAVELING BETWEEN CHICAGO STREET ELGIN AND BIG TIMBER ROAD MUST BOARD THE PACE BUSES WAITING AT THE STATIONS. THERE WILL BE SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE TO AND FROM BIG TIMBER ROAD TO CHICAGO STREET ELGIN, UNTIL THE EARLIER GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENT HAS BEEN RESOLVED.

Posted: 04:33 PM CDT

METRA/UNION PACIFIC LINE UPDATES @ 4:09 P.M.
THE CTA WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING WEST ON THE GREEN LINE.

THE CTA WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING NORTHWEST ON THE BLUE LINE.

THE CTA WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING NORTH ON THE RED AND PURPLE LINES.

THIS IS DUE TO THE TRAIN SERVICE BEING HALTED AT THE OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER, DUE TO THE ONGOING POLICE ACTIVITY POLICE ACTIVITY AT THE DOWNTOWN TERMINAL.

Posted: 04:13 PM CDT

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN DELAYS - UPDATE @ 4:04 P.M.
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2242, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 4:49 P.M., HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE NEXT INBOUND TRAIN TRAVELING TO CHICAGO UNION STATION, WILL BE TRAIN #2244, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 5:32 P.M. THIS TRAIN WILL ORIGINATE OUT OF THE CHICAGO STREET ELGIN STATION.

And this...

Shooting at OTC puts everything in lockdown...No trains in or out for the forseeable future...CTA elevated honoring Metra tickets..

Luckily, work has a work car available for me to drive home and has generously allowed me to use it for the 75 mile drive home. I really owe them...


BTW, if it were the 1940s, I would not have had to go downtown to take the train home. There were trains that travelled north from Wheaton through West Chicago, up the Fox Valley, to Crystal Lake, then north to Lake Geneva and Williams Bay.

Sad December for Metra

Office Building shotting

METRA/UNION PACIFIC LINE - UPDATE @ 5:02 P.M.
METRA/UNION PACIFIC NORTH, NORTHWEST AND WEST LINE TRAINS ARE STARTING TO BOARD IN THE STATION. PASSENGERS MUST ENTER THE STATION FROM THE LOWER SUBURBAN CONCOURSE, WHICH IS LOCATED AT WASHINGTON STREET AND CLINTON OR WASHINGTON STREET AND CANAL. THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER LOCATED AT 500 WEST MADISON STREET, HAS NOT BEEN OPENED TO THE PUBLIC AT THIS TIME.

Posted: 05:06 PM CDT

METRA/UNION PACIFIC LINE UPDATES @ 4:09 P.M.
THE CTA WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING WEST ON THE GREEN LINE.

THE CTA WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING NORTHWEST ON THE BLUE LINE.

THE CTA WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING NORTH ON THE RED AND PURPLE LINES.

THIS IS DUE TO THE TRAIN SERVICE BEING HALTED AT THE OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER, DUE TO THE ONGOING POLICE ACTIVITY POLICE ACTIVITY AT THE DOWNTOWN TERMINAL.

Posted: 04:13 PM CDT

METRA/UNION PACIFIC NORTH, NORTHWEST AND WEST LINE TRAIN DELAYS
ALL TRAIN SERVICE FOR METRA/UNION PACIFIC NORTH, NORTHWEST AND WEST LINE TRAINS TRAVELING OUTBOUND TO KENOSHA, HARVARD, MCHENRY AND ELBURN AND INBOUND TRAINS TRAVELING TO CHICAGO OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER ARE CURRENTLY HALTED DUE TO POLICE ACTIVITY AT THE DOWNTOWN STATION. TRAINS WILL BE DELAYED FOR AN UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME. WE ARE ASKING PASSENGERS TO SEEK ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION THIS EVENING.

Posted: 03:59 PM CDT

Minivan incident at Elgin

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN UPDATES - AT 4:40 P.M.
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2239, SCHEDULED TO DEPART CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 5:23 P.M. AND SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE BIG TIMBER AT 6:43 P.M., HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2237, SCHEDULED TO DEPART CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 5:17 P.M. AND SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE BIG TIMBER AT 6:29 P.M., WILL MAKE ADDITIONAL STOPS FROM BENSENVILLE TO ROSELLE TO ACCOMMODATE PASSENGERS.

Posted: 04:45 PM CDT

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN SERVICE - UPDATE @ 4:29 P.M.
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE PASSENGERS TRAVELING BETWEEN CHICAGO STREET ELGIN AND BIG TIMBER ROAD MUST BOARD THE PACE BUSES WAITING AT THE STATIONS. THERE WILL BE SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE TO AND FROM BIG TIMBER ROAD TO CHICAGO STREET ELGIN, UNTIL THE EARLIER GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENT HAS BEEN RESOLVED.

Posted: 04:33 PM CDT

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN DELAYS - UPDATE @ 4:04 P.M.
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2242, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 4:49 P.M., HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE NEXT INBOUND TRAIN TRAVELING TO CHICAGO UNION STATION, WILL BE TRAIN #2244, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 5:32 P.M. THIS TRAIN WILL ORIGINATE OUT OF THE CHICAGO STREET ELGIN STATION.

Posted: 04:08 PM CDT

MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN DELAYS
MILWAUKEE WEST LINE TRAIN #2219, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE BIG TIMBER AT 2:59 P.M., IS CURRENTLY STOPPED JUST OUTSIDE THE ELGIN STATION, DUE TO A GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENT. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE DELAY IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. WE WILL UPDATE INFORMATION AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

Posted: 03:08 PM CDT

HERITAGE CORRIDOR TRAIN DELAYS
HERITAGE CORRIDOR TRAIN #921, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE JOLIET AT 7:14 P.M., IS CURRENTLY STOPPED BEHIND A FREIGHT TRAIN AT THE LEMONT STATION, DUE TO A FREIGHT TRAIN STRIKING A PEDESTRAIN AT ROMEOVILLE. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE DELAY IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

BUSES HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO ASSIST PASSENGERS IN GETTING FROM THE LEMONT STATION TO JOLIET. WE WILL UPDATE INFORMATION AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

Posted: 07:21 PM CDT

Shooting at Ogilvie update

METRA/UNION PACIFIC TRAIN DELAYS - UPDATE @ 7:50 P.M.
METRA/UNION PACIFIC NORTH, NORTHWEST AND WEST LINE TRAINS MAY BE OPERATING 20 TO 60 MINUTES LATE ENROUTE, DUE TO THE EARLIER POLICE ACTIVITY AT THE OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER THIS EVENING.

Posted: 07:51 PM CDT

METRA/UNION PACIFIC SERVICE UPDATE @ 5:09 P.M.
METRA/UNION PACIFIC TRAIN SERVICE HAS BEEN RESUMED. THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER AT 500 WEST MADISON STREET HAS NOW BEEN OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. ALL COMMUTERS MUST USE THE THREE REVOLVING DOORS TO ENTER THE STATION AND THEY MUST GO STRAIGHT UP TO THE CONCOURSE TO BOARD THE TRAINS.

TRAIN SERVICE WILL BE ON A LOAD AND GO BASIS THIS EVENING. TRAINS WILL MAKE ALL SCHEDULED STOPS TO KENOSHA, MCHENRY, HARVARD AND ELBURN.

Posted: 05:13 PM CDT

Links below for more information about the two events that turned Friday's 12/8 afternoon rush hour into an unholy mess. A perfect ending to Metra's week from hell. Unbelievable...

Metra train hits minivan in Elgin:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1666 ... 09.article

OTC shutdown:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1666 ... 09.article

At first glance, this didn't look like a big deal:


Thursday, December 28, 2006

METRA UNION PACIFIC NORTHWEST LINE DELAYS
UNION PACIFIC NORTHWEST LINE TRAIN # 610 SCHEDULE TO ARRIVE OGILVIE TRANSPORATION
CENTER AT 7:22 A.M. IS OPERATING 15 TO 20 MINUTES BEHIND SCHEDULE, DUE TO
SIGNAL PROBLEMS.

UNION PACIFIC NORTHWEST LINE TRAIN # 614 SCHEDULE TO ARRIVE OGILVIE TRANSPORATION
CENTER AT 7:41 A.M. IS OPERATING 15 TO 20 MINUTES BEHIND SCHEDULE, DUE TO
SIGNAL PROBLEMS IN THE VICINITY OF WOOD STOCK.

Posted: 06:59 AM CDT


...unless you consider the fact that 614 starts from Crystal Lake, which is south (timetable east) of Woodstock, so I fail to see how this train would be affected by signal problems there. Perhaps they meant train 620 out of Harvard, since that would've been the next train affected behind 610. But in any case, it looks like somebody goofed...

doepack wrote:614 starts from Crystal Lake, which is south (timetable east) of Woodstock, so I fail to see how this train would be affected by signal problems there.

Since #614 closely follows #610, I would think it's reasonable that if the first train is late, the following train will also be late, regardless of its origin.

MikeF wrote:

doepack wrote:614 starts from Crystal Lake, which is south (timetable east) of Woodstock, so I fail to see how this train would be affected by signal problems there.

Since #614 closely follows #610, I would think it's reasonable that if the first train is late, the following train will also be late, regardless of its origin.

Unless someone installs a "Passing lane"

MikeF wrote:Since #614 closely follows #610, I would think it's reasonable that if the first train is late, the following train will also be late, regardless of its origin.

I thought about that later on, and it makes sense. But then, perhaps Metra should've been a little more specific in terms of announcing the reason of 614's delay on its website, which would've been more accurately described as "running late due to delays from earlier trains"...

METRA/UNION PACIFIC NORTHWEST LINE TRAIN DELAYS - UPDATED AT 6:29 P.M.
METRA/UNION PACIFIC NORTHWEST LINE TRAIN #645, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE BARRINGTON AT 6:36 P.M., IS CURRENTLY STOPPED AT THE MOUNT PROSPECT STATION, DUE TO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE DELAY IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. WE WILL UPDATE INFORMATION AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

METRA/BNSF TRAIN DELAYS - UPDATED @ 5:37 P.M.
METRA/BNSF TRAIN #1269, SCHEDULED TO DEPART CHICAGO UNION STATION AT 5:26 P.M. AND SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE AURORA AT 6:18 P.M., HAS NOT DEPARTED CHICAGO UNION STATION, DUE TO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE DELAY IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. WE WILL UPDATE INFORMATION AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

UPDATED @ 5:50 P.M.

METRA/BNSF TRAIN #1269, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE AURORA AT 6:18 P.M., HAS NOW DEPARTED CHICAGO UNION STATION AND MAY BE OPERATING 15 TO 20 MINUTES LATE ENROUTE, DUE TO EARLIER MECHANICAL PROBLEMS.

UPDATED @ 6:15 P.M.
METRA/BNSF TRAINS TRAVELING OUTBOUND TO AURORA MAY BE OPERATING 5 TO 10 MINUTES LATE ENROUTE, DUE TO FOLLOWING BEHIND EARLIER LATE TRAINS.

Not much of a disruption, but for entertainment value;

Monday, 1/29/2007, Train 2220 was rerouted to track 19 (no Madison Avenue access) from its normal track 7, due to problems with train 2216's power. It looks like 2216 made it only half way down the platform track when the power failed, fouling a couple of tracks.

From the radio chatter I could make out that neither engine (F40PH 108 and F40PHM-2 214) would load.

F40CFan wrote:Monday, 1/29/2007, Train 2220 was rerouted to track 19 (no Madison Avenue access) from its normal track 7, due to problems with train 2216's power. It looks like 2216 made it only half way down the platform track when the power failed, fouling a couple of tracks

Doesn't Amtrak Hiawatha train 331 (lv 825) depart from track 19? I'm pretty sure 2220's equipment deadheads to Western after dropping of the passengers, but it sounds like 331 may have had to back up a bit, in order for both trains to fit on the platform...

doepack wrote:Doesn't Amtrak Hiawatha train 331 (lv 825) depart from track 19? I'm pretty sure 2220's equipment deadheads to Western after dropping of the passengers, but it sounds like 331 may have had to back up a bit, in order for both trains to fit on the platform...

I think the Hiawathas leave from track 15 or 17. There was nothing on 19 with us. We pulled all the way down to the sliding doors facing the tracks.