Metra and weather? (Union: live, train, suburbs)

[runlolarun]

Hi all,

First winter here. Does Metra usually do okay schedule-wise with snow? And are the trains more crowded than usual? I'm on UP-NW line.

I'm guessing the answers to both are yes, just thought it worth checking! Thanks!

[myrc60]

About the only time Metra is affected is when sub-zero temps grips the area or when very heavy snowfall comes. You would see heavier than normal ridership during these events too.

[chet everett]

The "very heavy" (like around a foot) snowfall will cause issues only during the storm itself. All the switches have gas heaters on them and the locomotives are fully capable of barrelling through a wall of snow. During a heavy snowfall the platfroms and crossing need to be plowed so that passengers do not slip. In a few cases there have been crossing where crossing motor vehicles have gotten stuck in a snow drift and they have to wait for that to be cleared.

[runlolarun]

Great. Thanks!

[Chris_H_2]

Cautionary tale: I lived in the City for 18 years, and could count on one hand the number of times my train was significantly delayed because of equipment or switch malfunctions/failures. I've lived in the suburbs now for 1 year, and have been stranded for more than 2 hours at Union Station waiting for a train more than 5 times -- those trains were either delayed or cancelled altogether due to switch problems.

My long-winded point is, it's usually equipment that causes delays and not the weather.

[pvande55]

"When it snows, we reign" -from a long ago Metra ad. Not entirely true, service was severely impacted during last year's Groundhog Day blizzard. Delays may occur, partly due to "snowbirds" who only ride on snowy days. The major source of severe delays is idiots who drive or walk in front of, or into, trains.