HYDE PARK — Metra is making further tweaks to the Metra Electric Line schedule more than a month into an overhaul of the schedule meant to boost ridership.
Metra announced Thursday that it is shifting the schedule of six trains, most by just a few minutes, but several by more than 20 minutes.
“For a couple of the trains we added time to the trip because the trains weren’t making the trip on schedule,” said Michael Gillis, a Metra spokesman. “We’re adjusting to what’s actually happening out there.”
The biggest changes come to train 203, which will leave Millennium Station at 6:16 a.m. weekdays instead of 6:38 a.m., and train 236, which will skip stops between 18th and 47th streets to speed up the trip.
All weekend trains will arrive three minutes later.
The Metra Electric Line is the only train line in the system that has been consistently losing ridership and the changes were meant to boost ridership in Hyde Park, where trains now arrive every 20 minutes weekdays and which is the only neighborhood along the line seeing significant population growth.
“Any time you undergo a schedule change of that magnitude, adjustments will need to be made,” said Metra CEO Don Orseno. “Our goal is always to use our trains in the most efficient way, and we will continue to monitor operating conditions and customer feedback to ensure we are meeting that goal.”
Metra could not immediately say whether the new schedule has so far made any substantial change in ridership.
The full updated schedule is on Metra's website.
