Weekend service on Metra’s BNSF line will be seeing a boost, under a new schedule which takes effect Monday, April 29.
More trains, mirrored service on Saturday & Sunday
Metra will begin mirroring its Saturday and Sunday schedules on the BNSF line, with a significant bump in service. Saturdays will see an increase of six trains to the schedule, with 16 added on Sundays.
“We continue to listen to our riders and adjust our schedules to meet their needs,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski in a news release. “We’re especially excited to be able to offer more weekend service so that Metra is an even better option for anyone wanting to enjoy all the events and attractions that are part of summer in Chicago.”
Inbound hourly service will run from 5 a.m. to noon, and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Outbound hourly service will run from 10 a.m. to midnight.
The stop at LaGrange Stone Avenue Station will be eliminated from the new weekend schedule. Metra said eliminating some stops can help “improve the speed and reliability of service.” Weekend trains will now be stopping at the Halsted Street station, which currently is only a weekday stop.
Weekday changes coming to BNSF line as well
Weekday changes are also part of the update, with each train after 9 a.m. departing the Aurora station at five past the hour, affecting subsequent station departures accordingly.
Three morning outbound trains will also see adjustments, with Train 1201 now leaving Chicago at 5:33 a.m., two minutes earlier than it does now. Also leaving slightly earlier will be Train 1205, at 6:16 a.m., and Train 1211, leaving at 6:46 a.m.
Off-peak local trains will also now be stopping at Fairview Avenue Station. Train 1205 will pick up a stop at Halstead Street, and Trains 1205, 1211, 1272, and 1276 will add Westmont.
The new schedule can be seen on the Metra website.
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