Metra, South Shore trains to use modified schedules through Thursday
(railsr4me/Flickr)
CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - Metra will modify the schedule of most of its lines Wednesday and Thursday due to the expected extreme cold weather.
The modified schedules can be found online. They apply to all lines except the Heritage Corridor.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the transit agency said the alternate schedules were “designed to provide adequate service for the predicted ridership” and “reduce the use of mechanical equipment and the number of moves through switch points on the railroad, thereby minimizing opportunities for service disruptions.”
Customers are advised to expect longer travel times, as trains will operate with restricted speed when temperatures reach zero degrees or lower, Metra said.
The South Shore Line, which operates between Chicago and northwest Indiana, will also operate on a reduced schedule on Wednesday and Thursday because of weather conditions, according to a statement from the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.
In addition to a revised train timetable, service to the Hudson Lake station will be suspended and replaced by buses, NICTD said. Hudson Lake riders are encouraged to instead board at the Carroll Avenue station in Michigan City, Indiana.
Temperatures will feel like 15 to 30 degrees below zero on Tuesday before plunging further overnight to “extremely dangerous” levels of 40 to 50 degrees below zero, the National Weather Service is forecasting.