# Chicago METRA on time performance



## amtrakmichigan (Dec 16, 2006)

Just currious how well METRA sticks to the timetables? If trains are late what is the worst case scenario for tardyness?


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## battalion51 (Dec 16, 2006)

Metra trains are very reliable when it comes to OTP. Many times the railroad the train runs on is the operator of the train as well, so they have a vested interest in running them on time. If a train is late it's within minutes of the timetable based on what I've seen.


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## AlanB (Dec 16, 2006)

battalion51 said:


> Metra trains are very reliable when it comes to OTP. Many times the railroad the train runs on is the operator of the train as well, so they have a vested interest in running them on time. If a train is late it's within minutes of the timetable based on what I've seen.


I'm not so sure about that statement. From the Metra Customer Newsletter for November:



> We’ve had better months on the SouthWest Service. You know it. We know it. And ourfreight railroad colleagues now know it. The letters and emails to prove it poured into the Bi-
> 
> Level these last few weeks. (Yes Kirk H. we got your messages and wanted to print them but ran
> 
> out of room.) On time performance in September and early October was, well, in a word, horrible.


And while it's no longer available online, I understand that there was an article in the October newletter than talked about what ontime actually means and how well Metra was doing. I got the impression from something that I read, that they weren't doing wonderfully.


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## Mark (Apr 18, 2007)

I've noticed a slight decline in OTP over the last several years on the line I use which is the BNSF. This seems to go hand in hand with freight traffic increases over the same period of time. I ride about twice a week, (sometimes more, sometimes less), and we've never been more than 15 or so minutes late getting to CUS. Most of the time they seem to be within 2-3 minutes of the schedule.


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## MetraBNSF (Sep 2, 2007)

Most of Metra's 11 lines operate on trackage that is also shared with freight railroads. Metra's OTP rate has traditionally averaged around 96% since its inception in 1984. The lines that see little freight traffic have higher OTP rates while the ones with increased freight traffic are a little lower. BNSF's average is around 94-95%, which is very good considering the amount of freight and Amtrak traffic on the line. On the other hand, the UP-W, which parallels the BNSF to the north and has a similar physical plant to the BNSF has an OTP rate at 92-93%.


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## frj1983 (Sep 5, 2007)

MetraBNSF said:


> Most of Metra's 11 lines operate on trackage that is also shared with freight railroads. Metra's OTP rate has traditionally averaged around 96% since its inception in 1984. The lines that see little freight traffic have higher OTP rates while the ones with increased freight traffic are a little lower. BNSF's average is around 94-95%, which is very good considering the amount of freight and Amtrak traffic on the line. On the other hand, the UP-W, which parallels the BNSF to the north and has a similar physical plant to the BNSF has an OTP rate at 92-93%.


Since I ride it everyday and have for the last 10 years, we regularly arrive on time and if running behind, it tends to be less than 5-6 minutes late. Of course there are the bugaboos: electrical storms, flooding, and failing locomotives, but that is rather rare.


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