Rock Island Weekend Express Service Now Permanent

Submitted by the City of Joliet

Metra has announced that its experiment with weekend express trains on the Rock Island Line will be made permanent and a new weekday outbound express train will make its debut starting Nov. 30.

“We received very positive feedback from customers who like the new weekend express trains on the Rock Island and wanted us to continue operating them.” Said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “Moving forward, we plan to review adjustments to our other train schedules to see where new or expanded express service might make sense.”

Last June, six express trains were added to the Rock Island schedule in each direction on Saturdays and Sundays. The express trains bypass the Beverly Branch, which is served by separate trains, prompting a 20-minute reduction in travel time between suburban stations and downtown Chicago. About 870 additional customers per Saturday and about 300 per Sunday were estimated to have taken advantage of this new express service.

The weekend express service was set to end on Nov. 29, but is now being made part of the permanent weekend schedule. However, their departure and arrival times are being slightly adjusted: Inbound express trains will leave Joliet 5 minutes earlier; outbound express trains will leave LaSalle Street 10 minutes later. In addition, the outbound express time to Joliet will be reduced by 5 minutes.

In addition, Metra is adding an outbound express train to the weekday schedule. Train No. 413, which now departs at 4:57 p.m. and stops at all stations south of Blue Island except Joliet, will still depart at 4:57 p.m. but will now stop at 35th Street, express to Tinley Park/80th Avenue, the busiest stop on the line, and then make all remaining stops with the addition of Joliet. This change should relieve overcrowding issues on No. 415, which departs LaSalle Street at 5:15 PM, expresses to Midlothian and makes all remaining stops to Joliet.

Also starting Nov. 30, Metra is making schedule changes to a handful of other trains to reflect actual operating conditions, improve connections, and enhance operational efficiency. Metra customers are strongly urged to check the new schedule to determine if there are changes to their trains.

To learn more about Metra and to view the new Rock Island schedule, visit metrarail.com.