We Interrupt This Commute... Most of the Time Your Daily Responders
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ON THE BI-LCommuterENewsletter, JVune 2009 EL We interrupt this commute... Most of the time your daily responders. Next, the dispatcher determine the fastest way to hours or will exceed their hours if commute on Metra goes off with - notifies police and Metra man - resume service safely without their normal shift required a return out hitch. You make it to work on agers of the incident. Local police impeding the investigation or cre - trip. We can also encounter equip - time and you get home to enjoy and fire personnel are dispatched ating additional hazards. ment shortages if trains are time with your family. But what to the scene followed by Metra trapped on one side of an incident. about the times when something managers, Metra police and, in the Why not bus? Although we try to address these goes wrong, service is disrupted case of an incident on one of our In many such cases, passengers issues in ways that minimize dis - and you’re delayed? What are purchase-of-service carriers ask why Metra cannot immediate - ruptions, we are sometimes forced Metra and other agencies involved (BNSF and UP), personnel from ly dispatch buses to provide alter - to dispatch replacement crews, in an incident that disrupts our that carrier. nate transportation, or at least wait for equipment to arrive or service doing while you wait on allow people to get off the trains even annul a train, and this can the train or in the station? The crew’s job and find their own transportation. create additional delays. Those were some of the ques - On the scene, the train crew is Metra's first concern is safety. We tions asked by UP North riders responsible for communicating will not evacuate passengers if we Incidents are fluid after a suicide stopped all trains in with passengers and should do not have a safe way for you to If every incident were the same, late April. One passenger had a attempt to provide updates exit the train and a safe place for our emergency planning would good suggestion: “Maybe you through onboard announcements those evacuated to await alternate always go off without a hitch and could run a special edition of On every 15 minutes. The conductor transportation. service disruptions would be mini - the Bi-Level to explain emergency also communicates with the engi - Second, Metra does not own or mal. But crises are fluid situations; policies Metra has in place to han - neer and crew, first responders, operate a bus fleet. While we do therefore, any given event can add dle such conditions.” train dispatchers and Metra man - have contracts with bus compa - a new wrinkle to our best laid agers. Metra managers work with nies, buses are not standing by 24- plans and information can change So here goes... first responders with the goal of 7. We can often get trains moving rapidly. That’s why we continue to In the event of an incident that resuming service as soon as possi - before buses are able to arrive – work with the region’s freight rail - disrupts our service whether it’s a ble. Managers on the scene also especially during rush hour. Also, roads and emergency responders pedestrian fatality, bad weather, a provide information to our GPS when service on an entire train to educate and improve communi - hazardous material spill or an Center so that up-to-date station line is disrupted, tens of thousands cation, and why we continue to active police or fire scene adjacent and platform announcements are of riders are potentially affected. educate our crews so that they can to our tracks, Metra and our made and customer service staff at Frankly, in such cases, there are better respond to the situation and region’s emergency responders go our downtown terminals can assist simply not enough buses available our passengers’ needs. through a series of steps to maxi - passengers. in the entire region to provide So remember that while Metra mize safety for our passengers and effective alternate transportation. works hard to maintain one of the anyone near the scene. Our next Metra not in charge highest on-time performance goal is to reestablish service as When a service disruption Other factors records in the industry, our first soon as possible. involves injuries, fatalities or dam - The duration of an incident can priority is the safety of our passen - When an incident involving one age to property, the local police impact much more than the trains gers and crews. We understand of our trains occurs, the train’s and fire departments are in charge immediately affected. All railroads that any delays are frustrating and engineer first notifies the dispatch - of investigation and control the are subject to federal hours-of- that lack of information can make er responsible for that particular scene. They – not Metra – deter - service provisions that dictate how it more so. But when an incident rail line. The dispatcher then typi - mine when train traffic in the area long crews can be on duty and that disrupts service occurs, Metra cally stops all trains in the area of can resume. Metra and its contract how long they must rest before is utilizing all available resources the incident to ensure the safety of carriers work with the police and beginning their next shift. In some to restore service and provide the train crew and the emergency fire agencies during incidents to cases, a crew will exceed these accurate information. WWW.METRARAIL.COM 2 ON THE BI-LEVEL S O U N D I N G B O A R D Got a question, we’ve got an answer N THE I EVEL O B -L with no one else having brought Marines are not allowed to travel Published by Metra’s Media Weekend NCS trains it to the attention of the LITER - in uniform unless they are on Relations Department. Send let - I can’t tell you how conven - ATE portion of Metra's employ - military business. I would think ters, questions or feedback to ient it is to have a Metra station ees. that any service member home On the Bi-Level, Metra, 547 W. almost literally a stone’s throw Jackson, Chicago IL, 60661-5717. on leave would not want to be in away from my house consider - Or e-mail onthebilevel@ Fixed! It was a typo, but we uniform to go to a ball game or metrarr.com. ing I commute downtown every should have noticed it sooner. to take in the sites of the city. We can’t guarantee all letters weekday for work. The one We deserve your slap on the Do Metra employees need to be will be printed or answered. thing I can’t understand, howev - wrist. in uniform in order to get riding Please keep letters to less than er, is why there is no weekend privileges? 200 words and include your first service on the North Central Electric bathrooms Seniors ride for free. It’s time name, hometown and what line line. Has any serious thought you ride. (Names are not required Metra did the same for our mili - been given to offering such serv - but strongly encouraged.) We In the newsletter just printed, tary. BTW – the conductor reserve the right to edit letters for ice to your loyal customers in the board is talking about buying punched six times. So much for length and grammar. northwest Cook and Lake coun - new train cars for the Metra the half-price discount. ties? As you so proudly pointed Electric line. Instead of putting Linda Board of Directors out in the April issue of OTBL, bathrooms in these cars, can we UP West Carole R. Doris NCS is one of the fastest grow - have more seats? Chairman ing lines. While I don’t presume Sherwin First, thank you for stepping DuPage County to know the details of your cur - in and offering your ticket. That rent financial situation and Larry Huggins No. Metra Electric riders was generous of you. Vice Chairman strategic planning models, my have complained for years that Second, the conductor could Chicago instinct is that you are losing out their line is the only one in the have handled things better (like on extensive patronage by not Metra system without bath - not punching your ticket six Jack Schaffer extending this service at least to Treasurer rooms. We promised we’d put times). McHenry County Saturdays. them in when we bought new Third, it sounds like the John cars. We’re not about go back on Marines got some bad info from Arlene Mulder that promise. someone. It is indeed Metra’s Secretary We operate the NCS line on Suburban Cook County policy to allow service members tracks owned by Canadian Military policy traveling in uniform and present - Jim Dodge National. Unfortunately, our ing an active military identifica - Director agreement with them does not I had the privilege of sitting tion card to ride for half-price, Suburban Cook County allow us to use the tracks on among six Marines on my trip not free. We’re trying to balance James C. LaBelle weekends, when they want the home. What a shock when the our debt to our military with our Director way open for their freight trains. conductor asked them for tickets. financial obligation to the rest of Lake County They said they were told they our riders. Spelling problem Edward W. Paesel wouldn’t need one. The conduc - And BTW, Metra employees Director tor said that since they were in don’t get free rides on Metra.