The Barrington METRA station appeared all but vacant this morning at 9:30 AM.
As Illinois and the Chicago region move toward establishing a “new normal” in the time of COVID-19, Metra is providing more details about the steps it is taking to ensure passengers will feel safe using its system.
“We know more than ever that passengers need to feel safe and confident using our service,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “We know more than ever the importance of providing a clean, hygienic experience on the platforms and on the trains. And we know more than ever the need to promote safe and healthy practices, such as social distancing and wearing face coverings.”
Social distancing/train schedules
Metra will provide an opportunity for responsible physical distancing on its trains as much as and as long as possible. In general, Metra will aim for trains that are no more than about half full: one passenger per two-seater on the lower level and one passenger per every other seat on the upper level. (There will be exceptions for families or others travelling together.)
Metra will continue to use the current alternate weekday schedules (view them here) at the start of June but is adding cars to trains to make sure there is plenty of room for passengers to spread out. It will add more cars as needed. If Metra suspects there is potential for a train to become more crowded, it will try to operate an unscheduled train behind that one to aid with serving awaiting passengers, or it will start to add more scheduled trains to the line. Metra will continue to add cars and trains as ridership and travel patterns dictate.
Read the complete METRA release here.
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