Feb. 14--Despite January's cold and snow, Metra says it barely missed its goal for on-time performance. But that number obscures a dismal effort on its busiest line, the BNSF.
That line, which is operated for Metra on contract by the BNSF Railway Co., was on time 90.9 percent of the time for the month, Metra said Friday. That means about 1 in every 10 trains was late.
Since most BNSF passengers travel during rush hours, however, the more meaningful number covers "peak period" performance. Of those trains, 87.6 percent were on time, Metra reported.
Metra's official goal is to maintain a 95 percent on-time rate, or 19 out of every 20 trains on time. A train is considered late if it is six minutes or more behind schedule at its final destination.
Overall, Metra officials said the agency racked up a 94.9 percent score for its 11 lines in January. During peak hours, the result was 93.3 percent.
Jack Partelow, a Metra board member from Naperville, which has two BNSF stations, questioned why the line "continues to lag" behind the others.
"There seems to be a pattern," Partelow said.
The BNSF carries more than 67,000 riders on 94 trains each weekday to and from Aurora.
With that many trains, a delay on one train often creates a domino effect, said Peter Zwolfer, Metra's deputy executive director for operations.
"If the right train breaks down at the right time, it can take down a dozen trains," Zwolfer said.
Still, Zwolfer said he "feels proud" that Metra scored as well as it did. More than 300 delays were weather-related, and the majority were no more than 10 minutes in duration, he said.
Metra Executive Director Don Orseno said the BNSF Railway was "very much engaged" in day-to-day operations.
Chairman Martin Oberman asked that Metra more closely analyze the BNSF Railway's performance "so we can be better watchdogs over this and hold BN's feet to the fire."
Another line that operated at a below-par 92.1 percent rate in January was the Heritage Corridor, which serves the southwest suburbs. Metra's least-used line has six trains a day carrying 2,400 riders.
Metra's January performance was far better than the score for the same month in 2014, when Chicago was in the grip of the polar vortex. The overall on-time rate for that month was 85.6 percent, and peak-period trains ran 4 percentage points worse.
Oberman also announced that Metra would hold off on announcing a new policy on allowing pets aboard trains on weekends until the proposal could be studied more closely.
The board was expected to consider launching a three-month trial program during which customers could bring pets in hand-held carriers and keep them on passengers' laps or under seats.
The proposal needs to be researched more thoroughly, with consideration being made to people who have allergies to certain animals, Oberman said.
rwronski@tribune.com
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