Metra posted an on-time performance rate of 97.4 percent for the month of December, exceeding its goal for the 10th consecutive month. For all of 2015, Metra operated with an on-time performance of 96.2 percent.
Metra’s goal is to operate at least 95 percent of its trains on time. Like the rest of the U.S. commuter railroad industry, Metra considers a train to have operated on time if it reaches its final destination within five minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled arrival.
The December rate of 97.4 percent exceeded the five-year average for the month of December of 95.7 percent. This performance follows nine months in which Metra’s on-time rate exceeded 95 percent: 97 percent in March, 97.2 percent in April and May, 95.8 percent in June, 95.3 percent in July, 96.3 percent in August, 96.8 percent in September, 97 percent in October, and 96.8 percent in November. Systemwide on-time performance for 2015 was 96.2 percent – the highest systemwide on-time performance since 2006, when 96.3 percent of trains arrived at their final destinations on-time
“We are pleased that the vast majority of our trains continue to arrive at their final destinations on time, but we know we can always do better, especially during the challenging winter months,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “Our goal is to work as hard as we can to offer safe, reliable and comfortable service, while providing real-time information to our customers about the status of their trains.”
In December, 448 of 17,556 trains were tardy by six minutes or more. The most common cause for delays was switch failure, followed by obstruction/debris. Freight interference, switch failure and right-of-way accidents were other major causes of Metra train delays in December.
