Starting Monday, Sept. 11, trains from Homewood and Flossmoor will be running on a new Metra Rail schedule.
Commuter rush hour schedules have only slight changes. Those riding downtown mid-day Monday through Friday and are accustomed to getting trains from Flossmoor leaving at 10 minutes past the hour, will now catch trains on the hour. Commuters leaving from Homewood accustomed to boarding trains at 13 minutes past the hour, will now get trains 3 minutes past the hour.
Return trips from Millennium Station mid-day will leave 10 minutes earlier. Trains were departing at 30 minutes past the hour, but now will leave 20 minutes past the hour.
Metra said the weekend schedules are being adjusted to better serve commuters attending downtown events, and employees whose jobs start and end on the hour.
The number of Saturday trains will drop to 40 from 46. The proposed revisions will keep the same level of Sunday service on the Metra Electric Line, though some train times will be adjusted.
Weekend service from Flossmoor and Homewood will leave earlier. Flossmoor trains will leave at 52 minutes past the hour. Homewood trains will depart at 54 minutes past the hour. Returning trains on Saturdays and Sundays from Millennium Station will leave at either 10 minutes or 20 minutes past the hour.
A complete schedule with all the changes is available on Metra’s website.
Metra said the passenger traffic on the Electric Line has dropped off considerably, and major changes were made on the South Chicago and Blue Island branches. The University Park line has some changes, but no drastic service cuts.