Metra and CTA prepping for extreme cold on Monday; Amtrak cancels some Chicago trains
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Monday's bitter temperatures could affect the way Chicagoans get around. Metra, Amtrak, and the CTA are monitoring the incoming frigid weather to try to prevent delays and cancellations ahead of time.
While temperatures could hit the 40s on Friday, the warmup won't last, as temperatures early Monday are expected to dip below zero, with wind chills of -15° to -25° in the Chicago area. Metra officials are on high alert for potential equipment malfunctions.
"The fluctuation in temperatures is probably our biggest concern, because metal expands and contracts with the cold and can become very brittle in the cold," Metra spokesperson Meg Thomas-Reile said. "We can't identify exactly where something is going to happen, because if we could we'd be out there already fixing it."
Starting Friday, Metra will step up inspections along their routes to catch a problem before it materializes into a rail break or other issue in the frigid cold – and really causes commuter headaches.
That's exactly what happened last month, when extreme cold caused cracked rails and morning delays for Metra.
"Our engineering forces – and those are the people who maintain the railroad, the tracks the stations and stuff – will ramp up their details and extend their hours," Thomas-Reile said.
Those engineering crews will be on 12-hour shifts during extreme temperatures to make sure there is always a maintenance team available.
"We'll also be checking the stations for any icy patches and things like that, but that is going to be a problem, especially if we have rain going into snow," Thomas-Reile said.
Metra also uses gas-powered heaters to light fires on switches along the tracks in the extreme cold to keep the switches from freezing, but even then, snow and ice on other portions of tracks can cause train wheels to slip and lead to service delays.
Meantime, Amtrak also plans to adjust their service, preemptively cancelling the Empire Builder train to the West Coast on Monday, from Chicago to Portland and Seattle, and the train from Spokane to Chicago from the West Coast both cancelled through Monday.
"Amtrak is increasingly doing what airlines do, and that's the preemptive cancellations. So they'll pull down a schedule, and they won't run something in advance of a problem," DePaul University transportation professor Joe Schwieterman said. "It's kind of a one-two punch for riders."
CTA officials said there are no planned service changes on Monday because of the weather, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be delays if the extreme cold causes problems for its tracks.
"There's always surprises. We have equipment that freezes up, we have delays. It's just very tough for transit in this extreme cold. Plus, when you have problems people waiting outside, especially for the bus, you know uncertainty about arrivals can be really tough on people," Schwieterman said.
Schwieterman recommended keeping your preferred transit tracker apps up to date to monitor the state of the rails and roads.
"With modern tracker apps, you can tell pretty quickly if there's going to be problems, and know if there's any reason to panic and catch an Uber or jump in your car; you know, just check to see if the system is running ok," he said.
CTA said riders can use their phone to access the chatbot feature on their website to report service delays, outages, or even if a station's heating system isn't working properly.
Metra promised to try their best to keep their riders informed if there are any changes to their schedule or significant delays.
