As Chicago traffic increases, more commuters turn to Metra trains
CHICAGO (CBS) – One way of measuring how bad traffic is in Chicago is to see how fast people have given up on hitting the roads altogether. New data from Metra shows a lot of people have done just that quite recently and opted for the rails.
CBS 2's Chris Tye dug into the numbers to find some interesting trends forming, and records being broken.
It's a cascade effect when the Kennedy Expressway gets tight, the alternative routes then get crowded. When the alternates are put under the knife for pothole or sewer work, drivers go farther off the grid, and the cascade effect widens out.
But it's getting so bad that the city is seeing another trend: people giving up on driving altogether.
The peak of the pandemic in Chicago was eerie. No people. No business, but for drivers, it was bliss.
Well, that bliss has left town, but if it's using Chicago roads, it's not leaving fast. Between construction and new workplace policies, roads are packed.
Between March and May, the traffic app Waze reports a 6% spike in Chicago's roadway travel times compared to last year.
"Things like the Kennedy Expressway really helps us, it gives people a reason to try us again," said Metra spokesman Michael Gillis.
Eight out of the 10 highest ridership days on the Metra system since the pandemic occurred in May.
Something happened in the second week of May. Ridership jumped by about 10,000 people and it stuck. Ridership soared on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in particular with over 158,000 riders each of those days, which was way above the post-pandemic average.
On May 23, over 167,000 people road Metra, which is still just 60% of what they saw before the pandemic.
"Clearly those three middle days are the peak days and people are choosing to work from home on Mondays and Fridays," Gillis said.
Ridership jumps are most dramatic along lines servicing communities along the Kennedy Expressway. Chicago's numbers lag behind New York, but outpace San Francisco where work from home remains more baked in. Metra said the trend is solid, but there's still room to grow and room inside those train cars.
"The trend is still up," Gillis said. "We haven't completely plateaued."
Chicago isn't alone in terms of increased traffic. Waze data show travel times are up 13% in suburbs like Naperville, Aurora, Glenview, and Joliet this spring compared to the same time last year.
Metra's monthly $100 promotion, which covers the entire network, will remain in place until at least the end of the year.
