More Trains, Schedule Changes Take Effect On Metra BNSF Line

ILLINOIS — Commuters who take the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) line will notice more trains are available now that Metra has added trains and made schedule changes to the line, which runs between Chicago and Aurora. The new schedule took effect March 28.

Metra added four new trains to the BNSF line, in addition to restoring three trains that had been inactive since Nov. 2021 due to reduced ridership amid the coronavirus pandemic.

New BNSF Trains

• The #1306 eastbound train will leave Aurora at 6:47 a.m. and run express from Naperville before arriving in Chicago.
• The #1304 eastbound train will leave Downers Grove at 8:40 a.m. and make all stops until arriving in Chicago at 9:40 a.m.
• The #1301 westbound train will leave Chicago at 2:30 p.m. and run express to Downers Grove, then make all remaining stops before arriving in Aurora at 3:27 p.m.
• The #1303 westbound train will leave Chicago at 7 p.m. and run express to Downers Grove, then make all remaining stops before arriving in Aurora at 7:57 p.m.

Restored BNSF Trains

• The #1204 eastbound train leaves the Fairview Avenue stop at 5:18 a.m. and arrives in Chicago at 6:15 a.m., with local stops added between Brookfield and Halsted.
• The #1284 eastbound train leaves Aurora at 5:04 p.m. and arrives in Chicago at 6:16 p.m., with a stop at Belmont.
• The #1259 westbound train leaves Chicago at 4:50 p.m. and arrives in Aurora at 5:43 p.m.

Two trains that ran between Chicago and Brookfield during the late hours of the morning rush have been removed from the BNSF schedule. As a result, 91 trains will run along the BNSF line on weekdays, as opposed to 86.

Removed BNSF Trains

• The #1219 eastbound train that ran at 8:05 a.m. between Brookfield and Chicago will no longer run.
• The #1248 eastbound train that left Brookfield at 8:51 a.m. will no longer run.

The additional trains impacted the departures and arrivals of other trains on BNSF's schedule. Click the link to view the new BNSF schedule.

The additional trains and schedule changes were made after Metra reviewed feedback from riders and studied patterns in ridership.

Metra reports that ridership is slowly increasing on the BNSF line, which sees an average of 19,000 passenger trips on weekdays, a news release said. As of late March, BNSF ridership was at roughly 30 percent of what it was prior to the start of coronavirus.