How are Metra trains powered?

By replacing diesel power with battery power, Metra will significantly reduce its emissions footprint and greatly improve air quality for its riders and the Chicago region. The battery-powered locomotives are expected to be less noisy and have lower operating costs and lower maintenance costs than diesel locomotives.



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Train crews also may deem it necessary to sound a horn as a warning when there is a vehicle, person or animal near the tracks. Track construction, workers within 25 feet of a live track or malfunctioning crossings, also require crews to sound the horn.

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Metra Rock Island Line train carrying hundreds of passengers derails in South Loop. A Metra Rock Island train derailed near Clark and 13th streets in the South Loop. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds of passengers were evacuated after a Metra Rock Island train car derailed in Chicago Monday morning.

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Electric trains generally draw power from AC overhead lines. Some DC lines do exist, but they are getting replaced by AC lines. Motors used (traction motors) are generally DC motors. But nowadays they are being phased out in favour of AC motors as AC motors require less maintenance as compared to DC motors.

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The third rail is usually located outside the two running rails, but on some systems it is mounted between them. The electricity is transmitted to the train by means of a sliding shoe, which is held in contact with the rail.

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Metra has 11 lines with 241 stations radiating from downtown Chicago to the six-county area of northeast Illinois.

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Traditionally Metra trains have been viewed as safer, cleaner, and more orderly than the CTA 'L'. Conductors patrolling the cars on a regular basis discourages crime and problematic rule-breaking such as smoking and littering, which unfortunately seem to be fairly common on CTA trains nowadays.

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All current CTA rail cars are equipped with air conditioning and have undergone a pre-season summer inspection. The 2200-series older model cars had existing air conditioning systems upgraded with increased system cooling capacity and airflow last summer.

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Illinois. The UP-NW extends northwest from Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC) in downtown Chicago to Harvard, serving portions of Cook, Lake, and McHenry Counties. It is the longest line in the Metra system, with 22 outlying stations along its 63-mile route.

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Due to the complicated and patchwork nature of commuter rail at the time, the division in 1985 came up with the “Metra” name as a service mark for the entire system (short for “Metropolitan Rail”).

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