Metra Union Pacific West Line

Very good experience. The trains were very clean, they even had outlets to charge your electronics. They stick to the schedule and were exact on times. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful! This is the way to go to see Chicago!

An email i sent based on how poorly o was treated. I will never ride the metra again.
To whom it may concern:
I don’t know who to address with this situation, however I will not be a Metra customer any longer. After the disrespect I received, you’re lucky you won’t be hearing from my lawyer. I ride the Metra almost daily on my commute to Joliet. I also suffer from a seizure disorder and ride with my 3lb yorkie who stays in a dog bag who is in the process of being trained to detect my seizures. I have called and asked if he was allowed on the train and they said as long as he was in a carrying case. I have obeyed that, fully. After boarding in Harvard (after I had already ridden the train to Harvard, with my dog) no one said anything about the dog. We reached Woodstock and after everyone had exited the train ‘H. Martin’ approached me and asked ‘Do you have a dog?’ I replied with ‘yes’ and before I could even explain he was a service animal he turned away and told me I needed to get off the train. I replied ‘Sir, he’s a service animal’ from the other side of the car he said ‘unless you have his papers you need to exit or I’m calling the police!’ I replied with how I’ve never needed my papers before and that I wanted his name and a phone number to contact Metra, considering I have ridden the train multiple times without any issues. He told me to ‘read his f****** badge’ and when i went to look at his badge he turned around so I was unable to read it. In response to asking if he had a number he replied he didn’t have any f****** number and to call the number on the back of the ticket’ I replied with how professional he was and he proceeded to give me the finger. I handled the situation with manners and I expected the same in return. Ive ridden the Metra for years and never experienced anything like this. It will be the only experience that I complain about considering I will no longer be a customer. I’m currently sitting at the Woodstock station in 90 degree heat waiting for the next train to Ogiville station. I can only HOPE I don’t experience any issues considering I have no one to speak to other than Metra police who can’t help me in this situation, although they were very helpful and understanding

I don’t need anything from a train, except for it to be on time and fairly clean. The West Line does it’s job mostly always. Although I wish it weren’t as crowded, I can almost always get a seat.
I use it to get back and forth from Elmhurst sometimes, there are many trains and quite a few express to Elm. 25min trip works for me.

My Metra.
I do not work in the City… but when I do go «into town» (and if I do not need my car) then this is the way to go.
Look for the United Center off on your right… as you approach downtown.
Get off at Oak Park sometimes… and explore.
Grab a coffee and the paper before you get on the train (or look for a paper when you get on… do not look for a coffee as they tend not to be just sitting around/​nor would you want to drink someone else’s).
I enjoy sitting up top. When you think that the car is full… there is always a seat up top

Well, I rode this line on my 25^th bday, July 31^st, like I said I would, and rode it all the way to the end of the line, Elburn. What a spectacular trip that was. As soon as the train passes the West Chicago stop, you begin to run into rustic farmland, and me, I LOVE farmland. From that stop until the end of the line, Elburn, there’s farmland. Even the parking lot of the Elburn stop is surrounded by cornfields, just like the parking lot of the University Park stop on the Metra Electric.
I may love Metra, but because of what I wrote in the second paragraph of my previous review, this is the one Metra line I spent most of my life by, and it’s my fave because of that. And better yet, I now live right next to it, on the west side of the city right by the Kedzie stop. Nostalgia gets his teeth kicked out thanks to this fact. Anyway, because I live next to this line, I can tell you exactly how it is, and how it runs.
Plenty of inbound trips during the weekday morning rush.
Plenty of outbound trips during the weekday afternoon rush.
After the morning/​afternoon rush, trains run in each direction once an hour.
On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, inbound trains pass through every two hours during the odd-​number hours and outbound trips pass through every two hours during the even-​number hours. There’s one train in either direction each hour.
Regardless of the time of day or night, most trips are on time, and pass through or stop at stations at the times that they are actually scheduled to do so. There has to be a good reason behind trains on the UP-​West being late, and I know this, because I subscribe to Metra Service Alerts for this line and all alerts come straight to my Hotmail inbox.
And if you like freight trains, this is your line, because there’s tons of freight traffic. However, it picks up after the morning and evening rush Metra trips have passed so as not to interfere with them.
All I have to say to close this out is, I love that UP-​West. ;)

For me, going from the Redline to the Metra was like living my whole life in Air Trans Coach and moving over to United, First Class.
No one is exposing themselves, there is a restroom on the train so no one needs to urinate in the back of the car, the seats are comfortable and there are conductors aboard should you have questions…
Tips: If departing from the station, buy your ticket at the window or there is a $ 2 or $ 3 service charge (not so when you are paying when boarding from the regular stops). Also the punch card is a great deal and if you go farther than your punch card allows you just pay the difference.
Oh Metra, now that I’ve seen how the other half live, I don’t know if I can go back!

Mostly I’ve had good experiences with the Metra, however, there have been a few bad ones and plenty of extremely rude employees. Well, I guess that’s why there motto is about being on time and not on customer service.

I take this line, in fact, it is the only line I have ever taken.
Clean, fast, and on time (all good things in public tranny).
I was really scared when some guy tried to sell me some illegal contraband, but I was with a bunch of friends. I was just hoping he wouldn’t kill us, and I am still here!
Sox games, museum trips, shopping, or just to enjoy fine dining, getting down to the city is easy. Parking isn’t an arm and a leg in the Loop, is it? Oh wait…$ 27 for 13 mins… in the words of the Monday Night Coundown crew on ESPN «C’Mon Man!»

the only way to travel into the city.

A sincere thanks to Metra for giving me an alternative to the CTA. Im blessed enough to be able to drive 5 minutes to the station for a 20 – 25 minute ride to downtown. Comfy seat, no urine smell, and a cheaper monthly pass than the CTA. Thanks to you I know longer have to deal with the CTA Cattle Car, «cough», I mean the 152 Addison bus and Blue Line. No more 30 minute 3 mile commute on the bus just to get to the train, along with the 10 million stops you have to make to pick up rowdy high school kids. No more train ride where I have to stand, exit the door at every stop to let someone off, and get whacked by some douche bag who rather than hold on to something to maintain their balance, would rather bury their head in their «MyPhone» and bump into me whenever the train makes a sudden stop. Thank you Metra, you have helped me maintain my sanity. And rather than having to «Cattle up» on the train next to someone with B.O. I can sit down and read my Red Eye in the morning, or even take a nap if I wanna. Awesomeness!

I take this line frequently to visit my friends who live out in the burbs. Pretty much always on time, I always get to sit alone and sometimes if it’s not too busy they don’t make me pay (is it wrong that I don’t wave ‘em down to pay?)
Can’t say that about my beloved CTA, eh? nope.
Downfall…the weekend hours suck so if you miss one then you probably have to wait like two hour for the next one.
Oh and some people think they are moving onto the train for good so they set up shop in two seats facing each other with a blanket and proceed to talk on the phone the whole time. Umm… this isn’t your home.

I hope this is the correct train that I’m rating, as I’m not too familiair with the Metra. Hubby and I took the Union Pacific Northwest train to Arlington Park to see the horsies racing.
I couldnt believe how quickly we got there, how clean the trains were, and how ON TIME everything was.
I wish I could take the Metra instead of the CTA. It’s so much classier. No smells of urine and feces. No homeless people asking for money. Professional, courteous train conductors everywhere… siiiigh. If only us CTA-​ers could be so lucky.
The most amazing part about being on the Metra: you can eat on there without feeling like you’re contracting about 50 different diseases. No wonder the announcement on the CTA says that eating is prohibited: it’s so no one dies…

OK, I wish that I could take METRA, instead of the CTA any day… Clean, fast, and on time (most of the time).
I went up to the window, and bought a one way ticket to elmhurst, and plopped down my 3.80 in spare change. (I was cleaning out my change can) Without missing a beat, the lady behind the glass spits out, «I can’t accept a fare with THAT much change!»
I was speechless as I scrambled to get some bills out of my purse, just as she started to bust out a huge grin and a smile… «I gotcha… I was only kidding!!» I started to laugh as she gave me my ticket. «You looked like you had a rough day, and needed to be cheered up,» she then said to me, as I turned away. As I turned to walk away, laughing, she had made my day, so I called back to her, thanking her, and telling her to stay out of trouble. Laughing, she said, «NEVER!»
That small act of humanity made my day, and made my short trip on Metra.