ATTENTION Metra Passengers!

Platform speakers tell us that the train will be arriving in 5 minutes and a minute after that announcement another one tells us that the train is now arriving. Metra's trying, but when it comes to introducing new technology Metra always seems to screw it up, just a little bit.
There was an occasion when the train went down and no trains were able to head downtown for hours....there was nothing announced on the platform speakers....all of us who stood there for a 1/2 hour were told by another women on the platform, who was told by a friend on the stuck train, who called her on her cell to tell her that there was an accident and no trains will be moving for a while, told all of us so we could find other ways to get into the city..... So Metra what happened that day with the Platform speakers.... the one time we could have really used some important info, Metra was silent.

Adding it all Up

When I think of how many years I've been riding Metra I have to say, all in all, it gets you where you want to go. Hey maybe that should be their new slogan and not "The Way to Really Fly"

Train PA System not a Toy

It seems a few of the conductors are thinking of getting in the voice over business, or maybe becoming DJs or maybe just acting. Lately I've noticed some have been practicing on the PA systems on the train.
What we passengers hear, sometimes at a level so loud it almost makes our ears bleed is stupid jokes, funny voices and I think music from cell phones. I'm going to take a wild guess here but I'm going to estimate that maybe 20% of the passengers thinks this is funny and cute, I'm going to guess the rest think it should stop...... This is just a guess.

Crying Wolf with Horn

I've noticed lately that one engineer on the line I take is blowing his horn so loud and so long that I can hear him coming from 4 stops away. When he gets closer and is crossing streets before getting to the station the long blasts sound so loud and so often like it is for an emergency warning. However there are no emergencies, this is just how this engineer blows his horn. All the other engineers that come by just give it a normal blow. Someone please ask this engineer if they have ever heard of crying wolf ..... some day there will be a real emergency where their loud horn blast will actually warn someone. People in the area are getting so use to the emergency type loud blasts that it just starts seeming like a normal horn blast.... which was proven today when 2 people raced their cars past the gates as the horns were loudly blowing and the gates were going down.

Maybe trains should only blow their horns when they need to warn someone in an emergency. Many crossings there isn't even a horn blast at all... what is that all about. Some crossings you blow the horn and some you don't...... whatever!

On-Line 10 Ride Ticket 2 Large

It has been wonderful buying my 10 rides on-line and getting them in the mail days later. But!.....yes there is always a small but with Metra..... the tickets are over-sized in length. Metra, why would you make a ticket larger then the length of a credit card. It doesn't fit in a wallet or a credit card holder or with my security door pass holder for work. Come on Metra, don't make me fold my ten ride. :)