By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Metra announced Monday it will launch a new and improved service alert system on Thursday, Nov. 5, giving commuters the ability to receive real-time train arrival information and service updates via text message for the first time.
The current email-only alert system will shut down the same day. All riders who want to continue receiving alerts must sign up for the new service at metratracker.com beginning Nov. 5, because data from the old system cannot be transferred for privacy reasons, according to a Metra news release.
“Communicating with our customers is a critical part of Metra’s mission, and this new system is a major enhancement, not only because it supplies the timeliest and most accurate data but because for the first time it gives us the ability to communicate via text messaging,” Metra Executive Director and CEO Jim Derwinski said in the release.
The new alert system builds on an upgrade to Metra’s GPS tracking and passenger announcement systems. That upgrade tracks train movement, reports schedule adherence, enables onboard and platform announcements, and sends information to digital signs. Riders can follow their train on a map and access schedule and real-time arrival data at metratracker.com.
The alert system offers two types of notifications. Service Alerts notify riders about delays, disruptions and service changes on their line. Prediction Alerts provide scheduled or predicted arrival times for the next few trains at a rider’s station.
Both alert types can be customized. Riders selecting Service Alerts can choose a time window for receiving notifications, pick specific days and decide whether to receive alerts by text, email or both. Those who want alerts for multiple trips must set up separate alerts for each trip.
Riders can also opt in to receive accessibility-related notifications by checking a box during the sign-up process.
For Prediction Alerts, riders select their line, origin station and destination station, then specify when and how often they want to receive predictions. A repeat function allows riders to set predictions at regular intervals until a chosen end time.
To sign up, riders go to metratracker.com and create an account by clicking “Subscribe” and entering their email address, name and phone number. They then set up alerts by clicking “Alerts: Sign up for station information.”
The new system is the final component of Metra’s broader technology upgrade, which replaced legacy GPS tracking and communication tools across the commuter rail network. The upgrade was designed to improve the accuracy and timeliness of information available to the riding public.
Metra serves 242 stations across 11 lines in the six-county Chicago metropolitan region. The system carries tens of thousands of daily riders who depend on reliable schedule information for their commutes.
Riders with questions about the new alert system can contact Metra customer service at 312-836-7000. For emergencies, riders should call 911 or Metra Police at 312-322-2800.
