Metra taking over UP operations?

[Railguy]

Thanks. Wonder How long will this go on

[NewFlyerMCI]

New budget allocates funds for Metra to assume control of the UP lines in 2023

[NewFlyerMCI]

info on what will happen with the workers

[Busjack]

15 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

New budget allocates funds for Metra to assume control of the UP lines in 2023

The only thing actually in the budget document (as opposed to the implications in the twitterverse) is on page 30:

I assume PSA means purchase of service agreement, but I'm not seeing anything about buying out the lines; in fact, there are allocations to UP and BNSF for maintenance.

[trainman8119]

Correspondence was sent out on Friday that integrations have begun and look for UP people to come over in all crafts. The Metra website shows they are looking for Trainmaster and Road Formen for the UP lines. I am told that is the first thing in the process. I still think Metra’s desire for this is more than they can handle and also that there won’t be an exodus of people from UP to Metra like they think. Maybe why they feel the need to hire gobs and gobs of people…and Lord knows there are gobs and gobs of students out there. UP will still own and control their tracks, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, trainman8119 said:

UP will still own and control their tracks, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Looking over a search for "Metra" in Trains Magazine, that's correct, although it's not clear what entity would own the stations. Also, it appears that Metra lost in the courts, so it had to "get off the pot."

The arrangement described in Trains is:

Quote

The freight railroad says it seeks an “mututally beneficial service agreement” under which Metra would operate the service “and take on the Union Pacific employees who currently perform these duties,” while UP would continue to own and maintain the right-of-way and dispatch the route. It notes that this would bring the Metra service into alignment with other commuter rail operators on its system. UP also says this would be similar to services operated on the Milwaukee North line, which is Metra-owned but shared with and dispatched by Canadian Pacific, and the SouthWest Service, which Metra leases from Norfolk Southern, which continues to dispatch the route.

Actually it would be similar to the "Service"s (SWS NCS), rather than the "District"s (Milw, RI, ME), as Metra wouldn't own it. I'm surprised that UP doesn't want to unload the tracks, at least on the UPN and UPNW lines. Here, about the only cost is the administrative personnel you mentioned, and I'm sure UP was charging Metra for similar overhead, so it might not have made sense for Metra to have been fighting it.

[Busjack]

Also, from the January, 2023 Quarterly Report of Rail Agreements:

[Busjack]

Since this seems a certainty, any surmises about renaming the lines? My guess would be North Service, Northwest Service and West Service (analogous to NCS and SWS).

The reason I brought this up was that I was surprised that Metra was in a big hurry to change its schedules from C&NW to UP, until I found out that UP was operating it. Not for much longer.

[artthouwill]

4 hours ago, Busjack said:

Since this seems a certainty, any surmises about renaming the lines? My guess would be North Service, Northwest Service and West Service (analogous to NCS and SWS).

The reason I brought this up was that I was surprised that Metra was in a big hurry to change its schedules from C&NW to UP, until I found out that UP was operating it. Not for much longer.

I would probably go with North Shore Service. NOrtheest Service and West Service,  to differentiate North Shore from MD North Line a and North Central Service. I might prefer Far West Service to differentiate from the MDW.   Fortunately for now BNSF is still under a POS agreement though if they go this way it could be renamed the Burlington Line.

Is there a slight chance that the UPines retain their names since they run on tracks still owned by the UP?

[Busjack]

35 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

Is there a slight chance that the UPines retain their names since they run on tracks still owned by the UP?

Anything is possible at this point; I was just speculating, but the NCS isn't called the Wisconsin Central (owner when the project started) or CN.

[artthouwill]

39 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Anything is possible at this point; I was just speculating, but the NCS isn't called the Wisconsin Central (owner when the project started) or CN.

True, but Milwaukee was retained from the Milwaukee Road as well as the Rock Island name retained.  It will be interesting to if a name change occurs and what that will be 

 

[strictures]

9 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I would probably go with North Shore Service. NOrtheest Service and West Service,  to differentiate North Shore from MD North Line a and North Central Service. I might prefer Far West Service to differentiate from the MDW.   Fortunately for now BNSF is still under a POS agreement though if they go this way it could be renamed the Burlington Line.

Is there a slight chance that the UPines retain their names since they run on tracks still owned by the UP?

I'd rather they went back to their original names:

Milwaukee Division

Wisconsin Division

Galena Division

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, strictures said:

I'd rather they went back to their original names:

Milwaukee Division

Wisconsin Division

Galena Division

Milwaukee Division would be too confusing with Milwaukee District.

[strictures]

On 1/25/2023 at 8:34 AM, Busjack said:

Milwaukee Division would be too confusing with Milwaukee District.

It never got confused with the Milwaukee Road Lines decades ago.

[Busjack]

34 minutes ago, strictures said:

It never got confused with the Milwaukee Road Lines decades ago.

They were always known prior to 1995 as the C&NW. 1800s railroad nomenclature doesn't count today, and I doubt was ever known by the commuting public. As far as current commuters know, there are already Milwaukee N and W lines.

[Busjack]

On 1/22/2023 at 4:43 PM, Busjack said:

Also, from the January, 2023 Quarterly Report of Rail Agreements:

Apparently missed by us was this Trains article  that the transistion to Metra is well underway.

The Metra Quarterly Report of Rail Agreements reflects several short-term agreements to extend the   agreement with UP, as well as "PSA governing CRD's assignment to NIRC to operate commuter service on the Union Pacific‐owned districts. Effective date is to be determined, pending finalization of the requisite agreements with Union Pacific."

[Busjack]

Summer My Metra Magazine (page 6) describes what is involved in the transfer of UP operations.

[Railguy]

Should be getting close to full Metra controlled operations?   Metra had article in their newsletter by end of year

[trainman8119]

On 1/24/2023 at 8:54 PM, Busjack said:

Anything is possible at this point; I was just speculating, but the NCS isn't called the Wisconsin Central (owner when the project started) or CN.

They are bing referred to as “The UP District”, similar to the Rock Island.

[renardo870]

Update on UP transfer of commuter operations to Metra.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/blet-members-ratify-agreement-covering-transfer-of-commuter-operations-from-union-pacific-to-metra/

 

Edited October 23, 2024 by renardo870

[artthouwill]

3 hours ago, renardo870 said:

Update on UP transfer of commuter operations to Metra.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/blet-members-ratify-agreement-covering-transfer-of-commuter-operations-from-union-pacific-to-metra/

 

The affected UP workers ratified the agreement but there's still no set date for the transfer of service from UP to Metra. 

[Busjack]

On 10/23/2024 at 8:32 PM, artthouwill said:

The affected UP workers ratified the agreement but there's still no set date for the transfer of service from UP to Metra. 

Looks like it is coming close. Feb. 2025 agenda item "for the transfer of UP transportation employees and functions to Metra. ... Metra will assume the responsibility of operating UP lines,
as well as direct oversight of the employees operating commuter trains and various support functions.
UP will remain responsible for dispatching all trains on its mainline territory and for local tower
operations." The new agreement is to be effective April 16, 2025.

[dailycommuter62]

The biggest change for those with discerning eyes is that UP has transferred the switching locomotives that long have moved the sets between california yard and ogilvie to metra and are patched to metx reporting marks

[Busjack]

Evanston RoundTable article that while employees are to be turned over, there is still a dispute for how much Metra has to pay to lease the tracks and stations.

[MetroShadow]

On 1/24/2023 at 1:37 PM, Busjack said:

Since this seems a certainty, any surmises about renaming the lines? My guess would be North Service, Northwest Service and West Service (analogous to NCS and SWS).

The reason I brought this up was that I was surprised that Metra was in a big hurry to change its schedules from C&NW to UP, until I found out that UP was operating it. Not for much longer.

2 years later. and giving credit to @Busjack:  Metra has started a project to rename every line in the District.

Announcement on Metra's website

Topic on these here forums