Congressman Lipinski Announces Improvement in Heritage Corridor Timing

The Heritage Corridor line went from Metra's worst on-time performer in December to its best in February, Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) announced Thursday.

In December, Metra apologized to Heritage Corridor riders for "exasperating" delays caused by signal problems and track reconstruction. The primary issue, according to Metra, is that Canadian National Railway owns the tracks on which the Heritage Corridor operates—not Metra.

In accordance with the industry standard, Metra counts a train as late if it arrives more than six minutes past schedule. Because of the various problems along the tracks, only 75 percent of trains were on time, according to a news release. 

Lipinski, who has been an on the Heritage Corridor, encouraged a meeting between representatives from Metra and CN to prevent further delays on the line.

“Since the meeting we’ve seen 95 percent of trains on the line arrive on time in January and 99 percent in February," Lipinski said. "This line doesn’t have to lag behind the rest of Metra’s system, as it has in the past."

Jim Vena, senior vice president of the CN Railway, said he hopes to continue the longstanding collaborative relationship with Metra.

"We value our partnership with Metra and look forward to a continued positive working relationship to ensure safe and timely service for Metra passengers, as well as safe and efficient freight operations," Vena said. "And we thank Congressman Lipinski for his longstanding efforts to improve Illinois' transportation network for all users."

The Heritage Corridor line currently runs from Joliet to Chicago, with stations in Lockport, Lemont, Willow Springs and Summit. Plans are currently underway to build a new station .

The is located at 101 Main St.