Starting Monday, June 1, Metra will increase the number of daily trains on its Rock Island District line as part of changes mandated by the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) law, which comes into effect on the same day. The commuter rail agency will introduce four additional late afternoon weekday trips and expand weekend service with 18 more trains.

The adjustments include replacing “flag stops”—stations where trains halt only if passengers signal to board or disembark—with regular scheduled stops, improving predictability and accessibility. However, some stops with consistently low ridership will be discontinued on certain trains.

Metra CEO Jim Derwinski explained during a recent board meeting that these changes mark the agency’s initial move toward a “regional rail service” model. Unlike the current schedule, which primarily serves traditional 9-to-5 commuters, regional rail service aims to offer more frequent, all-day train runs. Under the NITA law, Metra is required to initiate regional rail service pilots on the Rock Island line as a demonstration of this new approach.

Derwinski noted that later this year the pilot program will expand to separate the Beverly branch from the Rock Island’s mainline branch, enabling bi-directional service every 30 minutes on both segments. Implementing half-hourly service to stations such as Tinley Park and Mokena will require additional infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to signals and the installation of track crossovers.

Looking further ahead, Metra faces challenges in reducing travel times to Joliet due to a bottleneck at the Canadian National Railroad crossing near the far southwest suburbs. Addressing this would necessitate constructing a costly flyover to eliminate conflicts between rail lines, according to Derwinski.

In addition to changes on the Rock Island line, Metra plans to announce new service enhancements for the Metra Electric District soon. Starting June 15, the agency intends to introduce increased frequency to Hyde Park, running trains every 20 minutes in time for the June 19 opening of the Obama Presidential Center.

Commuters and residents interested in the upcoming schedule changes can find details on Metra’s official website at metra.com/schedules.