2008 Was Record Year For Metra

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Feb 17, 2009 3:40PM

Following a pattern we've already seen in the CTA's numbers from '08, Metra reported last week that their 2008 ridership numbers also hit a record high. For the year, Metra saw nearly 87 million rides, an almost four percent increase over 2007's total of 83 million. The most popular line, accounting for nearly 20 percent of Metra's rides, was the the BNSF Railway Co. (Aurora to Chicago). The upward trend, according to Metra, is one that's been going on for 25 years as the railway has seen traffic increase by around two percent a year since 1983. Metra also announce a planned $112-million improvement on the Union Pacific West line which will begin in March and be completed by late next year.