(The following report appeared on the Kenosha News website on February 23, 2010.)
KENOSHA, Wisc. — Metra commuter rail ridership was down as a whole in 2009, but up slightly on the route that terminates in Kenosha.
The Union Pacific North line saw a 0.6 percent increase in use last year. The entire system saw a 5.2 percent drop in ridership compared with 2008, a year in which Metra ridership reached an all-time high.
A 2009 ridership trends report issued recently by Metra attributes last year’s drop in overall ridership to the economic recession and a drop in gas prices.
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The health of the regional economy — particularly in downtown Chicago, where all Metra routes lead — can affect ridership, as more than 87 percent of trips taken are for work purposes, the report states.
As for gas prices, the report notes the average retail price for a gallon of gas in Cook County, Ill., dropped from $3.49 in 2008 to $2.51 last year.
Travelers took 82.3 million rides on Metra last year, including about 10.5 million on the Union Pacific North line.
Running between downtown Kenosha to Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center several times daily, with up to 25 stops in between, Union Pacific North is Metra’s third most used line. Metra runs 11 routes, fanning out from downtown Chicago to a six-county area in northeastern Illinois, plus Kenosha.
Other points noted in the ridership report:
— The on-time performance of all trains averaged 95.7 percent in 2009, a 0.3 percent decrease from a year earlier. Passenger loading accounted for 15.6 percent of delays last year.
— The average trip length for Metra riders increased slightly last year, to 22.8 miles. The Kenosha station is 51.6 miles from Ogilvie.
— The average one-way fare paid by passengers, not including free senior or circuit permit trips, was $2.95, up 2 cents from 2008. Fares recently increased for those who purchase single-ride tickets. A one-way trip from Kenosha Chicago went from $7.05 to $7.50.
— Peak commuting period, peak direction trips — into Chicago in the morning, out in the afternoon — remain Metra’s largest market, accounting for more than 75 percent of all trips taken.