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COMMUNICATIONS

MORE INFORMATION

COMING YOUR WAY

Metra’s new GPS tracking system will

improve customer communications

Metra is installing a new and improved The new system also has other features train or announce that the next train
train tracking and communications that will improve communications. For is running express. GPS workers and
system that will help us make more instance, workers in our GPS Center (the the riding public will be able to follow
timely audio and visual announcements facility responsible for customer com- the progress of a train on a map of the
on trains and platforms and help you munications) will be able to send texts to route so they know exactly where their
see exactly where your next train is. trains and platforms that will instantly train is and how soon it will arrive.
be turned into audio announcements
“We are very excited about this new The system also will change the way
system,” said Metra CEO/Executive Direc- and displayed on platform signs. Metra sends alerts. We’ll have more
tor Jim Derwinski. “It will greatly enhance On platforms, the system will more ac- information about that in a subse-
the tracking of trains and dramatically curately announce the arrival of the next quent issue.
change the timeliness and nature of our
communications with customers.”
The new system, which is replacing two Metra Conductor Peter Inas enters information about
separate systems that are each more his train to Metra’s new GPS tracking system.
than a decade old, requires the instal-
lation of new GPS tracking devices and
other network equipment on more than
1,000 railcars and in 238 stations.
By this winter, there should be enough
installations completed that the new
system will be about 90 percent func-
tional on all lines. That means all trains
will track and the announcement sys-
tem will be operational, but some fea-
tures will wait about another 12 months,
when full installation is complete.
Information from tracking units on
trains is sent to what’s known as a GTFS
feed, and that feed is used to provide
information about a train’s location and
adherence to its schedule on Metra’s
website and in the Ventra app. As new
units are installed on trains, the infor-
mation in the GTFS feed will become
increasingly more reliable.

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