A day after weather-related delays caused massive crowding issues at Chicago’s Union Station, Metra officials are pledging additional staff to assist on Thursday.
Those pledges come as the entire Chicago area is at a “moderate” risk of severe weather, with damaging wind gusts, large hail and tornadoes all possible with strong-to-severe thunderstorms developing in the afternoon and evening.
High winds can cause delays on Metra lines in accordance with agency policy, and as a result Metra officials have already said on their website they anticipate delays on each of the 11 lines in its service portfolio Thursday.
On Wednesday multiple lines in the suburbs were delayed due to high winds and downed tree branches across tracks, leading to significant crowding issues at Union Station during the evening rush hour.
A spokesperson for Metra told NBC Chicago the agency will have “extra personnel on hand to deal with crowding at downtown stations” on Thursday, including Union Station, Ogilvie and Millennium Station.
“At Union Station, we will be asking customers to wait in the Great Hall to minimize crowding on the concourses,” the spokesperson said.
Metra riders can find up-to-date information on their trains home via the agency’s website.
