Work beginning Monday on Metra Electric Line to cause delays

Commuters on Metra’s Electric Line should prepare for 10-minute delays and altered schedules as major work begins Monday on the line that runs from the city to the south suburbs.

Metra will be replacing 10,000 ties and resurfacing track over a nearly 17-mile stretch between Kensington/115th Street and University Park, according to a statement from the transit agency. Six switches will also be replaced at Metra’s Richton Park Yard, and rail will be replaced at Randolph and 18th.

Construction schedules for midday and weekend trains will be in effect from Aug. 22 through Oct. 1 on the Electric Line. To view the schedule, commuters should go to metrailrail.com.

Customers should also expect delays up to 10 minutes.

Crews will be working seven days a week, with most of the work happening between the weekday morning and evening rush hours and on the weekends, according to Metra.

The total cost of the work is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to the transit agency.

“Projects like these are the foundation of reliable service,” Metra CEO Don Orseno said in the statement. “Keeping to a regular schedule of track maintenance allows us to continue to provide service at the speeds and levels our customers expect.”