Some New Year’s Eve revelers who opted to take a special, late-night Metra BNSF train were left scrambling to find alternative transportation after the train departed early.
The commuter rail service had advertised later-than-usual trains on all of its lines for the holiday.
But the 1:15 a.m. train scheduled to leave Chicago Union Station left 20 minutes early following what Metra said was a miscommunication with BNSF Railway, which owns the tracks and operates the trains, and the crew.
The error forced dozens to order ride-hail cars that cost upward of $100, riders said.
“It was just the worst night they could have done this,” said Martin Brown, 22, who was downtown with his girlfriend celebrating the New Year with drinks.
The train usually departs at 12:40 a.m., but Metra said it ordered BNSF to hold it until 1:15 a.m. for the holiday.
But the crew misunderstood the departure time, and thought they should leave 15 minutes later than scheduled, at 12:55 a.m., according to Metra.
So when Brown and his girlfriend showed up at 1 a.m., they did not find a train waiting to be boarded.
Instead they saw a crowd of 60 to 70 confused riders being told by Metra police that the train had been canceled, Brown said.
The officers told the crowd that Union Station closes at 1 a.m. and ushered the would-be riders to the exits, where they were allowed to stay in the foyers to call for rides home, he said.
“The police were being pretty patient because they realized this was screwing over a lot of people,” Brown said. “They had no other details.”
Brown’s partner, Darian Carter, said she overheard someone say their potential Uber ride cost more than $400.
“Everyone was confused and upset,” said Carter, 22.
Brown and Carter considered ordering a car to their destination in Western Springs, but the ride-hail app estimated the pickup time at about an hour.
So Brown called his father three times until he woke up, and got him to drive to Chicago to pick him up. His father, who arrived around 1:40 a.m., didn’t seem to mind, he said.
While they waited, the couple overheard teens at the station contemplating sleeping in the foyers until the next train, scheduled for hours later.
Brown was frustrated when Metra customer service couldn’t explain what happened when he called later on New Year’s Day.
“They were like, ‘We’re sorry this happened and we’ll get back to you,’” he said.
Metra released a statement Wednesday morning explaining the miscommunication.
“Metra is sincerely sorry for the mistake, and we are working with BNSF management to address the issue,” a company spokesman said in a statement.
BNSF Railway did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
