Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation

Metra

In 1974, with the railroads loosing money on commuter trains, and other transit systems loosing money, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) was formed. The RTA subsequently signed "purchase of service" agreements with the various railroads servicing Chicago. which were all in place by 1976. The railroads would then continue to operate the commuter trains subsidized by the RTA and operating according to RTA standards. The Rock Island was finally modernized in 1979 with new bilevel cars and F40PH locomotives, and rebuilding of track which had badly deteriorated. The two rush hour commuter operations in Illinois, the Norfolk & Western (ex Wabash) and Gulf Mobile & Ohio received new bilevel cars and F40PH locomotives in 1979 which replaced former long distance equipment previously provided by the railways themselves.

The C&NW had developed a modern and comfortable commuter rail services on its own but no money was invested in new commuter locomotives. Rather, older F7 and E8 locomotives were kept operating through rebuilding. Chicago & North Western locomotives and rolling stock were acquired by the RTA on December 31st, 1977 and leased back to C&NW. The RTA and Metra enabled the C&NW locomotives to be finally replaced by 1989. The Burlington Northern E8 & E9 locomotives and rolling stock passed to the West Suburban Mass Transit District (WSMTD) in 1982 and in 1983 were rebuilt to HEP and E9Ar and the rolling stock converted to all-electric. They were also planned to be acquired by the RTA, however the locomotives remained WSMTD property until replaced by new leased Metra F40PH-2M on August 30th, 1992.

All locomotives acquired by the RTA were allocated RTA fleet numbers, but only two ex C&NW F7A actually carried their RTA numbers (305 & 308) and then only after withdrawal from passenger service.

The Rock Island entered bankruptcy on March 17, 1975. In 1980 the federal courts ordered it’s liquidation and it shut down 11:59pm March 2nd, 1980, with the ICC directing that the RTA takeover the Joliet commuter service. RTA signed up the C&NW to do so, but in the spring of 1981 C&NW bailed out during an RTA financial crisis. With no other railway willing to takeover the operation the RTA set up the Northeast Illinois Railroad Corporation (NIRC) in June 1981. RTA finally purchased the track to Joliet for $35M in December 1982 (Rock Island).

Milwaukee Road went bankrupt in October 1977. The RTA "purchase of service" agreement expired on June 30th, 1981 but was not renewed as potential purchasers of the railway did not want the commuter operation. From January 1982 the F40C locomotives and equipment passed to the NIRC as well as the seven withdrawn E9s. To preserve the service NIRC leased the property on October 1st, 1982 and Metra completed the purchase of the lines from Chicago to Pingree Grove and Fox Lake in August 1987 (Milwaukee West and Milwaukee North).

Today’s Metra organization stems from the RTA Amendatory Act of 1983, which decentralized Chicagoland’s transit network by creating three separate management boards – CTA, Pace and Metra. The Metra service mark for NIRC was introduced in 1984. Metra now directly operates most of the services except for those on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the former Chicago & North Western North, Northwest and West lines (now operated by Union Pacific) which are still "purchase of service" contracts.

As Illinois Central downsized in the 1980’s it approached Metra regarding its Chicago commuter lines. The electric lines from Randolph St were physically separate from the main line and this facilitated their sale to Metra for $28M on May 1st, 1987 (Metra Electric). The sale also included the former GM&O diesel service to Joliet but in this case not the tracks (Heritage). In 1993 Norfolk Southern leased the Orland Park line to Metra as its Southwest service and the NS employees were transferred to Metra.

On August 19th, 1996 Metra inaugurated the first all new commuter train service in 70 years when it started operating from Chicago Union Station to Antioch on the Wisconsin Central (now CN) line (North Central).

In 2006 extensions to the Union Pacific West Line to Elburn (January 23rd) and Southwest line to Manhattan (January 30th) were opened. In addition North Central and Southwest line services were expanded by the completion of work to double track the lines allowing expansion of services from rush hour.

All Time Locomotive Roster

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Notes
1, 2		1939/46	EMD	SW1	Originally RI 4801, 4804, acquired from IC 9016, 9025
3		1954	EMD	SW1200	Ex MILW 2048
4-9		1967~72	EMD	SW1500	Ex SP 2643, 2476; Inland Steel 120, 121; SP 2494 and ? ?
100-127		1977 r/b 2009-11	EMD	F40PH r/b F40PH-3	Rebuilt by Progress Rail 2009-2011 to F40PH-3
128-149		1979/80	EMD	F40PH-2	128-149 rebuilt by Progress Rail 2011-2012 to F40PH-3
150-173		1983	EMD	F40PH-2
174-184		1988/9	EMD	F40PH-2
185-214		1991/2	EMD	F40PH-2M
215, 216		1977/81 r/b 2009	EMD	F40PH-3	Originally Amtrak F40PHR 258, 375, acquired May 2009 & rebuilt by Progress Rail 2009 to F40PH-3
200-202		1948	EMD	E7A	Ex Rock Island 639, 641, 642 not repainted or renumbered retired by 1979 no HEP
230		1941	EMD	E6A	Ex Rock Island 630 not repainted or renumbered, retired by 1979 HEP fitted
290		1948	EMD	E7B	Ex Rock Island 610 not repainted or renumbered retired by 1979 no HEP
300-304, 305, 306-307, 308, 309, 310		1949	EMD	F7A	ex C&NW 406-414, 416 Dec 1977 (415, 417-425 were allocated to 309, 311-319 but these units remained with C&NW) 406-414, 416 retired 1983 non repainted or renumbered 411 & 414 repainted and renumbered 305 & 308, retained for work trains and donated to IRM 1999
320-322		1949	EMD	F7A	Ex Rock Island 675-677 not repainted or renumbered retired by 1979
400		1949	EMD	E7A	ex C&NW 5019B Dec 1977; 5019B retired 1981; not renumbered
401-429		1950-5	EMD	E8A	ex C&NW 5021A, 5024B, 5025A,B-5027A,B, 5030B, 5031A,B, 5032A, 5033A, 512-22, 507-11 Dec 1977; non renumbered all repainted except 507-509, 517 C&NW 507-11 originally UP 927, 934, 940, 949, 949 r/b 1973; 512-22 originally 5027B, 5028A, 5023B, 5029B,A, 5024A, 5050A, 5022A,B, 5023A, 5021B r/b 1974 5028B, 5032A, 5033A retired 1981; 507-509, 512, 5021A, 5024B, 5025A,B-5027A, 5030B, 5031A, 5031B, retired 1983; 517 retired 1986; 510, 511, 513-516, 518-522 retired 1989
400-427		2003/4	MPI	MP36PH-2S
430, 431		1953	EMD	E8A	Ex Rock Island 660, 661 not repainted or renumbered retired by 1979
440-447		1950-2	EMD	E8A	Ex Rock Island 646, 649, 652-655, 657, 658 not repainted or renumbered retired by 1979 no HEP
530-535		1961	EMD	E9A	Ex MILW 36A, 36C, 37A, 37C, 38A, 38C, Jan-82; not used by RTA, not repainted or renumbered 37A at Illinois Railway Museum (IRM)
540-543		1956	EMD	E9A	Ex Rock Island 662-665 not repainted or renumbered retired by 1979
550, 551, 554, 555		1955/62 r/b 1973	EMD	E9Ac	ex C&NW 501, 502, 504, 505 Dec 1977 501, 502, 505, 506 ex UP E9B 910B, 913B, 960B, 962B r/b with "Crandall Cabs" 1973; none renumbered or repainted 501, 502, 505, 506 retired 1983
552, 553		1953 r/b 1973	EMD	E8Ac	ex C&NW 502-505 Dec 1977 552, 553 ex UP E8B 925B, 935B r/b with "Crandall Cabs" 1973; none renumbered or repainted 552, 553 retired 1983
560		1956	EMD	E9A	Ex MILW 33C, Jan-82; not used by RTA, not repainted or renumbered 33C at Illinois Railway Museum (IRM)
600-614		1974	EMD	F40C	Originally #40-54 purchased for Milwaukee Road Commuter services by Northwest Suburban Mass Transit District (NWSMTD - 40-52) or the North Suburban Mass Transit District (Nortran - 53, 54). Renumbered and repainted mid 1980s. 600, 605-607, 609, 610, 612 retired 2003; 601-604, 608, 613 retired 2004; 611, 614 in service
9900-9908, 9910-9925		1949~56 r/b 1973~8	EMD	E9Ar	ex BN E9A 9935, 9938-9940, 9977, 9967, 9972, 9973, 9976, 9980-9995 purchased by West Suburban Mass Transit District (WSMTD) and r/b by Morrison-Knudsen to E9Ar 1973/4 (9910-9925, 9900-9904) or 1978 (9905-9908) allocated RTA numbers 500-524 but never acquired by RTA, renumbered or repainted 9901-9908, 9910-9925 retired 1992; 9900 retired 1993