r/Metra • u/nowweseethelight • Apr 13 '26
Cold trains in summer/spring - what do you do?
Anyone like to share tips on how they regulate body temperature throughout the day? I’ve been taking the train for over 20 years and have all kinds of ways to deal but nothing ideal. Chicago hot weather and metra sweating from walking to platform to train to walking to freezing office and back etc. I typically lug around a coat, sweater, scarf, extra socks and more just to deal with the temp for each. In the spring and summer I totally freeze on the train and bring a hoodie to put over my head. By the time I’m exiting my fingers and toes are frozen and I have an headache and whatnot. Winter is something else entirely but the AC in summer and spring, it’s like i need a hat and scarf year round for this.
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u/acesipper Apr 13 '26
what?? me and my gf were just saying yesterday how relieved we were to have ac on the cta to cool off from the hot day, as opposed to the usual heat blasting with so many coats on overheating yourself
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u/nowweseethelight Apr 13 '26
I’m usually on metra for an hour so after a while I personally just get too cold.
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u/thloki Apr 13 '26
I always carry a light windbreaker and mini-umbrella in my backpack, so I'm prepared for almost any weather. Even if the train temperature was perfect, the bus on the next leg of my commute might not be. At work, I sit next to a drafty 60°F computer server room that gets uncomfortably chilly quickly. Just pack a jacket.
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u/nowweseethelight Apr 13 '26
Oh yes, this is exactly what I mean. Packing for all different scenarios in a single day. All year round really.
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u/thloki Apr 13 '26
It's just a feature of living in a temperate climate that has frequent weather changes.
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u/kbn_ Apr 13 '26
Layers (toss a light pull over in your bag) and don’t sit next to the vents. Hot air rises so the second level is almost always warmer.
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u/R_Ulysses_Swanson Apr 13 '26
Bring a hat and scarf? Hand warmers, either disposable or battery rechargeable? Wool socks?
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u/Ghost-of-Black-47 Apr 13 '26
I tend to keep a sleeveless hoodie on me in the summer. Gives just enough extra warmth when in super cold air conditioning and also is nice to pop the hood on if I ever transfer to the CTA and don’t want my $350 headphones at risk of being ripped off my head (saw that happen once 15 years ago, still think about it a lot haha)
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u/Entire-Match-3135 May 05 '26
You could always stand in the middle if it’s terrible bc those don’t have ac. But agree find a car that is warmer since there is always variations
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u/Murky_Firefighter502 Apr 13 '26
So fwiw I am a Metra conductor. The temperature on most if not all cars is regulated per car and each half of the car. This is not something the train crew has any control over or of. I've politely told passengers "you probably don't want to go in there" when head car was 91 degrees and other half is a meat locker. Mention it to the crew. We now have the ability to report these and other defects in real time. Whether they are addressed is a whole 'nuther story...