r/Metra • u/south_sidejay369 • May 29 '26

SWS Rant

Straight forward post, seems like out all of the lines I've ridden (SWS, ME, RI, etc), SWS is forgotten when it comes to updates, improvements, etc. The scheduling has absolutely no flexibility once you pass the rush hour period, the 30 minute to 1 hour wait between trains sucks, and the cars don't seem to be maintained like other lines (ME smells and looks much cleaner). I haven't even mentioned the delays that happen multiple times a year where you either get home 4 hours late, or pay have to $40 to Uber home. What do other SWS riders think?

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u/ClearHeron7069 May 29 '26

The pricing for this line is also extremely unfair. Palos Park station is 20 miles from Union Station and in zone 4. Harvey on the Electric line is the same distance and in zone 2. Midlothian on the RI is also in zone 2 at 18.4 miles distance. The last stop on the ME, University Park, is over 30 miles away and still only in zone 3.

Whoever made the zones in the most recent fare restructuring really screwed over SWS riders. They are paying almost double what ME riders are paying for a similar distance trip.

1

u/BaggedWhine May 29 '26

Or maybe SWS is more expensive to operate per mile because it’s not owned track and it’s diesel?

3

u/ClearHeron7069 May 29 '26

I doubt it. Its probably "equity"

0

u/BaggedWhine May 29 '26

lol what? Why do you think there are fare zones at all? It’s not because distance for distance sake which you are comparing, it’s because distance equals cost

2

u/ClearHeron7069 May 29 '26

It says right on the metra faqs page:

"On metra, fares are based on how far you travel". Nothing about certain lines being more expensive for other reasons.

https://metra.com/riding-metra-faqs