Metra in Chicago, The BNSF Metra Line Metra (reporting mark METX) is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. Metra has 240 stations and 11 rail lines. However I come today to suggest their busiest line: The BNSF Line is Metra's busiest route. This 37.5-mile (60.4 km) route runs from Union Station to Aurora, Illinois. It had an average of 63,000 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019. The BNSF Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its western suburbs, running from Chicago Union Station to Aurora, Illinois. In 2010, the BNSF Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership (average 64,600) of the 11 Metra lines. While Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, the BNSF line's color on Metra timetables is "Cascade Green," in honor of the Burlington Northern Railroad. The line is operated by BNSF under a "purchase of service agreement" with Metra, inherited from Burlington Northern. While Metra owns all rolling stock, the management and crews are BNSF employees. BNSF is the owner of the right-of-way, controls the line and handles dispatching from corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Metra imposes a 70 mph maximum allowed speed for passenger trains. All of Metra's locomotives are diesel-electric locomotives. The bulk of its locomotive fleet consists of F40PH locomotives. The Electric District uses electric multiple units Rolling stock uses: EMD F40PH/F40PHM-3 locomotives Gallery Cars from Nippon Sharyo (same as the caltrain gallery cars) Trains operate in a Push/Pull configuration. Metra has priority over freight trains during the morning and evening rush hours.
For BNSF freight trains, I'd love to see a GP60 or GP60M, GP50, GP39-2, GP39-3 (rebuilt GP30 and GP35 units), or GP38-2 for local/switching services, and an ET44C4 or C44-9W for heavy freights.
