To boost ridership, take Metra beyond the 9-to-5 commute

Commuters de-board a Metra train after arriving at the LaSalle Street Metra Station in the Loop. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

Since its founding in 1984, Metra has largely operated on Eisenhower-era train schedules mainly timed to ferry 9-to-5 office workers in and out of the Loop — something the commuter rail agency is now working to change.

And with good reason. With its ridership still dramatically reduced as downtown struggles to regain office workers in the wake of pandemic shutdowns in 2020, the agency wants to lure riders who are looking to make non work-related trips.