The Chainlink

Bikes on trains: Conductors perspective

Ive looked through a few of the topics on this matter and thought I'd give my 2c from a different viewpoint, that toolbag from the kingdom of jerk off, a Metra conductor. Have 15 years in and it was oh so nice for the first 9 not to have to deal with this but as we all know, that ended a few years back and the geniuses at Metra who came with the plan as usual half assed it and left us , the operating employee, holding the bag for it. While they are at home every weekend, they leave it to us to enforce the policy, rules and regs that go along with being able to bring bikes on board, a policy that  to this day many riders have zero clue about the proper way of doing. Of course the people who read this forum dont fall into this category at all, you are all respectful and abide by what the conductor says every time you ride Im sure. Bikes in general are a pain to have on the train, whether or not there is room for them. To this day, my estimate is that 60% of the people STILL get on without a way to secure their bike to the bottom rail like theyre supposed to, then want to fight with me about letting them ride anyway. Main reason we are such sticklers for this? If for some reason that bike is unsecured and something happens where the train moves suddenly, derails, goes through a crossover, etc and it breaks loose and hits little Tommy sitting with his Mom across the aisle and hurts him, management and Tommys Mom arent going to come after you the bike rider. Nope, theyre going to come after me, the conductor and first thing theyre going to ask / tell me is why didnt you make sure those bikes were tied down? Boom, Im out of a job when Tommys Mom sues and Im not putting my families future at risk because some doofus doesnt carry around a bungee or chain. Next, relinquishing your seat or being asked to leave the train when the train becomes too crowded IS a possibility and a risk you take when you bring your bike on board. Ive had so many arguments over this its not even funny. People seem to think once theyre on, thats it and they cant be asked to leave when we need the space. Sorry, but we can do that and Im not making a family of 5 stand up for 30 plus miles just so you can bring your bike on. Next up, reaching max capacity . Certain trains can take up to 15 bikes but we dont have to take that many. If the bikes that are on board are clogging the aisle making walking by them unsafe, Im going to cut off the bikes right there and no more will be allowed to board. So when you try to get on halfway down the line and I tell you we're full, its my decision and its final. I usually get the "cmon man you can take 1 more" stance and Im not going to compromise the safety of the other passengers no matter how much people beg and plead. Youve all seen how crowded those trains are especially on weekends, and when I have to move 4 people from their seats when you get on 1 stop out of Ogilve / Union so you can bring your bike on, its a pain, I dont like my job to be a pain, I like it to run smooth. Bikes in general cause the train not to run so smooth because of all the baggage that goes along with it. Just keep that in mind next time you think the conductor is being a jerk to some rider about their bike. NONE and I mean none of the conductors I know like having them on board m we are being forced to do it because some dopes at the top thought it would be a good idea and forced it on us without really creating a way to make it palatable for us and for you the rider. For that I dont fault you I fault them but they leave us to clean up the mess . Thanks for reading, Flame away.

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Permalink Reply by S on July 12, 2013 at 4:23pm



James Liu said:

This is plainly management's job. They know that the UP-N gets crowded for Ravinia. In fact, they sell passes to go up and back and run special trains. Since they know that, why don't they simply black out the UP during Ravinia? Have it prominently printed on the UP-N schedule brochures where they explain when bikes are allowed on trains. That way, people can plan around it and take MD-N instead?

Ravinia goes on for 4-5 days a week for about 2 months.  Blacking out the UP-N in the afternoons/evenings for most of summer would probably be a major inconvenience for cyclists that would like to use it.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 12, 2013 at 4:27pm

Everybody has a choice.

I changed careers several years ago because I was unhappy.  I did have to make lifestyle changes because I chose to be happy over a larger paycheck but there is always an option out there.

Steve Cohen said:

Oh, please, Zidaane.  What planet are you living on?  Plenty of people don't like their jobs, but have no choice if they want to make a living.

Zidaane said:

You either like your job or you don't. If you find yourself continually annoyed by your management, your customers or any type of change, then you might need to seek some other occupation.

The majority of conductors I've dealt with seem really happy with the job. 

Permalink Reply by Mike Murray on July 12, 2013 at 4:27pm

I like to take my bike on the train to go to the Pritzger Pavilion Concerts and to ride the Lakefront during the week as it is so expensive to park and really perilous to ride into the city from where I live ....Roselle...(too bad there is not a proper bike line on Irving Park by the airport).  The conductors are typically very courteous.  To make sure I could "always" take my bike on the train I finally succumbed and bought a nice folder....don't regret it and with a cover you can bring a folder on the train at any time.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 12, 2013 at 4:28pm

Oh so true.

JeffB (7+ miles) said:

+1

h' 1.0 said:

If management tells a paid employee that they're resonsible for implementing something new, and doing their part to help it go smoothly while keeping curtomer satisfaction in mind, then the paid employee has a choice of carrying out management's wishes, or finding another job.  They can certainly walk around bitching about it, and do their part to subtly sabotage it, and complain about their employer on public message boards, but in most professions they'd be on track to be terminated after not too long.

What speaks most poorly about Metra management here is that employees are basically allowed to drag their obvious disgruntlement around and flaunt it for the world to see and there doesn't seem to be a process for correcting that.

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Mendelson on July 12, 2013 at 4:30pm


James Liu said:

  • This is plainly management's job. They know that the UP-N gets crowded for Ravinia. In fact, they sell passes to go up and back and run special trains. Since they know that, why don't they simply black out the UP during Ravinia? Have it prominently printed on the UP-N schedule brochures where they explain when bikes are allowed on trains. That way, people can plan around it and take MD-N instead?
Again, you can't just ban certain passengers because they create extra hassle.  That may be okay for weekend warriors, but for the average person trying to get to work, run errands, see family, etc. ... you don't get to choose your own schedule.
Permalink Reply by Steve Cohen on July 12, 2013 at 4:31pm

Well goody goody for you.  I have quit jobs too, that I didn't like.  But if you're trying to tell us that if can't keep a smile on your face the whole fricking day, you have a DUTY to quit your job, that's beyond stupid!  Some people don't like their jobs and DON'T have a choice.  Or maybe they like some parts of their jobs and not others.  Or maybe they can't afford the salary loss.

Geez, when did we become such an anti-worker society?


notoriousDUG said:

Everybody has a choice.

I changed careers several years ago because I was unhappy.  I did have to make lifestyle changes because I chose to be happy over a larger paycheck but there is always an option out there.

Steve Cohen said:

Oh, please, Zidaane.  What planet are you living on?  Plenty of people don't like their jobs, but have no choice if they want to make a living.

Zidaane said:

You either like your job or you don't. If you find yourself continually annoyed by your management, your customers or any type of change, then you might need to seek some other occupation.

The majority of conductors I've dealt with seem really happy with the job. 

Permalink Reply by Lee Roy on July 12, 2013 at 4:36pm

This happened to me in 2010. And it was on the UP Northwest line, ...not Metra???

Last year (2010) I had a bad experience with Metra.

Folding bike with protective cover...

I agree that a lot of conductors do not want to "deal" with the hassle of people with bikes.

There is definately an attitude on the NW line.

 

City: Chicago
State: IL
Rail Line: up-nw
Origin: Mt. Prospect
Destination: Ogilvie
Train Number: 
Station: 
Date: 06/13/2010
Time: 1930
Message: I have a folding bike and a protective cover for it. I was boarding the train at Mt. Prospect the weekend of Blues Fest. The conductor informed me that there were ;No Bikes allowed;. I had called the Friday before, and was told I would be able to travel with my folding bike with cover. He did kindly let me ride to my destination. But I want to be clear what the policy is on folding bikes on trains with protective covers is.
Thank you,

Lee

 

 

Mr. Carrier
You are correct, small folding bikes in a protective cover do not fall under the Blues Fest ban. The conductor does have some discretion here; the policy says "Folding bicycles in protective covers are permitted on all trains at all times but should not block train aisles or doorways." But it doesn't
sound like you were doing that here. I'm forwarding your e-mail to UP so they can make sure their conductors know the rules.


Michael Gillis
Metra Media Relations

Permalink Reply by Bez on July 12, 2013 at 4:50pm

Each line used to be it's own company and you actually purchased a ticket for the line.   Now,  they are all under the Metra umbrella but each line still has its own management team. 

Lee Roy Carrier said:

This happened to me in 2010. And it was on the UP Northwest line, ...not Metra???

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on July 12, 2013 at 5:05pm

Whew! For a moment there, I thought I might be the only one!  ;-)

Steve (see ^^^)

Mike Murray said:

To make sure I could "always" take my bike on the train I finally succumbed and bought a nice folder....don't regret it and with a cover you can bring a folder on the train at any time.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 12, 2013 at 5:11pm

There is a difference between anti-worker and thinking that if your job makes you so unhappy you need to complain about it on the internet you should just find a new one.

Steve Cohen said:

Well goody goody for you.  I have quit jobs too, that I didn't like.  But if you're trying to tell us that if can't keep a smile on your face the whole fricking day, you have a DUTY to quit your job, that's beyond stupid!  Some people don't like their jobs and DON'T have a choice.  Or maybe they like some parts of their jobs and not others.  Or maybe they can't afford the salary loss.

Geez, when did we become such an anti-worker society?


notoriousDUG said:

Everybody has a choice.

I changed careers several years ago because I was unhappy.  I did have to make lifestyle changes because I chose to be happy over a larger paycheck but there is always an option out there.

Steve Cohen said:

Oh, please, Zidaane.  What planet are you living on?  Plenty of people don't like their jobs, but have no choice if they want to make a living.

Zidaane said:

You either like your job or you don't. If you find yourself continually annoyed by your management, your customers or any type of change, then you might need to seek some other occupation.

The majority of conductors I've dealt with seem really happy with the job. 

Permalink Reply by Steve Taylor on July 12, 2013 at 5:48pm

Wow so much to reply to, so little time. I'll get back later to provide some responses, sorry for the delay but as you know theres a little something called the Taste of Chicago going on and last couple days have been really busy. I should just quit because the Taste makes me so unhappy too.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 12, 2013 at 9:53pm
I was on the metra today and tried to look for you and introduce myself.

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