Metra is a transit agency that provides commuter rail service largely geared towards people traveling between the suburbs and downtown Chicago for 9-to-5 jobs. It also offers limited commuter service within the city, as well as some near-rapid service between downtown Chicago and the Hyde Park neighborhood, where the University of Chicago is located.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the number of people working in offices has plummeted. Of people who are still showing up in person for downtown office jobs during the crisis, many are driving rather than taking Metra. In response, Metra is running fewer trains on all lines. In addition, the railroad is currently running the usual Sunday schedules on Saturdays, too, which means some lines have no weekend service.
