Metra Times Support

Help, answers, and how to reach us

Metra Times is a fast, glanceable departure board for Metra commuter trains. This page answers common questions and tells you how to get help.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set up my board?

Open Schedule, pick a line and a from/to station pair, then tap Add to board. Add as many trips as you ride. Use Edit to reorder or remove them. Your board is saved on your device, and each card shows its next departures with live status.

On iPhone, Schedule is one of the four tabs along the bottom and Edit is on the Board. On iPad both live in the sidebar; see Is there an iPad version? below.

Can I give a journey a name?

Yes. On the Board tap Edit, tap the … next to a journey and choose Rename. Call it whatever you actually call it, like Home or Work. The name replaces the station pair on the board and in the widget, with the stations still shown underneath so you can tell two similar trips apart.

Names are also how you ask Siri for one journey rather than another (see below).

How do I add the trip home?

In one tap. On the Board tap Edit, tap the … next to a journey and choose Add return trip. It saves the same two stations the other way round, so you do not have to go back to Schedule and pick them again. The option disappears once the return trip is already on your board.

Can I reorder or remove journeys?

Yes. On the Board tap Edit, then drag the handle on the right of a row to reorder, and use the … menu or a swipe from the right to remove one. The order you choose is the order the board shows, and the first journey is the one Siri and a freshly added widget use by default.

Why does one card show two different lines?

Because both of them get you there. A few station pairs are served by more than one Metra line: Chicago OTC to Clybourn runs on UP-N and UP-NW, and Chicago Union Station to Western Ave runs on MD-N, MD-W and NCS. A saved trip is a journey rather than a single line, so its card shows every line that runs it, merged in time order, with each row labelled. The next departure really is the next train, whichever line it happens to be on. There is nothing to turn on, and it applies to trips you saved before.

How do I get around the app?

There are four places to be. Board is your saved departures. Schedule browses the full timetable for any line, station pair and date. Map shows the whole Metra network, where tapping a station gives its next departures. Alerts lists Metra service advisories, filtered to your lines by default.

On iPhone those are four tabs along the bottom. On iPad they are a sidebar down the left, with your saved journeys listed above Schedule, Map and Alerts.

Is there an iPad version?

Yes, and it is laid out for the bigger screen rather than blown up from the phone. Every journey you have saved sits in a sidebar down the left with its own next departure, and the one you pick fills the pane on the right as a full departure board. It works in portrait and landscape, and alongside another app.

A few things sit in different places than on iPhone:

• Schedule, Map and Alerts are in the sidebar under Browse, rather than tabs along the bottom.
• Edit is in the sidebar, in the header above your journeys.
• Settings is the gear at the top of the sidebar.
• Touch and hold a journey in the sidebar for Rename, Add return trip and Remove. The last two happen straight away; Rename opens the Edit sheet, the same one the Edit button opens.
• Reordering is done in Edit, by dragging the handle on the right of a row, exactly as on iPhone.

The map is a lot of lines. Which is which?

Tap the legend chip at the bottom left to expand it. It lists every Metra line with its colour, and tapping a line in the list highlights just that one on the map, which is easier than telling eleven colours apart.

Why does it say today runs a Sunday schedule?

Because it does. On some public holidays Metra runs its Sunday timetable on a weekday. The app reads that from the published service calendar rather than keeping its own list of holidays, and says so at the top of the board so a thinner timetable is not a surprise.

Why don't I see a platform or track number?

Metra's public schedule feed does not include platform or track assignments, so the app cannot show them. Check the station signage or Metra's announcements for the boarding track.

Are the times live?

The app shows the official Metra timetable and, where available, real-time delay status. Live status depends on Metra's real-time feed. When it isn't available, scheduled times are shown.

A time or delay looks wrong.

Schedule and real-time information come directly from Metra's public data feeds, and the app reflects what those feeds publish. If something looks off, email us the line, station and time and we'll investigate.

Can I see my next train on the Home Screen?

Yes. Touch and hold an empty part of your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and search for Metra Times. There are two sizes: the small one shows your next departure and the one after it, and the medium one lists several more with each row labelled by line.

The widget shows a journey you have already saved on your board, so add one first if your board is empty. It picks your first saved journey by default. To choose a different one, touch and hold the widget and tap Edit Widget.

Does the widget work without a signal?

Yes. The widget reads the timetable the app has already downloaded, so it keeps showing your departures with no connection. It shows scheduled times rather than live delays, because iOS only wakes a widget a limited number of times a day and a delay that old would be more misleading than useful. Open the app for live status. If the app has not been opened in a long time the widget will say its times need a refresh, rather than showing times it cannot stand behind.

My widget says to open the app.

That appears when the widget has nothing current to show: usually because the app has not been opened since you installed the update, or because its saved times have aged. Open Metra Times once and the widget fills in. If it says a journey is no longer on your board, that trip was removed; touch and hold the widget and tap Edit Widget to pick another.

Can I ask Siri for my next train?

Yes. Say “Hey Siri, next train in Metra Times” or “Hey Siri, when’s my next train in Metra Times”. Siri answers out loud and shows a card, without opening the app. You can also run it by hand from the Shortcuts app, under Metra Times.

It answers about a journey you have already saved on your board, so add one first if your board is empty. With more than one saved, it uses the first one unless you name the journey you want (below).

Can I ask about a particular journey?

Yes, once you have given it a name. On the Board tap Edit, tap the … next to a journey, choose Rename, and call it something you would say out loud, like Home or Work. Then say “Hey Siri, next train home in Metra Times”.

After renaming, open the Board once before you ask. The name only reaches Siri when the board next loads.

Siri gave me the wrong journey, or said to open the app.

If it answered about a different journey, the name probably has not reached Siri yet: open the Board once and try again. If it asks you to open Metra Times, the app has not saved a timetable for that journey yet, or the one it has is too old to stand behind. Opening the app once fixes both.

Siri reads the timetable already stored on your device, so it still answers with no signal, and checks for delays when it can. If it cannot reach the network it gives you the scheduled time without a delay rather than a time it cannot stand behind.

How do I track a train on my Lock Screen?

Tap a train to open its detail view and start tracking. A Live Activity appears on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and updates as the trip progresses.

Can the app tell me when to get off?

Yes. Turn on Get-off alert in Settings and choose how many stops ahead you want warning. While you're tracking a train, the app notifies you as your stop approaches, and the alert vibrates even in silent mode.

What is "Near you"?

When you open the Board within about a mile of a Metra station, the app can show that station's next departures at the top, or, if one of your saved journeys already starts there, keep that card expanded and mark it. It asks for location permission once, the first time the Board opens with a journey saved; if you said no and change your mind, allow location for Metra Times in iOS Settings. Your location never leaves your device. Turn it off with "Show nearest station" under Settings, or adjust "Search radius" there (0.2 to 3 miles).

What does precise on-board tracking do?

It uses your location while you ride so the get-off alert stays accurate with your phone in your pocket, rather than relying on the schedule alone. It is optional, it requires the get-off alert to be on, and your location never leaves your device. The app is fully usable without granting location access.

Can I change how the app looks?

Settings offers two designs: Classic, in Metra blue, and Flapboard, a split-flap departure board in amber. Both show the same information.

Does the app collect my data?

No. The app has no account, no ads and no tracking. Your boards, settings and location all stay on your device. (This support page counts page views with a privacy-friendly analytics service that sets no cookies.) See the Privacy Policy for details.

How much does it cost?

Metra Times is free.

Still need help?

Email support@goodenoughdev.com and we'll get back to you.

Metra Times is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Metra or the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad. Schedule and real-time information sourced from Metra's public data feeds.