Metra Union Pacific Covid fare lawsuit brings $19.3m award

Metra Union Pacific Covid fare lawsuit has resulted in a $19.3 million award after a Cook County, Ill., jury ordered the freight railroad to compensate the Chicago-area commuter operator over Covid-era fare collection practices, as reported by Railfan & Railroad.

The case highlights how this legal battle fits into the broader Metra–Union Pacific commuter rail conflict that has unfolded around pandemic restrictions and ongoing operational issues.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Background to the Metra–UP Covid fare dispute

In March 2020, when Covid-19 restrictions came into force, Metra and its freight partners, Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, stopped onboard fare collection so conductors would not have to walk trains and interact face to face with passengers, a sequence also described in Railway Age. After a few months, as rules eased and more was understood about the virus, Metra and BNSF brought back the practice of having conductors move through the cars and collect fares. Union Pacific, however, did not resume these duties until May 2021.

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During that extended gap, Metra reported that riders found it difficult to find a conductor when problems arose on board, and that some UP crews shut off certain cars, which made social distancing more difficult for remaining passengers. Union Pacific has said it plans to appeal even as Metra wins $19.3 million from UP through this jury verdict.

Disputes over Metra use of Union Pacific tracks

Separate from the courtroom battle, Metra and Union Pacific are still working to settle how much the commuter agency will pay for Metra use of Union Pacific tracks. In spring 2025, after years of debate about UP no longer wanting to provide passenger service directly, Metra took over all commuter operations on the former Chicago & North Western lines, and hundreds of Union Pacific employees moved to the agency as part of that transition.

This shift, as previously covered by Railway Supply, underlines how recent legal rulings and operational changes are reshaping the Metra–Union Pacific relationship without yet resolving the underlying payment question.

Despite the operational handover, the track access issue remains open, and both sides continue to look for a solution to the ongoing payment disputes between Metra and Union Pacific over track access as this story goes to press.

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