Metra is now operating the three Union Pacific (UP) lines instead of Union Pacific Railroad, including the northwest line through Arlington Heights. In March 2025, Metra sought the public’s help to rename the Union Pacific train lines.
Union Pacific announced several years back that it wanted to stop operating the passenger trains on its North, Northwest and West lines. UP and Metra pushed for a transition that would not be noticeable to riders.
Conductors are employed by Metra instead of Union Pacific. The onboard personnel switched to Metra in spring of 2025. Mechanical and customer service workers who were hired last year, and some engineering employees are in the process of transition.
Union Pacific had operated the lines since 1995, when it purchased the Chicago & North Western, under a purchase-of-service agreement with Metra. That meant Metra paid UP to operate the service using Metra trains but Union Pacific’s employees.
Union Pacific will still own and maintain the railroad tracks, and dispatch the lines, but the trains are now being operated and maintained directly by Metra workers.
The price Metra will pay to use UP’s tracks is still under negotiating.
Communications Upgrade
Union Pacific and Metra are also each in the process of using a new communications systems.
Ondas, a leading provider of private industrial wireless networks and commercial drone and automated data solutions, announced Thursday, July 24, 2025 that it has completed the first buildout of its 802.16 technology operating on the new 900 MHz “A Block” with a large Class I railroad in Chicago (not specified, but likely Union Pacific).
The new deployment continues Ondas’ collaboration with its partner Siemens Mobility to assist rail operators with the transition from legacy systems to cutting-edge 900 MHz wireless communications networks capable of supporting IEEE 802.16 (“dot16”) technology.
IEEE 802.16 (“dot16”) technology is also known as WiMax
While both are wireless technologies, WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) is generally used for longer-range, higher-bandwidth connections, while Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) is typically used for local area networks inside a residence or business.
The communications upgrade is the first 900 MHz A Block network upgrade by a Class I railroad in Chicago – one of the most complex railroad wireless environments in the country – this achievement demonstrates the continued adoption and maturity of Ondas Networks IEEE 802.16 technology to provide scalable, secure, and ubiquitous in dense, urban rail systems. This latest installation in Chicago includes upgrades to the railroad’s core base station infrastructure, providing a mission-critical backbone to enable future upgrades to additional wayside infrastructure.
In conjunction with Siemens Mobility, Ondas Networks previously announced in December 2024 that it would also be upgrading the legacy 900 MHz system of Metra to an advanced, 802.16 network operating on the new A Block in Chicago. Ondas Networks is actively coordinating the use of the A Block spectrum with industry bodies in Chicago and elsewhere to assist railroads with ongoing migrations from the legacy 900 MHz network, which is being retired.
Proposed Merger
A proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, which would create the first complete transcontinental railroad in the United States, was announced today, Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
The largest rail union, AFL-CIO affiliate SMART Transportation Division in the United States (formerly known as the United Transportation Union or UTU) intends to oppose Union Pacific’s proposed $85-billion acquisition of smaller rival Norfolk Southern in proceedings before the Surface Transportation Board, according to statement Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
The freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, 2023 was a Norfolk Southern freight train that was carrying hazardous materials. Thirty-eight railcars derailed, and several burned while releasing hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air. Residents within a 1-mile radius were evacuated. Air, soil, and rivers were contaminated. Residents continued to experience health symptoms, while officials claimed that no harmful chemicals were detected in the air or water. Employees of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), who were investigating at the scene of the derailment in early March 2023, also experienced symptoms.
NYSE: Union Pacific Corporation (UNP)
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC)
Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS)
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena & Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George on merger: Deal is ‘great for America’ (CNBC Television). YouTube Tips ⓘ
