Health |

Metra launches $1 million ad campaign to lure commuters back

With its ridership running at about 10% of normal, Metra is launching a nearly $1 million ad campaign touting its increased daily cleaning regimen in an effort to lure commuters back during the pandemic.

The “My Metra” campaign, which will hit TV, radio, billboards and digital platforms, highlights the transit agency’s focus on more thorough disinfecting and sanitizing of the train cars to combat the spread of COVID-19 and safety concerns among passengers.

“That expanded definition of cleanliness is now our new priority,” Metra CEO Jim Derwinski said as he introduced the campaign at a news conference Tuesday.

Billboards, a large part of the campaign, will feature a worker spraying seats with a new electrostatic disinfecting fogger and slogans such as “Dedicated to Disinfecting” and “Commute with Confidence.”

The budget for the campaign is $967,000 and runs through April, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. The campaign was produced by Chicago ad agency LKH&S, which has worked with Metra for several years.

The “Commute with Confidence” theme is a departure from Metra’s memorable, long-running slogan, “The Way to Really Fly,” which was retired several years ago after decades of use.

Like the airline industry, the Chicago area’s commuter rail system, which operates 11 rail lines across six counties, has been hit hard by the pandemic. Remote working and distance learning remain the norm. Train cars are still largely empty despite Metra cutting daily service by more than half.

Ridership is down to about 25,000 passengers a day from pre-COVID-19 levels of about 260,000 to 270,000 daily passengers.

Derwinski said he doesn’t expect ridership to return to normal anytime soon.

“We understand everyone’s not going to be going down to the central business district,” Derwinski said. “They may not be going down five days a week, but they still may be going down two, three days a week, so the seating capacity still has to be there.”

Last month, Metra upped its projected two-year budget deficit to $682.5 million and warned that it will have to start cutting costs more aggressively without additional federal aid like the relief act passed in March.

Metra is getting about $480 million in federal relief funding, leaving a projected $200 million revenue gap through the end of 2021.

“Clearly, we’re going to need more assisted funding from the federal government as they come up with further relief packages,” Derwinski said.

Adding to its financial woes, Metra said it is losing $1 million a month in ticket revenue because Union Pacific, which operates the UP North, Northwest and West lines, is not allowing conductors back into the aisles to punch tickets, citing coronavirus safety concerns.

Metra officials acknowledged Tuesday the ad campaign may not have an immediate impact if commuters continue to work from home. They are hoping, however, to encourage a return to trains when employees return to the office.

“We are planting the seed and trying to build confidence for businesses and their workers … removing one barrier to return,” Gillis said. “We want everyone to know that we are ready for them when they are ready for us.”

rchannick@chicagotribune.com