Metra to run hourly service from O'Hare during DNC

Metra says it will run trains hourly from O'Hare Airport to downtown Chicago during the Democratic National Convention in August.

North Central Service line trains will run hourly over 10 days overlapping with the DNC between the O'Hare Transfer station and Union Station, according to a Metra spokesman. Metra has not released a schedule.

It's a significant increase in service from Metra's station near the airport's long-term parking and rental car garage. The station typically offers six daily trains to the Loop on weekdays and none on the weekend.

Metra CEO James Derwinski mentioned the temporary boost in service Tuesday during a state Senate Transportation committee hearing about the future of area public transit. Derwinski and other Chicago-area transit bosses asked state legislators to increase transit funding so they could increase the frequency of trains and buses.