Metra will soon unveil a new alert system for riders, but some may need to make a change to see them

The new system follows upgrades to the transit agency’s GPS tracking and passenger information systems, which track train movement and on-time performance, power onboard and platform announcements, and provide information on digital signs, according to the transit agency. Riders can sign up at MetraTracker.com beginning Thursday by creating an account and selecting the alerts they want to receive. There will be two types of alerts: service alerts and prediction alerts. For service alerts, customers can choose the days and times they want to receive notifications and choose text, email or both. Separate alerts must be created for different trips, such as morning and evening commutes. For prediction alerts, customers select their line, origin and destination stations, along with when and on which days they want updates. Predictions can be sent by text, email or both and repeated at set intervals until a selected end time. Additional trips can be added separately. Riders who want to receive systemwide alerts, which are used to notify riders about issues that may impact the whole system, such as holiday schedule changes, can check a box that says, I would like to receive service alerts that may impact all service. Additionally, riders can use the website to follow their train on a map and access schedule and real-time arrival information. When the new system launches, the transit agency will shut down its current email-only alert system. Customers who want to continue receiving alerts will need to sign up for the new service because information from the current system cannot be transferred.