Call-prep brief · checked 2026-08-01

Metra

Grade F · 39.5 / 100

Unchanged since 2026-07-31.

For this call: lead with the grade and the three fixes below, then confirm the feed is current and the NTD details line up. Each fix is framed as a next step, not a failure.

What changed since the last check

Correctness no change
Freshness no change
Rider experience no change

Top three things to fix

Add feed_start_date and feed_end_date to feed_info.txt and include calendar end dates in your export.
Neither feed_info.txt nor the calendars state when service ends. Nobody can tell when this feed will go stale.
Effort: Likely a one-time export setting.
Set wheelchair_boarding to 1 (accessible) or 2 (not accessible) for every stop. A field survey can start with the busiest stops.
241 of 241 stops don't say whether a wheelchair user can board there. Riders who use wheelchairs can't plan a trip when accessibility is marked 'unknown'; apps show no information at all.
Effort: A column in stops.txt; your scheduling software likely has it.
Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip. If every vehicle is accessible, this may be one default; otherwise use the value for each trip.
8336 of 8336 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible. Even with accessible stops, riders need to know the transit vehicle itself can take them.
Effort: A default or per-trip field in your export.

Finding handoff

Move one finding to a recheck

Select one finding. Copy the request, make the change in the feed-producing tool, then compare the next complete run.

Feed evidence: Neither feed_info.txt nor the calendars state when service ends.
Next action: Add feed_start_date and feed_end_date to feed_info.txt and include calendar end dates in your export.
Recheck: Publish the changed feed at the same URL. On the next complete, comparable scorecard run, confirm that this finding is no longer reported.

Copy handoff text

Agency: Metra
Finding: scorecard_no_expiry_date
Feed evidence: Neither feed_info.txt nor the calendars state when service ends.
Why it matters: Nobody can tell when this feed will go stale.
Requested change: Add feed_start_date and feed_end_date to feed_info.txt and include calendar end dates in your export.
Recheck: Publish the changed feed at the same URL. On the next complete, comparable scorecard run, confirm that this finding is no longer reported.
Evidence: https://gtfsscorecard.org/agency/metra-2854/?finding=scorecard_no_expiry_date#finding-handoff

NTD GTFS readiness: Not ready

Resolve this before you certify on the D-10. No service end date could be read, so currency is unknown.

Published Ready: Published at a public URL.
Valid Ready: Passes validation with no errors.
Current Not ready: No service end date could be read, so currency is unknown.
agency_id provided Ready: agency.txt provides agency_id. For RY2026, keep one stable value for each NTD reporter represented in the feed and crosswalk each value on the P-50 form.

agency_id equals NTD ID (optional): Different (allowed). Your feed's agency_id is METRA; your National Transit Database ID is 50118. A feed that serves several agencies (a shared regional feed) can legitimately carry more than one agency_id. The values do not need to equal the five-digit NTD ID, so this difference is allowed and carries no score. Confirm that P-50 crosswalks agency_id METRA to NTD ID 50118, and keep the feed value stable. Do not change it solely to make the two values equal.

Key facts

Feed URL: https://schedules.metrarail.com/gtfs/schedule.zip
Last checked: 2026-08-01
Service window: Expiry date not stated in the feed.
Location: Illinois

Part of the Illinois portfolio: see where this agency sits among the state's feeds before the call.

A data-quality and completeness read to support an agency conversation. Not an official compliance determination. Rubric v1.3, validator 8.0.1.