From what I remember they ran that car on banker/stockbroker hours - the average commuter would have never seen it.
Part of the draw, I'm sure, is that Metra allows alcohol on trains. So you've basically got 50+ friends drinking together on the way home, every day. Speaking of which, I thought I heard something about them bringing back the bar cars to increase revenue. (For those that don't ride the train in Chicago - it is BYOB. In the old days they actually had a public train car with a bar and bartender you could purchase from).