Metra is the primary
commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
system in the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
serving the city of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and its surrounding suburbs via the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
,
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
, and other railroads. The system operates 243
stations on 11 rail lines.
It is the
fourth busiest commuter rail system in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the
New York City metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...
. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . The estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on November 4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs
2016 World Series victory rally, with a record 460,000+ passengers.
Metra is the descendant of numerous passenger rail services dating to the 1850s. The present system dates to 1974, when the
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...
established the
Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to consolidate transit operations in the Chicago area, including commuter rail as a public utility. The RTA's creation was a result of the anticipated withdrawal of commuter service operated and owned by various private railroad companies in the 1970s. In a 1983 reorganization, the RTA placed commuter rail under a newly formed Commuter Rail Division, which branded itself as Metra in 1985. Freight rail companies still operate four of Metra's routes under purchase-of-service agreements. Metra owns all
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
and is responsible for all stations along with the respective municipalities. Since its inception, Metra has directed more than $5 billion into the commuter rail system of the Chicago metropolitan area alongside the
CTA. In January 2023, Metra rolled out a new real-time train tracking website to allow passengers greater visibility into their commute.
History
Early Chicago commuter rail
Since the 19th century, Chicago has been a major hub in the North American rail network.
It has more trackage radiating in more directions than any other city in North America.
Railroads set up their headquarters in the city and Chicago became a center for building freight cars, passenger cars and diesel locomotives. Early commuter services were run by the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy,
Chicago and North Western, and
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
.
By the 1930s, Chicago had the world's largest public transportation system, but commuter rail services started to decline.
By the mid-1970s, the commuter lines faced an uncertain future. The
Burlington Northern, Milwaukee Road, Chicago and North Western and
Illinois Central had been losing money for several years, and were using trainsets with
passenger cars dating as far back as the 1920s.
Formation of the RTA
To provide stability to the commuter rail system, the
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...
formed the
Regional Transportation Authority in 1974.
Its purpose was to fund and plan the Chicago region's public transportation. After initially using second-hand equipment, the RTA took delivery of the first new
EMD F40PH
The EMD F40PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's ...
locomotives in 1976. That F40PH fleet is still in service today.
The companies that had long provided commuter rail in the Chicago area continued to operate their lines under contract to the RTA.
Less than a decade later the RTA was already suffering from ongoing financial problems. Additionally, two rail providers, the
Rock Island Line
"Rock Island Line" ( Roud 15211) was originally sung as a spiritual by slaves on the plantations of the Mississippi River Valley, and was first transcribed as a folk song in 1929. The first recording was made by John Lomax, who was traveling amo ...
and the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
, went bankrupt, forcing the RTA to create the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation to operate their lines directly in 1982. In 1983 the Illinois Legislature reorganized the agency. That reorganization left the Regional Transportation Authority in charge of day-to-day operations of all bus, heavy rail and commuter rail services throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. It was also responsible for directing fare and service levels, setting up budgets, finding sources for capital investment and planning. A new Commuter Rail Division was created to handle commuter rail operations; along with CTA and
Pace, it was one of RTA's three "service boards".
Metra branding

The board of the RTA Commuter Rail Division first met in 1984. In an effort to simplify the operation of commuter rail in the Chicago area, in July 1985 it adopted a unified brand for the entire system–Metra, or Metropolitan Rail.
The newly reorganized Metra service helped to bring a single identity to the many infrastructure components serviced by the Regional Transportation Authority's commuter rail system.
However, the system is still legally known as the Commuter Rail Division of the RTA.
Today, Metra's operating arm, the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, operates seven Metra owned routes. Four other routes continue to be operated by
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...
(formerly
Chicago & North Western) and
BNSF (formerly
Burlington Northern) under contract to Metra. Service throughout the network is provided under the Metra name (in keeping with Metra's goal of providing a single identity for all commuter rail in the region). Metra also owns all rolling stock, controls fares and staffing levels, and is responsible for most of the stations. However, the freight carriers who operate routes under contract use their own employees and control the right-of-way for those routes.
By the first quarter of 2024, the Union Pacific Railroad is expected to transfer operations of the three Union Pacific lines to Metra. Union Pacific will continue to own and maintain the right-of-way.
Growth and expansion
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Metra experienced record ridership and expanded its services. In 1996, Metra organized its first new line, the
North Central Service, running from Union Station to Antioch. By 2006, it added new intermediate stops to that same route, extended the
Union Pacific West Line from Geneva to Elburn and extended
SouthWest Service from Orland Park to Manhattan. In 2012, it boasted 95.8% average
on-time performance (measured only for a train's arrivals at its last station no more than six minutes late).
It also posted its fourth highest volume in its history despite decreases in employment opportunities in downtown Chicago.
Metra continued to seek expansion options and to improve passenger service. Over the past three decades, Metra has invested more than $5 billion into its infrastructure. That investment has been used to purchase new rolling stock, build new stations, renovate tracks, modernize signal systems and upgrade support facilities.
In addition to core improvements on the
Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West Lines, planning advanced on two new Metra routes,
SouthEast Service and the
Suburban Transit Access Route ("STAR" Line).
In 2023, Metra announced plans to extend the
Milwaukee District West Line to
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...
, with intermediate stops at
Huntley and
Belvidere, by 2027. In August 2024, Metra ran hourly shuttles on the North Central Service between
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, Loop business district. The airport is ope ...
and Union Station during the
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
, leading some to question whether more frequent service to O'Hare could be permanently obtained. Such an agreement would require contracts with the two freight railroads -
Canadian National, which owns some of the NCS track, and
CPKC, which dispatches trains on another portion of the route. Additionally, improved service to O'Hare would likely require major infrastructure upgrades to track, sidings, crossovers, and flyovers, with the potential for dedicated rolling stock another consideration.
Corruption
Metra also has been marred by allegations and investigations of corruption. In April 2002, board member Don Udstuen resigned from both Metra and his executive job with the Illinois State Medical Society, after admitting to taking bribes to steer Metra contracts to firms associated with former legislator
Roger Stanley and pleading guilty to his part in Illinois's
Operation Safe Road scandal.
In April 2010, Metra's executive director, Phil Pagano, faced investigation for taking an unauthorized $56,000 bonus and was later found to have improperly received $475,000 in vacation pay. The day that the agency's board was scheduled to discuss his fate, Pagano stepped in front of a moving Metra train in an apparent suicide. Around the time of Pagano's death, allegations also surfaced that a Metra employee demanded a $2,000 payoff from the studio that used Metra in the 2011 film ''
Source Code
In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer.
Since a computer, at base, only ...
''. That employee was later relieved of his duties, and retired.
In June 2013, Metra CEO Alex Clifford abruptly resigned his position with no public comment. It was later reported that his exit had been demanded by the Metra board, which negotiated a $871,000 severance package including a
non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...
. Clifford's ouster was allegedly arranged because he rejected requests for
patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
hiring and promotion, including a request to promote a longtime supporter of State Representative
Michael Madigan
Michael Joseph Madigan (born April 19, 1942) is an American politician and convicted felon who is the former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the longes ...
. In the wake of this scandal, five board members resigned. In August 2013, the remaining board members unanimously elected Don Orseno as interim CEO. (The six-member board was operating with reduced membership and thus lacked the authority to elect a permanent CEO. Orseno and Alex Wiggins shared duties as co-executive directors.) Orseno's long railroad career, beginning with work to set up trains and check doors for the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.
At ...
played favorably in the board's decision. By October 2013, local officials had restored Metra's board to 11 members. After reviewing four candidates, the re-constituted board formally appointed Orseno CEO of Metra in January 2014.
In 2014, "a lengthy history of political patronage hiring at" Metra was reported, based on past files.
Underfunding
For a long time, Metra was not being funded enough to keep most equipment and rolling stock up to date. On average, the agency received approximately $700 million a year, but Metra claims to need about $2 billion a year, which only since 2020 has been accomplished. Because of this, Metra had to cut back on new rolling stock, instead resorting to their Rebuild Programs, in which they rebuild railcars and locomotives with newer state of the art utilities. Rebuilds cost only a fraction as much as buying new rolling stock, such as with their Amerail built cars. Rebuild programs can rebuild aging cars for approximately $650,000, whereas buying that same railcar new would be approximately $3 million.
Operations
Stations
Metra serves passengers through stations throughout the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
. Each station, unless a route or branch terminus, provides travel toward (inbound) and away from (outbound) downtown Chicago. Therefore, a passenger can connect between the city and a suburb or between two points in the suburbs using Metra service. Although Metra's commuter rail system is designed to connect points all over the Chicago metropolitan area, it does provide some intracity connections within Chicago.
Metra trains originate from one of four stations in downtown Chicago. Six lines originate at
Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
. The three Union Pacific lines originate at
Ogilvie Transportation Center
The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (), on the site of the former Chicago and North Western Terminal, is a commuter rail train station, terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois. For the last century, this site has served as the primary t ...
, formerly and still popularly called North Western Station. The
Rock Island District originates at
LaSalle Street Station. The
Metra Electric District
The Metra Electric District is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra which connects Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street Station), in downtown Chicago, with the city's southern suburbs. As of 2018, it is the fif ...
originates at
Millennium Station
Millennium Station, (previously known as Randolph Street Terminal and occasionally referred to as Randolph Street station or Randolph/South Water Street station) is a commuter rail terminal located in the Chicago Loop, Loop area of Chicago, do ...
, formerly and still often called Randolph Street Terminal. All four terminals are situated within walking distance of the
Chicago Loop
The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized Community areas in Chicago, community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest busi ...
, so Metra passengers can easily transfer to a different Metra line upon their arrival downtown.
Metra's urban-centric service remains popular with suburban commuters working downtown,
reverse commute
A reverse commute is a round trip, regularly taken, from an urban area to a suburban one in the morning, and returning in the evening. It is almost universally applied to trips to work in the suburbs from homes in the city. This is in opposition ...
rs, and those who visit Chicago for recreational activities and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
.
Stations are found throughout Chicago, as well as in suburban
Cook,
DuPage,
Kane,
Lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
,
McHenry, and
Will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
counties—an area largely coextensive with the inner ring of the Chicago metropolitan area. One station is located in
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...
.
Routes
Metra operates on 11 lines, most of which date from the mid-19th century. One line (the BNSF Line) is operated under a purchase-of-service agreement and is operated by
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
. The other ten lines are operated by the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation (NIRC), Metra's operating subsidiary; eight of these primarily run over track owned by other railroads, while two (the Electric and Rock Island districts) run entirely on Metra-owned track. The three lines out of Ogilvie Transportation Center (formerly North Western Station) were operated by the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
until 2025. Inbound trains on every line at all times run through to their Chicago terminus, however, many outbound trains do not run through to their respective lines' terminus (for example, most trains on the Union Pacific Northwest Line do not run through to Harvard; instead, terminating at Crystal Lake).

:The BNSF Line is Metra's busiest route. This route runs from Union Station to , Illinois. It had an average of 63,000 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
:Metra's least patronized line, the Heritage Corridor is a route, running from Union Station to , Illinois during weekday rush hours only in the peak direction. It had an average of 2,600 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
:The Metra Electric District is a electrically powered route from Millennium Station to , with an additional of branch lines serving (except Sundays and holidays) and . The line had an average of 28,100 passenger weekday trips in 2018–2019.
:The Milwaukee District North Line is a route from Union Station to , Illinois. The line had an average of 22,100 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
:The Milwaukee District West Line is a route from Union Station to in
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Kane County, Illinois, Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located northwest of Chicago along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River. As of the 2020 United Stat ...
; on weekends and holidays, service terminates in downtown . The line had an average of 20,600 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
In 2023, Metra announced plans to extend the Milwaukee District West Line to
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...
by 2027.
:The North Central Service is a route from Union Station to , Illinois. It had an average of 5,600-weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
It does not run at all on weekends and holidays.
:The Rock Island District is a route (not inclusive of the Beverly Branch) to the southwest and southern suburbs. The line has 26 stations on two branches from LaSalle Street Station to . Some trains branch off onto a local track and terminate at . It had an average of 26,900 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
:The SouthWest Service is a route from Union Station to , Illinois, though most trains end at . It had an average of 9,600-weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
It does not run at all on Sundays and holidays, and Saturday service is currently suspended.
:The only route that travels outside Illinois, the Union Pacific North Line is a route from Ogilvie Transportation Center to , Wisconsin, with most trains ending in , Illinois. The line had an average of 34,600 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
:The longest Metra route, the Union Pacific Northwest Line is a route from Ogilvie Transportation Center to , Illinois, with most trains ending in . During weekdays except for holidays, service also includes a branch line from to . The line had an average of 40,100 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
:The Union Pacific West Line is a route running from Ogilvie Transportation Center to , Illinois. The line had an average of 27,900 weekday passenger trips in 2018–2019.
Proposed routes
Metra proposed two routes in the early 2000s: the
SouthEast Service, which would connect some portions of the southern suburbs with downtown Chicago; and the
Suburban Transit Access Route, which would connect various suburbs with each other without going into downtown. , only the SouthEast Service is still being considered.
In 2023, the
Illinois Department of Transportation
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers f ...
selected Metra as the agency to run
restored rail service to
Rockford.
Pre-Metra routes
Several commuter lines were discontinued before Metra was established. The
Illinois Central West Line from present-day Millennium Station to Addison, Illinois, (closed 1931), Pennsylvania Railroad line to Valparaiso, Indiana, (closed 1935), New York Central line from LaSalle Street Station to Elkhart, Indiana, (closed 1964), and four Chicago & North Western lines to St. Charles, Aurora, Freeport, and Kenosha-Harvard (all municipalities in Illinois and Wisconsin, closed 1930–51). The Burlington Route had service between Aurora and West Chicago, Illinois (closed 1943). Chicago Eastern Illinois operated commuter service on this line out of Dearborn Station to Dolton and Momence, respectively. The Chicago and Eastern Illinois commuter line to Momence, Illinois, ended in 1935, while the Chicago and Western Indiana service to Dolton, Illinois, was discontinued in 1964. Chicago Great Western had commuter service to DeKalb, Illinois (closed 1906). Santa Fe service to Joliet, Illinois (closed 1903). However, Metra runs service to Joliet, Illinois, on two routes: Heritage Corridor and Rock Island District.
Ridership
Ridership has been slowly declining on all but one line since 2014, as seen below. The figures post-2020 have been drastically affected by the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Though monthly reports from 2024 show heavy improvement over 2021 figures, they are still below pre-pandemic levels. Peak-direction ridership is at only 56% of pre-pandemic ridership, while other types of weekday travel are between 80% and 95% recovery rates. Systemwide, Saturday and Sunday ridership has fully recovered to pre-pandemic numbers.
Annual ridership
Weekday ridership
Weekend ridership
Connections
Transportation in Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest city in the United States and a world transit hub. The area is served by two major airports, numerous highways, elevated/subway local train lines, and city/suburban commuter rail lines; it is the national ...
consists of a public transportation infrastructure allowing for
intermodal connections to local, regional, national and international transportation services.
Parking lots are available adjacent to most suburban Metra stations for passengers connecting with their train by
car
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
. Most parking lots are operated by the municipality they are located in. Fees and fines are also assessed by the local municipality; however, parking is usually free on weekends and most holidays.
Mass transit
CTA and suburban
Pace buses connect with many Metra stations downtown and in the suburbs. Monthly pass holders are offered link-up options with these services.
In addition, many
intercity bus lines connect with passengers outside of Union Station.
The
Chicago "L"
The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated railway, elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the four ...
also has transfers with Metra at some Chicago stations. Most 'L' lines traverse
the Loop allowing nearby access to all downtown Metra terminals. There are also transfer points between Metra and the 'L' outside of the Loop, such as transfers from the
Union Pacific Northwest Line to the
Blue Line at
Irving Park and
Jefferson Park Transit Center; and from the
Union Pacific West Line to the
Green Line at Oak Park.
'L' trains announce downtown Metra connections on board when announcing the next 'L' stop.
Union Station doubles as both a Metra station and
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's station in Chicago.
In addition to ''
Illinois Service'' and ''
Hiawatha
Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he ...
'', Amtrak trains run nationwide including service to
states spanning both coastlines.
Passengers connecting from Ogilvie Transportation Center can access Union Station through its north platforms on the opposite side of
Madison Street,
with Millennium and LaSalle stations also within a short walking distance of Union Station as well. A number of suburban Metra stations are also shared with Amtrak as well.
The
South Shore Line, an
interurban
The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
line connecting Chicago with the Indiana suburbs and
South Bend
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...
, originates at Millennium Station and operates along much of the Chicago portion of the Electric District line, as far south as
63rd Street. Per a longstanding noncompete agreement, eastbound South Shore trains only stop at shared Electric District stations to board passengers, and westbound South Shore trains only stop to discharge passengers.
Positive train control
In regards to the
PTC mandate that passed
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, Metra took steps to meet the deadline. Metra concluded that the December 31, 2015, mandate to have PTC running was an unreasonable requirement. This aligned with the stance taken by much of the railroad industry.
This is due to a variety of factors including but not limited to: delays from the government, and the fundamental complexity of building a program from the ground up. Moreover, Metra estimates the cost of implementing the system on their of track in the Chicago region to be over $200 million.
The fear is this unfunded mandate will divert scarce capital funds from other essential needs. This includes building and maintaining existing tracks, stations, signals, and other equipment that ensures a safe operating environment for all of Metra's passengers. However, Metra recognizes the need for PTC but needed a more reasonable timeline to implement such a program. This recognition is partially based on Metra's previous accident history. Two noteworthy events were a pair of accidents on the Rock Island District within a span of a couple of years. The first event was a derailment that occurred on October 12, 2003, when a train flew through a 10 mph crossing at 68 mph. A second very similar occurrence happened on September 17, 2005, but was more serious. The latter derailment killed two passengers and injured 117.
Both of these incidents could have been prevented if PTC were in place. In both circumstances, PTC would have overridden the engineer and slowed the train down to the appropriate speed to prevent an accident from occurring.
Recently, Metra has taken significant steps in the process to fully implementing PTC. On April 22, 2015, the Metra board approved an $80 million contract to Parsons Transportation Group.
Parsons was the sole bidder and speaks to the complexities of the project. They will be in charge of incorporating various devices from GPS, radio, to trackside antennas into one cohesive system. The group has some experience in this sector previously as Parsons worked with the southern California commuter rail agency
Metrolink to install their system.
By the year 2020, Metra completed installation of the Positive Train Control. This came at a capital cost of $400 million and an annual operating cost of $20 million. Metra's PTC system works with the trains of 12 other railroad companies.
Fare system and ticketing

Fare is determined by the distance traveled by a passenger. Each station along every route has generally been placed in a specific zone based on its distance from its respective downtown station. Multiple stations can be placed in the same zone even though they are on the same line.
Historically, the downtown terminals and stations in the vicinity of downtown were classified as zone 'A' and each additional zone represented an added from the downtown terminus.
There were originally thirteen fare zones: zones A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, and M (zone L would not have any stations since 1984 when Hartland station closed on the Northwest Line). Zones K and M were merged into zone J on July 15, 2018, reducing the number of zones to ten.
On February 1, 2024, Metra reduced the number of fare zones from 10 to 4 and labeled each of the four zones by number instead of letter. This was proposed in an effort to simplify its fare structure. In addition, trips not entering or exiting the downtown area (zone 1) are subjected to a flat $3.75 fee.
Tickets
Several ticketing options exist for passengers. Riders may choose to purchase one-way tickets, day passes, day pass five-packs, weekend passes, or monthly passes.
* A one-way ticket is used for one-way travel between two stations. One-way tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines at stations, from the
Ventra app, or on the train from a conductor. Conductors will charge an extra $5 if a ticket machine was available at the passenger's departing station.
* A day pass provides unlimited rides on one calendar day for all stations in between two zones for twice the cost of a one-way ticket between those two zones. Day passes can be purchased in stations or in the Ventra app but are not for sale on board trains.
* A day pass five-pack provides five day passes between two zones determined at the time of purchase. Day pass five-packs can be shared between passengers and expire 90 days after the date of purchase. Day pass five-packs can only be purchased with the Ventra app.
* A Saturday or Sunday day pass provides unlimited travel between any and all zones for one passenger on a Saturday, Sunday, or certain holidays. Weekend day passes can be purchased in stations, on board trains (with no surcharge), or with the Ventra app. As of 2024, Saturday or Sunday weekend passes cost $7.
* A weekend pass (Ventra app only) provides unlimited travel between any and all zones for one passenger on a Saturday and Sunday. In the past, weekend passes were extended to include holidays adjacent to the weekend, but this practice seems to have ended. Weekend passes are only available within the Ventra app. As of 2024, weekend passes cost $10.
* A monthly pass provides unlimited travel between any two zones for one passenger on every day of a respective month. Monthly passes can be used on any line within the specified zones. Monthly passes can be purchased from ticket vending machines, or from the Ventra app. Starting in July 2022, PlusBus and Link-Up have been combined to form the new Regional Connect Pass. The Regional Connect Pass is available for $30 to monthly pass holders and allows for unlimited travel on CTA buses and the 'L', as well as Pace buses. The Regional Connect Pass is only available for monthly passes purchased in the Ventra app.
Reduced fare programs
Metra allows some travelers to purchase reduced fare tickets or even ride for free. These reduced fare and free ride programs are administered by Metra and the
RTA
RTA may refer to:
Media
* Radio and Television Arts, program at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
* Radio Television Afghanistan
** RTA TV, an Afghan channel
* Radiodiffusion Télévision Algérienne
* Real time attack, a game speedrun
Sci ...
. Some pre-college
student
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject.
In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...
s,
youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...
,
senior citizen
Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...
s, members of the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
and persons with
disabilities
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...
may qualify for these programs. Time-based and geographical restrictions apply to these programs and passengers must ensure they qualify before attempting to purchase special tickets or ride for free.
Cook County launched The Fair Transit pilot on January 4, 2021, scheduled to initially last for three years. Under the pilot, all riders on the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines will pay Metra's reduced fare rates.
On the
Union Pacific North Line, passengers headed to an event at may ride to the event for free after showing their Ravinia Festival e-ticket to the conductor.
Safety and security

Metra employees, the
Metra Police Department and other public safety agencies are responsible for maintaining safety and security on its lines, aboard its trains and at stations all to various degrees. Although rail transport is one of the safest forms of land travel,
compromises to Metra's safety and security can occur through pedestrian accidents,
suicide attempt A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...
s, vehicle collisions,
derailment
In rail transport, a derailment is a type of train wreck that occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway sys ...
,
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
and other
incidents. Failing to maintain safety and security can result in equipment and infrastructure damage, extensive service disruptions, traumatic injuries and
loss of life. Therefore, Metra and other agencies consider safety a top priority and dedicate a significant amount of resources to combat these dangers.
Starting in the early summer of 2013, Metra has announced plans to up police patrols on to the seven lines the agency operates: the Milwaukee Districts North and West, the North Central Service, the Heritage Corridor, South West Service, Rock Island, and Electric District. The police patrols will not be on the BNSF and Union Pacific train lines because those lines are operated by the railroads that own them and security falls to those companies. When asked why there were increasing patrols spokesman Michael Gillis said, "There is no particular reason, other than the fact that we want to be more proactive and more deliberately visible to our riders".
Law enforcement
The
Metra Police Department is a special law enforcement agency charged with providing police services to passengers, employees, equipment and property. The department has more than 100
police officer
A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
s and is responsible for the safety of all routes and stations.
In an effort to help coordinate
emergency preparedness
Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actua ...
and
incident management, all Metra police officers are certified in the
National Incident Management System.
In addition, Metra police works with the
Chicago Police Department
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...
as a member of the
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy.
Thomas A. Cook was the only Metra police officer that has been killed in the line of duty thus far.
Rail safety
The focus on rail safety by Metra comes from many fronts beyond operations including emergency preparedness and public awareness.
The setup of
railway platform
A railway platform is an area in a train station alongside a railway Track (rail transport), track providing convenient access to trains. Almost all stations have some form of platform, with larger stations having multiple platforms.
Grand Cen ...
s, use of
grade crossing signals
Level crossing signals are electronic warning devices for road vehicles at railroad level crossings.
Level crossings can be operated in various ways. In some countries such as the UK, the warning devices are more often than not activated by rem ...
and
horn blasts make up a critical system used to communicate movements of commuter trains to pedestrians and vehicles. Outside of these operational components, Metra aggressively pursues safety through public awareness. Metra utilizes its own
Operation Lifesaver program and uses it to help spread safety messages. Metra also holds events promoting rail safety at schools and organizes a safety poster contest awarding winners with prizes and features their posters on monthly passes and at stations.
Metra has been honored with several
E. H. Harriman Awards for employee safety, most recently with a Bronze award in class B (line-haul railroads with between 4 and 15 million employee hours per year) for 2005. Previous Harriman Awards conferred to Metra include Gold awards for 2003 and 2004 and a Silver award for 2002.
Metra expects to implement
positive train control
Positive train control (PTC) is a family of automatic train protection systems deployed in the United States. Most of the United States' national rail network mileage has a form of PTC. These systems are generally designed to check that trains a ...
on its entire system in 2019, four years after the federally mandated 2015 deadline.
Incidents

There were 156 non-employee fatalities involving Metra equipment and Metra owned track between 2001 and 2010.
On average 15 people were killed annually based on data from that decade. The highest number of fatalities in a year throughout that time occurred in 2002, with 23 deaths and in 2010, with 21 deaths. The majority of these fatalities occurred at grade crossings and on railway involving an impact with a train; only four deaths involved passengers aboard the train.
The worst commuter rail disaster in Illinois occurred before the formation of Regional Transportation Authority. The
1972 Chicago commuter rail crash consisted of a two-train collision on the Metra Electric, then under the control of the Illinois Central. The collision resulted in 45 deaths and 332 injuries.
Two decades later, Metra experienced its first rail disaster, the
1995 Fox River Grove bus–train collision.
This accident involved a collision of a
Union Pacific Northwest Line train and a
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
at a grade crossing resulting in 21 injuries and the deaths of seven high school students.
In 2003, another incident involved a
Rock Island District train derailing while switching from one track to another, injuring 45 passengers. In 2005, a train carrying 200 passengers along the same stretch of track derailed and then collided with a steel bridge resulting in two deaths and 117 injured. The cause of both accidents was ruled to be human error; the trains were going at speeds in excess of when they should have been going .
On May 11, 2022, Metra train #1242 collided with a box truck at on the Metra
BNSF Line, resulting in four injuries, and one death. The passenger who was killed, a 72-year-old woman from Downers Grove, was ejected from a window of the train during the collision.
This incident, as of May 2022, is the second incident in Metra's history that resulted in a passenger fatality.
In addition to the loss of life, injuries, damage and service disruptions caused by accidents, Metra and other transportation agencies have been involved in multimillion-dollar
lawsuit
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...
s and
settlements stemming from safety failures.
These failures have also resulted in updated safety policies and adjustments of equipment and warning devices.
Rolling stock
Current locomotives
All of Metra's locomotives are
diesel-electric locomotives. The bulk of its locomotive fleet consists of F40PH locomotives. The
Electric District uses
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s.
Retired locomotives
Coaches
Former coaches
Private club coaches
Multiple units
Metra's electric units, except for the future battery electric multiple units, are also known as
Highliners.
Notes
See also
*
Mass transit in Chicago
*
Chicago 'L'
*
Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...
*
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus and regional paratransit division of the Regional Transportation Authority (Illinois), Regional Transportation Authority serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the ...
*
South Shore Line (NICTD)
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*J. David Ingles, Metra: "Best Commuter Train", ''
Trains
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
'' July 1993
External links
MetraRegional Transportation Authority
{{Illinois railroads
Regional Transportation Authority (Illinois)
Commuter rail in the United States
Transportation in Chicago
Railroads in the Chicago metropolitan area
Railway lines in Chicago
Standard-gauge railways in the United States
Transit agencies in Illinois
1984 establishments in Illinois