Metra

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Metra
Metra 135, a rebuilt EMD F40PH-3, idles at Barrington, Illinois
Overview
Owner	Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)
Locale	Chicago metropolitan area, United States
Transit type	Commuter rail
Number of lines	11
Number of stations	242 year-round, 1 seasonal, 1 under construction
Daily ridership	168,600 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership	31,894,900 (2023)[2]
Chief executive	James M. Derwinski[3]
Headquarters	547 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661
Website	metra.com
Operation
Began operation	1984
Operator(s)	Metra, Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway
Reporting marks	METX
Technical
System length	487.5 miles (784.6 km)[4]
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Metra Electric: Overhead line, 1,500 V DC Other lines: none
System map Show interactive map Legend ‡ = temporarily closed for reconstruction ◇ = under construction    4   Kenosha  Wisconsin Illinois Winthrop Harbor Zion Waukegan  Harvard  North Chicago Woodstock Great Lakes Crystal Lake Lake Bluff  McHenry  Lake Forest ● Pingree Road Fort Sheridan Cary Highwood Fox River Grove Highland Park Barrington  Antioch  Palatine Lake Villa  Big Timber Road  Round Lake Beach Elgin Washington Street National Street  Fox Lake  Bartlett Ingleside Hanover Park Long Lake Schaumburg Round Lake Roselle Grayslake  Elburn  Prairie Crossing La Fox Libertyville Geneva Lake Forest ● West Chicago Deerfield Winfield Mundelein Wheaton Vernon Hills College Avenue Prairie View Glen Ellyn Buffalo Grove  4   3  Wheeling Prospect Heights Ravinia Arlington Park Ravinia Park (Seasonal) Arlington Heights Braeside Mount Prospect Glencoe Cumberland Hubbard Woods [note 1] Des Plaines Winnetka Medinah Indian Hill Itasca Kenilworth Wood Dale Lake Cook Road Bensenville Northbrook Lombard North Glenview Villa Park Glenview Elmhurst Golf  3   2  [note 2] O'Hare Transfer Dee Road Rosemont Park Ridge Schiller Park Edison Park Belmont Avenue Norwood Park Mannheim Gladstone Park Franklin Park Jefferson Park [note 3] River Grove Morton Grove Elmwood Park Edgebrook Mont Clare Forest Glen Mars Mayfair Galewood Grayland Hanson Park Healy Grand/Cicero Irving Park Berkeley Wilmette Bellwood Evanston Central Street Melrose Park Evanston Davis Street [note 4] Maywood Evanston Main Street River Forest Rogers Park [note 5] Oak Park Peterson/Ridge Kedzie Ravenswood [note 6] ●●● Western Avenue Clybourn  2   1  [note 7]  Ogilvie   Millennium Station  [note 8] [note 9]  Union Station  Van Buren Street [note 10]  LaSalle Street  Museum Campus/11th Street  1   2  Halsted Street 18th Street ● Western Avenue McCormick Place Cicero 27th Street La Vergne 47th Street (Kenwood) Berwyn 51st–53rd Street (Hyde Park) Harlem Avenue 55th–56th–57th Street Riverside 59th Street/University of Chicago Hollywood 63rd Street Brookfield Stony Island [note 11] 35th Street Bryn Mawr 75th Street (Grand Crossing) South Shore 79th Street (Chatham) Windsor Park 83rd Street (Avalon Park) Cheltenham ‡ 87th Street (Woodruff) 83rd Street 91st Street (Chesterfield) 87th Street 95th Street/CSU  South Chicago  RI Connection (planned) 103rd Street (Rosemoor) ‡ Summit 107th Street Wrightwood 111th Street (Pullman) Ashburn Kensington/115th Street ◇ Auburn Park  Hegewisch  Gresham South Shore Line to South Bend Airport Brainerd 91st Street–Beverly Hills Riverdale 95th Street–Beverly Hills 95th Street–Longwood 99th Street–Beverly Hills Ivanhoe 103rd Street–Beverly Hills 103rd Street–Washington Heights 107th Street–Beverly Hills State Street 111th Street–Morgan Park Stewart Ridge 115th Street–Morgan Park West Pullman 119th Street Racine Avenue 123rd Street Ashland/Calumet Park Prairie Street Burr Oak Blue Island–Vermont Street 147th Street (Sibley Boulevard)  Blue Island  Harvey Robbins Hazel Crest Midlothian Calumet  2   3  Congress Park Homewood La Grange Road Flossmoor Stone Avenue Olympia Fields Western Springs 211th Street (Lincoln Highway) Highlands Matteson Hinsdale Richton Park West Hinsdale  University Park  Clarendon Hills Oak Lawn Westmont Chicago Ridge Fairview Avenue Worth Willow Springs Palos Heights Lemont Oak Forest Tinley Park  3   4  Downers Grove Main Street Tinley Park–80th Avenue Belmont Hickory Creek Lisle Mokena Naperville Palos Park Route 59 Orland Park 143rd Street  Aurora  Orland Park 153rd Street Romeoville Orland Park 179th Street Lockport New Lenox  Joliet  Laraway Road  Manhattan   4  Key BNSF Line Rock Island District Heritage Corridor South Shore Line Metra Electric District SouthWest Service Milwaukee District North Line Union Pacific North Line Milwaukee District West Line Union Pacific Northwest Line North Central Service Union Pacific West Line Two lines Multiple lines  Terminus   Partial terminus  Fare zones  1  Downtown Chicago  2  Inner Cook County  3  Eastern DuPage County, outer Cook County  4  Collar counties, satellite cities Connections ^ Pulse Dempster Line ^ O'Hare Int'l Airport (via ATS) and Pulse Dempster Line ^ Blue (Jefferson Park) and Pulse Milwaukee Line ^ Purple (Davis) and Pulse Dempster Line ^ Green (Harlem/Lake) ^ Brown (Damen) ^ GreenPink (Clinton) ^ BrownGreenOrangePinkPurple (Washington/​Wabash) ^ BrownOrangePinkPurple (Quincy) ^ Blue (LaSalle) and BrownOrangePinkPurple (LaSalle/Van Buren) ^ Green (35th–Bronzeville–IIT) and Red (Sox–35th) This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

Metra (reporting mark METX) is the primary commuter rail system^[a] in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 stations on 11 rail lines.^[4] It is the fourth busiest commuter rail system in the United States by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the New York City metropolitan area. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 31,894,900, or about 168,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. 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.^[5]

Metra is the descendant of numerous passenger rail services dating to the 1850s. The present system dates to 1974, when the Illinois General Assembly 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 and is responsible for all stations along with the respective municipalities.^[6] 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.^[7]

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