Metra is the commuter rail system serving the Chicago metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Illinois and Wisconsin, servicing Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in northeastern Illinois and the city of Kenosha in southeastern Wisconsin. It is one of three of the Regional Transportation Authority's service boards. With an average weekday ridership of 294,600 in 2015, Metra is the fourth-busiest commuter rail system in the United States, only behind New York City metropolitan area systems. [1] [2] The Metra system has a total of 242 active stations spread out on 11 rail lines with 487.5 miles (784.6 km) of tracks. [1] [3] As of March 2024 [update] , two new infill stations are currently under construction, those being Auburn Park on the Rock Island District and Peterson/Ridge on the Union Pacific North Line. The newest Metra station in Joliet, Illinois opened on April 11, 2018. [4]
In 1974, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) was created to provide stability in the commuter rail system, as most private commuter companies in the area were beginning to fail. [5] In 1984, RTA created the Commuter Rail Service Board to help with planning an organized commuter rail system in the Chicago area. [5] The board was renamed Metra in 1985. Through the creation of the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (NIRC), Metra's operating subsidiary and contracts with freight companies, Metra was able to open a network of commuter rail lines across the region. [5] The system's newest line, the North Central Service, opened on August 19, 1996. [6]
Seven of the system's eleven lines are owned or operated by the NIRC. [5] Operation of the BNSF Line and the Union Pacific North Line, Union Pacific Northwest Line, and the Union Pacific West Line are handled through purchase of service agreements (PSAs) between Metra, the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. [5] Under these agreements, the railroad companies provide the service using their own employees and either own or control the rights-of-way in addition to the majority of other facilities necessary, while Metra provides the rolling stock. [5] Additionally, Metra funds the portion of South Shore Line within Illinois because it shares tracks with the Metra Electric District. [5] Metra also operates Hegewisch station, although no Metra trains serve the station. [5]
The development of Chicago's commuter rail network resulted in a spoke–hub distribution paradigm and Metra's services radiate out from the Chicago Loop from four terminals: Ogilvie Transportation Center, Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, and Millennium Station. [5] However, all are within a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) radius of each other and easily accessible from one another, either by walking, cycling, driving, or the use of public transport. [7]
| Station | The official name for the station |
|---|---|
| Lines | The line(s) that stop at the station |
| Rail connections | Any rail connections that can be made from the station |
| Location | The municipality or Chicago neighborhood in which the station is located |
| Fare zone | Identifies which of the four fare zones the station is in. The zones are numbered, with Zone 1 consisting of downtown Chicago. [8] |
| † | A terminal station |
 | Fully-accessible station [9] |
 | Partially-accessible station [lower-alpha 1] [9] |
| Line | Symbol | Stations | Inbound terminus | Outbound terminus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNSF | 26 | Chicago Union Station | Aurora Transportation Center | |
| HC | 7 | Chicago Union Station | Joliet Transportation Center | |
| ME | 49 | Millennium Station | University Park, South Chicago (93rd Street), Blue Island | |
| MD-N | 22 | Chicago Union Station | Fox Lake | |
| MD-W | 22 | Chicago Union Station | Big Timber Road | |
| NCS | 18 | Chicago Union Station | Antioch | |
| RI | 26 | LaSalle Street Station | Joliet Transportation Center | |
| SWS | 13 | Chicago Union Station | Manhattan | |
| UP-N | 27 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | Kenosha | |
| UP-NW | 23 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | Harvard, McHenry | |
| UP-W | 19 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | Elburn |
| Station | Lines | Rail connections | Location | Fare zone | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Park | RI | — | Auburn Gresham, Chicago | 2 | Under construction [11] |
| Peterson/Ridge | UP-N | — | Edgewater, Chicago | 2 | Under construction [12] |
| Johnsburg † | UP-NW | — | Johnsburg | 4 | Proposed [13] |
| Prairie Grove | UP-NW | — | Prairie Grove | 4 | Proposed [13] |
| Ridgefield | UP-NW | — | Ridgefield | 4 | Proposed [13] |
| Kinzie–Fulton Market | MD-N MD-W NCS UP-W |  CTA: Green Pink (at Ashland) | West Town, Chicago | 2 | Proposed [14] |
| Huntley | Unnamed intercity service | — | Huntley | Proposed [15] | |
| Belvidere | Unnamed intercity service | — | Belvidere | Proposed [15] | |
| Rockford † | Unnamed intercity service | — | Rockford | Proposed [15] |
Metra is the primary commuter rail system 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 242 stations on 11 rail lines. 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 152,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023. The estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on November 4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series victory rally.
The Union Pacific North Line (UP-N) is a Metra line in the Chicago metropolitan area. It runs between Ogilvie Transportation Center and Kenosha, Wisconsin; however, most trains terminate in Waukegan, Illinois. Although Metra owns the rolling stock, the trains are operated and dispatched by the Union Pacific Railroad. This line was previously operated by the Chicago & North Western Railway before its merger with the Union Pacific Railroad, and was called the Chicago and North Western Milwaukee Division and then the Chicago & North Western/North Line before the C&NW was absorbed by Union Pacific in April 1995. It is the only Metra line that travels outside Illinois.
The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a Metra commuter rail line operated by Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Pacific West line are "Kate Shelley Rose" pink, honoring an Iowa woman who saved a Chicago & North Western Railway train from disaster in 1881. Green and yellow were already selected for the Union Pacific North Line and Union Pacific Northwest Line, respectively, so pink was chosen for this line. Therefore, the UP-W is the only Metra line that uses a color to honor a person instead of a fallen flag railroad. Until the late 1940s the line had a branch to Freeport, Illinois. It diverged from the main line at West Chicago and had stations at Elgin, Marengo, Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport, and other communities. The line was once known as the Chicago & Northwestern/West Line until UP took over the C&NW in 1995. All Metra trains on this line terminated at Geneva until 2006, when the line was extended to its present terminus in Elburn. The line runs as part of the Union Pacific Railroad's Geneva Subdivision.
The Union Pacific Northwest Line (UP-NW) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not refer to any of its lines by colors, the timetable accents for the Union Pacific Northwest Line are bright "Viking Yellow," honoring the Chicago & North Western Railway's Viking passenger train.
The BNSF Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its western suburbs, running from Chicago Union Station to Aurora, Illinois. In 2010, the BNSF Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership of the 11 Metra lines. While Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, the BNSF line's color on Metra timetables is "Cascade Green," in honor of the Burlington Northern Railroad.
The Milwaukee District North Line (MD-N) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois and its northern suburbs, running from Union Station to Fox Lake. Although Metra does not refer to any of its lines by color, the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District North line are pale "Hiawatha Orange" in honor of the Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha passenger trains.
The Milwaukee District West Line (MD-W) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to any of its lines by a particular color, but the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District West line are dark "Arrow Yellow," honoring the Milwaukee Road's Arrow passenger train. Trains are dispatched from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway's American headquarters in Minneapolis.
The Heritage Corridor (HC) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its southwestern suburbs, terminating in Joliet, Illinois. While Metra does not refer to its lines by colors, the Heritage Corridor appears on Metra timetables as "Alton Maroon," after the Alton Railroad, which ran trains on this route. The name Heritage Corridor refers to the Illinois and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor. Established in 1984, it runs parallel to the line.
The SouthWest Service (SWS) is a Metra commuter rail line, running southwest from Union Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois, to Manhattan, Illinois. Metra does not refer to its lines by color, but the timetable accents for the SouthWest Service line are "Banner Blue," for the Wabash Railroad's Banner Blue passenger train. The trackage is owned by Metra north of a junction with the Belt Railway of Chicago at Loomis Boulevard, and is leased from Norfolk Southern Railway south of the junction.
The Rock Island District (RI) is a Metra commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois, southwest to Joliet. Metra does not refer to its lines by color, but the timetable accents for the Rock Island District line are "Rocket Red" in honor of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad's Rocket passenger trains.
The Metra Electric District is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra which connects Millennium Station, in downtown Chicago, with the city's southern suburbs. As of 2018, it is the fifth busiest of Metra's 11 lines, after the BNSF, UP-NW, UP-N, and UP-W Lines with nearly 7.7 million annual riders. While Metra does not explicitly refer to any of its lines by color, the timetable accents for the Metra Electric District are printed in bright "Panama orange" to reflect the line's origins with the Illinois Central Railroad (IC) and its Panama Limited passenger train. Apart from the spots where its tracks run parallel to other main lines, it is the only Metra line running entirely on dedicated passenger tracks, with no freight trains operating anywhere on the actual route itself. The line is the only one in the Metra system with more than one station in Downtown Chicago, the only line with no stations in fare zone 4, and also has the highest number of stations (49) of any Metra line.
The SouthEast Service is a proposed commuter rail line to be operated by Metra, the commuter railroad service for the Chicago metropolitan area. The route of the proposed line would use tracks owned by CSX Transportation and the Union Pacific Railroad.
LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 South LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. First used as a rail terminal in 1852, it was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968, and for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad until 1978, but now serves only Metra's Rock Island District. The present structure became the fifth station on the site when its predecessor was demolished in 1981 and replaced by the new station and the One Financial Place tower for the Chicago Stock Exchange. The Chicago Board of Trade Building, Willis Tower, and Harold Washington Library are nearby.
The WeGo Star is a commuter rail service which runs between Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee. The service uses the existing track of the Nashville and Eastern Railroad. The line stops at seven stations: Riverfront (Nashville), Donelson, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Martha, Hamilton Springs and Lebanon. The operation covers 32 miles (51 km) of rail line. Service began on September 18, 2006. In 2023, the line had a ridership of 108,000.
Joliet Union Station was a train station in Joliet, Illinois that served Amtrak long-distance and Metra commuter trains. It was replaced by the new Joliet Transportation Center in 2018, a train station that was constructed adjacent to the Union Station's location. Train service to Joliet Union Station permanently ceased in September 2014. The station is 37.0 miles (59.5 km) from Chicago Union Station on the Heritage Corridor, and 40.1 miles (64.5 km) from Chicago LaSalle St. Station on the Rock Island District.
Halsted station is an "L" station on the CTA Orange Line, located near the intersection of Halsted Street and Archer Avenue in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. The station opened in 1993 as part of the extension to Midway Airport. A previous railroad station just to the east opened in 1902 and served the Metra Heritage Corridor until 1984.
Kenosha is a railroad station in Kenosha, Wisconsin, served by Metra's Union Pacific North Line. It is the northern terminus of the line, which runs south to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago. Kenosha is the only Metra station outside of Illinois, and is 51.6 miles (83.0 km) from Ogilvie Transportation Center. Because it is located outside the RTA’s jurisdiction, the service to the station is partially subsidized by the city of Kenosha. It is the northernmost station of the entire Metra system, making it the most northern station in the entire RTA network. As of 2018, Kenosha is the 135th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 345 weekday boardings.
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 passenger rail hub for Amtrak routes, and also the main freight rail hub of North America.
The Joliet Transportation Center is a multimodal mass transit center linking passenger bus routes, two Metra commuter lines, and Amtrak passenger trains in the city of Joliet, Illinois. It has replaced Joliet Union Station as the commuter and passenger train station serving Joliet. Union Station ceased to provide train service in September 2014, and a temporary station opened. Groundbreaking for the new Joliet Transportation Center took place late in 2016, with construction beginning shortly afterward. After several delays, the station officially opened on April 11, 2018.
