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] The Metra system has a total of 243 active stations spread out on 11 rail lines with of tracks.[2] [3], an infill station,, is currently under construction on the Rock Island District. The newest Metra station in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago opened on May 20, 2024.
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. In 1984, RTA created the Commuter Rail Service Board to help with planning an organized commuter rail system in the Chicago area. 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. The system's newest line, the North Central Service, opened on August 19, 1996.[4]
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 from four terminal stations in the Chicago Loop: Ogilvie Transportation Center, Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, and Millennium Station.[5] However, all are within a 1.2miles radius of each other and easily accessible from one another, either by walking, cycling, driving, or the use of public transport.[6]
| 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.[7] | |
| A terminal station | ||
| Fully-accessible station[8] | ||
| Partially-accessible station |
| Stations | scope=col | Inbound terminus | scope=col | Outbound terminus | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | 26 | Chicago Union Station | Aurora Transportation Center | |||
| scope=row | 7 | Chicago Union Station | Joliet Transportation Center | |||
| scope=row | 49 | Millennium Station | ,, | |||
| scope=row | 22 | Chicago Union Station | ||||
| scope=row | 22 | Chicago Union Station | ||||
| scope=row | 18 | Chicago Union Station | ||||
| scope=row | 26 | LaSalle Street Station | Joliet Transportation Center | |||
| scope=row | 13 | Chicago Union Station | ||||
| scope=row | 28 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | ||||
| scope=row | 23 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | , | |||
| scope=row | 19 | Ogilvie Transportation Center |
| Station | Lines | Rail connections | Location | Fare zone | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Gresham, Chicago | 2 | Under construction[10] | ||||
| Johnsburg | Johnsburg | 4 | Proposed[11] | |||
| Prairie Grove | Prairie Grove | 4 | Proposed | |||
| Ridgefield | Ridgefield | 4 | Proposed | |||
| Kinzie–Fulton Market | West Town, Chicago | 2 | Proposed[12] | |||
| Huntley | Unnamed intercity service | Huntley | Proposed[13] | |||
| Belvidere | Unnamed intercity service | Belvidere | Proposed | |||
| Rockford | Unnamed intercity service | Rockford | Proposed |
| Station | Lines | Rail connections | Location | Fare zone | Closed | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockport | G | ||||||
| Woodlawn, Chicago | B | [14] | Station platforms still exist. | ||||
| South Chicago, Chicago | B | Replaced by South Chicago (93rd Street).[15] | |||||
| Longwood Manor, Chicago | C | ||||||
| Abbott's Platform | North Chicago | G | Station only listed on timetables as a note on some North Chicago stop times. | ||||
| Brighton Park, Chicago | C | ||||||
| Cicero | B | Closed due to low ridership and close proximity to Cicero.[16] | |||||
| Belmont Cragin, Chicago | B | Closed along with Hermosa and replaced with Grand/Cicero.[17] | |||||
| Morgan Park, Chicago | C | ||||||
| Central Stickney | C | Closed due to low ridership and difficulty to access the station. | |||||
| Bridgeport, Chicago | B | ||||||
| Hartland | L | ||||||
| Hermosa, Chicago | B | Closed along with Cragin and replaced with Grand/Cicero. | |||||
| Amtrak | Joliet | H | Replaced with Joliet Transportation Center in 2018.[18] | ||||
| Rondout | G | ||||||
| Ashburn, Chicago | B | [19] | |||||
| Long Lake | J |