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| Metra (the regional rail provider) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Metra |
| Type | Commuter rail |
| Locale | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Operator | Regional Transportation Authority |
| Lines | 11 |
| Stations | 241 |
| Ridership | ~300,000 (weekday, pre-2020) |
Metra (the regional rail provider) is the commuter rail system serving the Chicago metropolitan area, providing suburban transit connections to downtown Chicago, O'Hare International Airport, and regional suburbs across Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, Will County, Kane County, and McHenry County. The system evolved from a coordination of Chicago and North Western and Illinois Central commuter services, and today operates under the oversight of the Regional Transportation Authority while interfacing with agencies such as Chicago Transit Authority, Pace, and Amtrak.
Metra's formation in 1984 followed decades of commuter operations by private carriers including the Santa Fe, Baltimore and Ohio, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and Milwaukee Road predecessor lines. The system's roots trace to 19th-century companies such as the Illinois Central Railroad and Chicago and North Western Railway, with infrastructure shaped by events like the Great Chicago Fire rebuilding era and the expansion driven by industrial growth tied to the Pullman Company and Meatpacking industry. Federal and state policy actions—including funding shifts after the Staggers Rail Act era and transit reforms influenced by the Federal Transit Administration—helped consolidate commuter service under regional coordination. Throughout the late 20th century Metra absorbed operations formerly managed by entities like the Chicago & North Western Transportation Company and leased tracks from freight carriers including Union Pacific Railroad and Canadian National Railway (via Illinois Central).
Metra operates 11 districts covering corridors originally built by companies such as Illinois Central, Burlington Route, Milwaukee Road, Santa Fe, and Chicago & North Western. Key terminals include Chicago Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, and Millennium Station (formerly Underwriters Building access), connecting to intercity services at Chicago Union Station and Millennium Station interchanges with CTA Blue Line, CTA Red Line, CTA Brown Line, and PACE bus hubs. Operations integrate with dispatching by freight partners like CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway on shared trackage, requiring coordination with regulatory bodies including the Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Administration. Metra offers peak and off-peak timetables coordinated with events at venues such as Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, and United Center.
The fleet includes diesel locomotives such as models by Electro-Motive Diesel and carriages built by manufacturers like Bombardier, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Stadler Rail, and predecessors from MotivePower. Rolling stock reflects eras from bi-level gallery cars influenced by Budd Company designs to modern single-level equipment procured in coordination with the Illinois Department of Transportation. Accessibility retrofits comply with standards influenced by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Equipment maintenance occurs at yards connected to facilities named after local municipalities and landmarks like Riverdale, Illinois, Edgebrook, and Western Avenue.
Metra's 241 stations range from architecturally significant structures near Chicago Loop terminals to suburban depots in places like Naperville, Illinois, Aurora, Illinois, Elgin, Illinois, and Evanston, Illinois. Major multimodal hubs integrate with Chicago Transit Authority stations, Pace bus terminals, and regional airport connections, including transfers to O'Hare International Airport via CTA and Amtrak connections at Chicago Union Station. Historic stations reflect influences from firms such as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad architectural program and link to preservation programs managed by the National Register of Historic Places.
Fare policy coordinates with the Regional Transportation Authority and leverages systems compatible with the Ventra platform used by Chicago Transit Authority and Pace. Ticketing includes zone-based fares, monthly passes, and concession arrangements tied to employers and institutions like University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Fare enforcement interacts with local law enforcement and agencies such as the Chicago Police Department and suburban police departments, while procurement and fare technology contracts are awarded to vendors including national fare system integrators.
Metra is governed by a board appointed under provisions associated with the Regional Transportation Authority, with funding drawn from sources including regional sales taxes enacted by the Metropolitan Transit Authority framework, state appropriations via the Illinois General Assembly, and federal programs administered by the Federal Transit Administration. Capital projects have relied on grants from instruments connected to the U.S. Department of Transportation and surface transportation authorizations shaped by legislation historically debated in the United States Congress. Agreements with freight railroads such as Union Pacific Railroad and Canadian National Railway affect dispatching rights and right-of-way investments.
Pre-pandemic weekday ridership peaked near levels comparable to other large U.S. commuter systems such as Long Island Rail Road and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) corridors, with Metro-area commuting patterns influenced by employment centers like the Chicago Loop, O'Hare International Airport, and suburban business districts in Oak Brook, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Performance metrics reported to the National Transit Database include on-time performance, mean distance between failures, and safety statistics coordinated with the Federal Railroad Administration. Service disruptions have been measured against similar events affecting systems like New Jersey Transit and MBTA.
Planned investments include fleet modernization, station accessibility enhancements, grade separation projects coordinated with the Illinois Department of Transportation, and corridor capacity improvements potentially involving partnerships with Amtrak and freight owners such as CSX Transportation. Long-range planning references regional studies by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and funding scenarios tied to federal initiatives promoted by the U.S. Department of Transportation and state transportation programs debated in the Illinois General Assembly.