Metra Offers Family Fares, Holiday Passes, and Free New Year’s Eve Rides
Metra is helping commuters and holiday travelers enjoy a smoother festive season with Family Fares, special holiday passes, and free rides after 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
The Family Fares program, which normally applies to weekends, will be extended to all travel, including weekdays, from Monday, December 22 through Friday, January 2. Families can take advantage of the deal, which allows up to three children aged 11 and under to ride free with each adult.
On Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, Metra will offer a $7 holiday pass granting unlimited rides for the day. These passes will be available through ticket vending machines, on board with conductors, and via the Ventra App.
New Year’s Eve riders will also benefit from free rides on all trains arriving at or departing from Metra’s downtown stations after 6 p.m. Alcohol will be prohibited on all trains after 7 p.m. on the evening of December 31.
Holiday schedules will see several adjustments across Metra lines:
Christmas Eve, December 24: All lines operate on reduced schedules.
Christmas Day, December 25: Sunday schedules will be in effect. Heritage Corridor, North Central, and Southwest Service lines will not run.
New Year’s Eve, December 31: Reduced schedules apply, but the last outbound trains on several key lines—including BNSF, Metra Electric, Milwaukee District North and West, Rock Island, and Union Pacific routes—will depart after 1 a.m. to accommodate late-night travelers. The Southwest Service last train departs downtown at 12:42 a.m.
New Year’s Day, January 1: Sunday schedules operate, with no service on Heritage Corridor, North Central, and Southwest Service lines.
Metra encourages travelers to check the full schedules for each line and day on the Metra website to plan their journeys.
Image: Metra