Metra

For other uses, see Metra (disambiguation).

Metra
A Metra train at Mundelein station, July 2026
Overview
Owner	Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
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	167,400 (weekdays, Q2 2026)
Annual ridership	37,950,100 (2025)
Chief executive	James M. Derwinski
Headquarters	547 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661
Website	metra.com
Operation
Began operation	June 8, 1984
Operators	Metra, BNSF Railway
Reporting marks	METX
Technical
System length	487.5 miles (784.6 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Metra Electric District: Overhead line, 1,500 V DC Other lines: none
System map ‡ = 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/​Elgin  Round Lake Beach Elgin Washington Street/​Grayslake National Street/​Elgin  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 Des Plaines Winnetka Medinah Indian Hill Itasca Kenilworth Wood Dale Lake Cook Road Bensenville Northbrook Lombard The Glen/​North Glenview Villa Park Glenview Elmhurst Golf  3   2  O'Hare Transfer Dee Road Rosemont Park Ridge Schiller Park Edison Park Belmont Avenue/​Franklin Park Norwood Park Mannheim Gladstone Park Franklin Park Jefferson Park 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 Central Street/​Evanston Melrose Park Davis Street/​Evanston Maywood Main Street/​Evanston River Forest Rogers Park Oak Park Peterson/​Ridge Kedzie Ravenswood Western Avenue Clybourn  2   1   Ogilvie TC   Millennium Station   Union Station  Van Buren Street  LaSalle Street  Museum Campus/​11th Street  1   2  Halsted Street 18th Street Western Avenue McCormick Place Cicero 27th Street LaVergne 47th Street/​Kenwood Berwyn 51st/​53rd Street/​Hyde Park Harlem Avenue 55th/56th/57th Street Riverside 59th/​60th Street/​UChicago Hollywood 63rd Street Brookfield Stony Island 35th Street Bryn Mawr 75th Street/​Grand Crossing South Shore 79th Street/​Chatham 75th Street/​Windsor Park 83rd Street/​Avalon Park 79th Street/​Cheltenham 87th Street/​Woodruff 83rd Street/​South Chicago 91st Street/​Chesterfield 87th Street/​South Chicago ‡ 95th Street/​CSU  93rd Street/South Chicago  Wrightwood 103rd Street/​Rosemoor Ashburn 107th Street ◇ Auburn Park 111th Street/​Pullman 115th Street/​Kensington Hegewisch Gresham South Shore Line to Dyer or South Bend Summit 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  Blue Island  Harvey Robbins Hazel Crest Midlothian Calumet  2   3  Congress Park Homewood LaGrange Road Flossmoor Stone Avenue/​LaGrange Olympia Fields Western Springs 211th Street/​Lincoln Highway Highlands Matteson Hinsdale Richton Park West Hinsdale  University Park  Clarendon Hills Oak Lawn Patriot Westmont Chicago Ridge Fairview Avenue/​Downers Grove Worth Willow Springs Palos Heights Lemont Oak Forest Tinley Park  3   4  Main Street/​Downers Grove 80th Avenue/​Tinley Park Belmont Hickory Creek Lisle Mokena Naperville Palos Park Route 59 143rd Street/​Orland Park  Aurora  153rd Street/​Orland Park Romeoville 179th Street/​Orland Park Lockport New Lenox  Joliet  Laraway Road/​New Lenox  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  Fare zones  1  Downtown Chicago  2  Inner Cook County  3  Eastern DuPage County, outer Cook County  4  Collar counties, satellite cities Connections

Metra, officially the Commuter Rail Division of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, (reporting mark METX) is a commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area that forms part of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA). It serves the city of Chicago, suburban Cook County, the five Illinois collar counties, and Kenosha, Wisconsin. It operates 243 stations and 11 commuter rail services from four terminal stations in downtown Chicago.

Metra 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 2025, the system had a ridership of approximately 38 million, or about 167,400 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2026. 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.

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. As of May 2025, the BNSF Railway remains the only private freight rail company under a purchase-of-service agreement with Metra. Metra owns all rolling stock and is responsible for all stations along with the respective municipalities. 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.

On September 1, 2026, Metra's new parent agency, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA), replaced the RTA. The NITA Act (SB 2111) that established the new parent agency took effect on June 1, 2026.