Riders will be able to hop on any of the agency’s 11 lines for free during the celebration, officials said
Metra will celebrate its 40th birthday later this year, and the agency has announced a series of initiatives to mark the occasion, including a weekend of free rides on its trains in the Chicago area.
Metra, which serves Chicago and its suburbs, came into existence in June 1984, and will hold birthday week celebrations between June 3 and 9.
“Whether you have been riding Metra for 40 years or took your first ride today, we want to thank you,” Metra Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a statement. “And as we look to the past and celebrate four decades of serving the Chicago area’s transportation needs, we are also looking to the future and making plans to continue that service for many more decades.”
According to the agency, June 8 is its official birthday, as that marked the first meeting of its board in 1984. The board adopted the “Metra” moniker in 1985.
On June 4, Metra will hand out gifts to riders at downtown stations as part of the celebrations. The agency will also seek out riders’ favorite memories, photos of trains through the years, and celebrate a “Throwback Thursday” promotion on June 6, with 80s-themed trivia.
The celebrations will cap off on June 8 and 9, as riders will be able to travel for free throughout the weekend. Travelers will be able to use the Electric Line to visit Millennium Park for the annual Chicago Blues Fest among other fun events throughout the agency’s system.
The agency also says that it has created a rolling museum inside of a railcar, which will travel to different downtown stations during the summer months.
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Metra was founded in the 1980s as part of the Regional Transportation Authority, with nearly 500 miles of track and 11 different lines serving Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Additional service is expected to come online in coming years to connect Chicago to Rockford via commuter rail, according to officials.
More information will be released at a later date.
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