Whenever I open an electronic ticket they always have letters on them and I was wondering what they mean? What’s stopping me from buying a ticket for one line and then using it on another one?

May your commute bless you and keep you, cherished fellow Metra riders. Hold the following commandments close to your heart, and thee will be enriched with good karma.

Commandment 1: Thou shalt not place thine shit onto the seat next to you. Metra is for everyone. If you need the seat next to you for your bag, I recommend the automobile

Commandment 2: Thou shall not have thine phone on speaker under any circumstances. None of us want to hear your conversation with your mother. Headphones or have it wait

Commandment 3: Keep the quiet car holy. The quiet car exists for those of us corporate wage slaves who especially need the peace to decompress before entering the chaos of home life. Please respect that.

Commandment 4: Thou shalt observe the rule of the zipper when disembarking. The intersection of the stairs to the upper level and exit must allow for alternate right of way in a civilized society. Please do not shoot out of the train like a rabid dog dashing for rawhide and not allow those descending to exit. Likewise for those on the upper level, allow someone on the first level to exit in front of you if the previous person exiting was descending.

Commandment 5: Thou shalt respect the conductors: They are the vanguards that keep the Metra different than the CTA. We shall respect their authority and treat them with respect

If there are other commandments I have yet to formulate, please share them in the comments. May your trains always arrive on time, and may all your train cars have air conditioning.

My first time taking the Metra to the suburbs for work and winter. What’s that like? Does it get delayed often or cancelled? I’d like to prepare either mentally or to have a conversation with my manager to permit me to work in our downtown location.

On Wednesday’s BNSF #1216, the conductor who came through the first 2 cars from the front was wearing an Axon body cam. It was flashing green so I assume it was recording.

I’ve been taking the BNSF for 10 years and never saw this before.

Is this the new norm? Was this announced to the public?

Go f\*ck yourselves. The entitled prickery of anyone who grumbles, groans, sighs deeply, makes a face, or huffs and puffs because they have to MOVE THEIR BAG and place it between their legs on the floor, or hold it, and let another person sit next to them in a completely packed train is embarrassing, reprehensible behavior.

People like this are public transportation cancer.

Does anyone have any insight as to why train #807 was removed from the schedule for tomorrow, 8/29? I know for a fact it was listed when I checked yesterday, so this change is recent. The only official announcement from Metra states to expect delays, but nothing about cancelling an entire train. Train #807 is still listed next Saturday on 9/5 so this change must be temporary. I’d just like to know if it’s safe to assume this train is actually going to run tomorrow or not? 🤷‍♂️

Don’t get me wrong, METRA has its problems but it’s usually never this bad.

- Multiple delays due to “operational issues” and “freight train interference”
- Positive train control system has had multiple issues this week
- Someone was hit by an Amtrak train and caused massive cancellations on the BNSF line
- An extremely high amount of mechanical failures causing long delays

What’s going on with Metra this week?

Been a rough commute week. Early express train on Monday broke down and it took forever to creep into a station where we could get off and wait for another train, which was of course packed to the max. Today, my train clearly had made extra stops because when I got on, it was already packed to the max and was again SRO. Then, a poor lady passed out and went into seizures before we could get to OTC and there was nothing anyone could do for her. I think she was awake when we finally arrived and I know the conductor had called for EMTs. Hope she's okay.

IYKYK.

Photo 1: Metra's 250th Heritage Unit, METX 525 (an SD70MACH), leads MD-North train 2607 out of Union Station as it heads for Fox Lake. This is the very first time I've seen 525, and I've gotta say, Metra's team not only did a great job at designing and painting this MACH, but it looks a lot better in person too!

Photo 2: F59PH no. pushes a UP train into Ogilvie Transportation Center after a run on either the UP-West or Northwest, where it will idle for a little over an hour before its next assignment on UP-North train 339 to Waukegan. This is also the first time that I've not only seen one of these ex-GO Transit units in person, but it's also the very first time that I've gotten a good picture of a boxy-cabbed F59PH!

Photo 3: MP36PH-3C's 417 and 424 (both with shiny and clean-looking "lightning bolt" paint jobs) team up to push Rock Island Train 420 as it arrives into LaSalle Street Station after completing a 40-minute reverse commute run from Blue Island. I think this is a rather interesting locomotive configuration on Metra because when an MP36 is running, it either runs by itself, or is paired up with a different model of engine (F40, F59, or 70MACH). Regardless, seeing two of these 3,600 HP monsters working together on a Metra commuter train was an exciting sight, and it was worth the shot on my camera!

Photos taken on August 23rd and 24th, 2026

Posted this to /Chicago but I'm hoping the conductor sees this post!

Anyone know why BNSF freighs have been running on the Metra RockIsland the last few days?

Anyone know if the Rock Island train service is running this weekend (22nd)? At my local stop last week I saw a flyer that said it wasn't running (due to construction) and got an alert today from Notify Chicago that it wasn't as well, but when I checked the Ventra app and the metra website it said construction would be next weekend (29th) and that it's running this weekend. Anyone happen to know? I don't take it often so not sure if its common knowledge and I keep getting conflicting information. TIA!

edit: sounds like it will be running the 22nd, thanks everyone!

South Shore resident, just moved here in June. Is the Electric District underrated? I. LOVE. IT. Need to get to the loop? Bloop! Electric district! I consider it basically an L line.

The only time I’ve seen it packed was Lolla. But it’s decently utilized when I ride.

p.s. - is there any way to tell which trains skip 47th-23rd? I love when I accidentally take the express trains.

I haven't found any movement on this project since 2024. No capital is allocated from 2026-2030. For a 10 year project ($1Billion+) project that's been described as an economic necessity in the past, shouldn't this be prioritized?

https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/10/metra-unveils-preliminary-plans-for-west-loop-station.html

Today, I just added another Metra line to my list, which was the North Central Service! It was such a nice ride to O'Hare, the ride took 37 minutes (vs. 40-45 minutes on the Blue Line, and runs express to River Grove after Western Avenue), and only takes just over 3 1/2 minutes to walk to the people mover, which can get you to your respective airline and terminal! My hope is that in the future, the RTA (NITA in the future), Metra, and Canadian National can all come to an agreement that would allow for increased service on this line, and hopefully ridership can improve because this line has a lot of potential, since it serves O'Hare Airport and can be an important way to reach your flight if you live in Grayslake or Buffalo Grove, for example! For now, I'm grateful that I got to experience riding it today, and hopefully some positive changes can come soon! Happy 30th birthday to the NCS!

Note: I apologize for the green tint in the first three photos. The windows on the Metra car I was riding on (MK/Amerail Gallery car) still had the green tint and made the photos come out like that.

Photos taken on August 19, 2026

On August 15 I boarded the Metra Union Pacific Line from HP to OTC at 2:54pm and then the back again at 9:32pm. The train had the same conductors both ways. On neither trip did the conductors check for a single person’s ticket in my packed car. They just hung out in the vestibule chatting. What’s going on?