Metra celebrates its 40th anniversaryth The company is celebrating its birthday later this year, and the company has announced a series of initiatives to commemorate the occasion, including free weekend rides on Chicago-area trains.
Metra, which serves Chicago and its suburbs, was founded in June 1984 and will hold a birthday week celebration from June 3-9.
“Whether you’ve been riding Metra for 40 years or are riding for the first time today, we want to thank you,” Metra Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a statement. “And as we look to the past and celebrate 40 years of serving the transportation needs of the Chicago region, we also look to the future and plan to continue that service for many more decades. .”
According to the agency, his official birthday is June 8, the day the board met for the first time in 1984. The board adopted the nickname “Metra” in 1985.
On June 4, Metra will be handing out gifts to passengers at its downtown stations as part of the celebration. The agency will also be soliciting passengers’ favorite memories and photos of trains over the years, and will celebrate its “Nostalgia Thursday” promotion on June 6 with 80s-themed trivia.
The celebration ends on June 8th and 9th, as riders can travel for free all weekend. Travelers can take the Electric Line and visit Millennium Park for the annual Chicago Blues Fest, among other fun events held throughout the agency’s system.
The agency also said it will create a rotating museum inside the rail car that will move through various stations downtown throughout the summer.
Metra was founded in the 1980s as part of the Regional Transit Authority, with approximately 500 miles of lines and 11 different lines serving Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Additional commuter rail service between Chicago and Rockford is expected to begin within the next few years, officials said.
Further details will be announced at a later date.
