Metra will celebrate its 40th anniversaryth anniversary this week with a variety of activities and programs, culminating with the offer of free rides on all its train lines in the coming days.
Metra, which was founded in 1984 to help shore up passenger rail service in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs as private companies sought to abandon their operations in that area, is celebrating its anniversary all week, with giveaways and contests to celebrate the occasion.
“Whether you’ve been driving 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 region’s transportation needs, we also look to the future and plan to maintain this service for many decades to come.”
According to the agency’s website, June 8, 1984, saw the first meeting of the board of directors of what eventually became Metra. This service has since grown to cover 11 different train lines, spanning over 500 miles of track across the city and suburbs.
To celebrate its anniversary, Metra will host a number of giveaways and special events, starting Tuesday when it will offer free gifts to riders at its downtown Union Station, LaSalle Street and LaSalle Street stations. Millennium station, while supplies last.
“Throwback Thursday” will see the agency host an 80s-themed quiz on social media, while commuters will be invited to share their favorite memories and photos from the last 40 years of suburban train travel.
The celebrations will culminate Saturday and Sunday when the agency will offer free rides on its 11 routes, according to officials.
Throughout the summer, a rolling museum, housed inside one of Metra’s rail cars, will be installed at various locations across the agency’s network of train lines, allowing riders to learn more about the history of the provision of commuter rail services in the region.
More information can be found on the agency’s website.
NBC Chicago
