Metra Electric District

Metra Electric District

Company type	Commuter rail service
Industry	Transportation
Predecessor	Illinois Central Railroad
Founded	1856
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Area served	Chicago metropolitan area
Products	Commuter rail transport
Owner	Metra

Metra Electric District

The Metra Electric District (abbreviated as MED or ME) is an electrified commuter rail service managed and owned by Metra, linking downtown Chicago's Millennium Station with the southern suburban areas. In 2018, it ranked as Metra’s fifth most utilized route, carrying close to 7.7 million passengers annually, trailing behind the BNSF Line, UP-NW, UP-N, and UP-W. The schedule is characterized by a vivid "Panama orange" color, paying tribute to its origins with the Illinois Central Railroad (IC) and the iconic Panama Limited train.

Uniquely, this line operates exclusively on dedicated passenger tracks without regular freight service, aside from occasional maintenance runs. It stands out within Metra’s system by having multiple stations in Downtown Chicago, lacking any stops in fare zone 4, and possessing the greatest number of stations—totaling 49.

The Metra Electric District is the sole Metra line powered by overhead catenary wires at , featuring high-level platforms that allow level boarding and three distinct service branches. North of , it shares its tracks with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District's South Shore Line, an electric interurban route extending to South Bend, Indiana. According to a non-compete arrangement, South Shore trains only pick up eastbound passengers and discharge westbound travelers at shared stations within Chicago.

Service

Among all Metra routes, the Electric District provides the highest frequency of service. As of August 2023, there are 131 trains running on weekdays—64 inbound and 67 outbound. On the main corridor, inbound departures include 27 trains from University Park, four from Homewood, and three from Kensington/115th Street; outbound trains conclude at Kensington/115th Street (3), Homewood (4), and University Park (26). The South Chicago branch operates 20 inbound and 22 outbound trains daily, while the Blue Island branch offers ten inbound and twelve outbound trips, including one outbound train originating from Kensington/115th Street.

Saturday schedules feature 41 roundtrips: 21 on the main line to University Park, 16 servicing South Chicago, and four serving Blue Island. Sundays and holidays have a reduced schedule with 22 trains total—12 roundtrips on the main line and 10 on South Chicago—while service to Blue Island is suspended.

The busiest segment of the system runs from Millennium Station to 63rd Street. At the 55th-56th-57th Street station, passengers can transfer among the main line, South Chicago and Blue Island branches, as well as the South Shore Line heading into Indiana.

This district boasts Metra’s top on-time performance record, averaging only one delayed train per month during 2014. Presently, trains travel at speeds up to 65 mph; ongoing improvements as of February 2024 aim to raise maximum speeds to 79 mph, with some sections potentially reaching up to 90 mph.

Steam era

Originally built by the Illinois Central Railroad, this line commenced operations on July 21, 1856, connecting its downtown terminal (now known as Millennium Station) with Hyde Park. Sections of the route were elevated in preparation for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition held in Jackson Park.

The line predates Chicago’s Great Fire of 1871 and initially ran along a trestle constructed offshore in Lake Michigan. After the fire, debris was used as landfill to create Grant Park’s base—through which the rail now passes.

Two additional branches were established: one from Brookdale to South Chicago in the early 1880s and another from Kensington to Blue Island in the early 1890s; both branches were subsequently electrified along with the main line.

When Illinois Central relocated its intercity services to Central Station in 1893, it constructed Randolph Street Terminal on the site formerly occupied by Great Central Station to accommodate expanding commuter demand.

Electric IC period

By the early 1900s, the Illinois Central (IC) managed operations for as many as 300 steam-powered trains each day. In 1919, the IC partnered with Chicago's municipal authorities to execute a grade separation initiative stretching from Homewood into the city. This project successfully removed nearly every grade crossing along the main line, except for one located near Richton Park. However, the South Chicago branch remained at street level, intersecting multiple urban roadways.

Subsequently, in 1926, the IC electrified its commuter rail tracks extending from downtown Chicago to Matteson. The tracks were realigned and relocated westward to run alongside freight and intercity lines. At the location of McCormick Place, non-electrified tracks crossed above the newly installed electric route. The electrified service was further extended northward to reach Randolph Street Terminal.

In 1946, electric service was lengthened by an additional 1.1 miles southward from Matteson to Richton Park. The main line featured six tracks between Roosevelt Road and 53rd Street—this number was reduced to four in 1962—then continued with four tracks up to 111th Street, and two tracks beyond that point. The South Chicago branch operated with double tracks, while the Blue Island branch consisted of a single track supplemented by a passing siding at West Pullman.

Known as the "IC Electric," this line was once Chicago’s busiest suburban railroad, transporting large volumes of passengers within both urban and suburban areas. During its first full year of electrification in 1927, it carried 26 million riders; ridership peaked at 47 million in 1946 with daily boardings reaching 128,000. From 1935 through 1949, trains on the South Chicago branch ran every ten minutes throughout the day.

With shifts in urban transportation patterns leading to declining patronage, Illinois Central initiated modernization efforts beginning in 1966 through the Automated Revenue Collection System (ARCS). This system introduced faregates and magnetic cards designed to reduce train crew sizes from three members to two. Nevertheless, labor disputes and a strike in 1969 delayed these upgrades.

By 1960, daily ridership had dropped below 54,000 passengers; the line consistently operated at a loss due to demand concentrated during peak hours. Rolling stock remained largely unchanged from the original electrification period due to lack of replacement funding. After the opening of Chicago’s subsidized Dan Ryan "L" branch in 1969—with its lower fares, improved off-peak service, and bus connections—the IC system experienced a sharp decline. In response, Illinois Central increased fares by up to 40 percent above those of the "L" by 1973.

In 1972, aided by public financing from the Chicago South Suburban Mass Transit District, IC acquired modern Highliner railcars. Although these cars represented modernization, they featured fewer doors and gallery-style interiors tailored for long-distance suburban travel rather than efficient urban rapid transit fare collection. Reflecting changes in service priorities, frequency on the South Chicago Branch decreased from trains every ten minutes in 1949 to every thirty minutes by 1974; meanwhile, service intervals on the main line and Blue Island Branch improved from every forty minutes to every thirty minutes, indicating a strategic emphasis on suburban ridership.

1972 collision

On October 30, 1972, Chicago suffered its most severe rail accident involving an Illinois Central Gulf commuter rail crash. A commuter train composed of lightweight bi-level Highliner cars inbound toward Randolph Street Station failed to stop properly at the 27th Street platform and reversed into it. This maneuver resulted in a collision with a following full-speed express train made up of heavy steel single-level cars. The impact caused telescoping of the bi-level train cars, leading to 45 fatalities and hundreds of injuries primarily among passengers in those bi-level units. A significant contributing factor was the dark gray paint on the front ends of the Highliner fleet that rendered them difficult to see under overcast conditions. Following this tragedy, bright orange paint was applied to enhance visibility on all ICG heavyweight trains from 1926 as well as on Highliner multiple-unit cars.

RTA era

In 1976, the Regional Transportation Authority entered into an agreement with Illinois Central Gulf to subsidize commuter rail service. By 1977, the line was extended to its present-day terminus at University Park (initially known as Park Forest South). On May 1, 1987, Metra purchased the line and its branches for $28 million (adjusted for inflation). Operation of the service is managed by Metra’s subsidiary, the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation. Meanwhile, two inter-city freight tracks retained by Illinois Central Gulf now belong to Canadian National Railway, hosting Amtrak trains such as the City of New Orleans, Illini, and Saluki.

Starting in 1988, Randolph Street Terminal underwent extensive redevelopment. The construction of Millennium Park led to relocating the station underground, and in 2005 it was renamed Millennium Station.

The Metra Electric Line stands out for having ticket vending machines at every station except for two flag stops (18th and 47th Streets). Initially, these machines dispensed magnetically encoded tickets granting access through turnstiles; passengers holding paper tickets or requiring assistance used phones to contact station operators. Due to complaints from riders about missed trains, the turnstiles were removed in November 2003.

The main line along with the South Chicago branch operates daily service, whereas the Blue Island Branch does not run on Sundays or holidays. Unlike other Metra routes where express trains mainly run during peak periods, Metra Electric provides frequent express service throughout weekdays and Saturdays in both directions. It is also unique among Metra lines in having tracks solely dedicated to commuter rail; freight and Amtrak trains use parallel tracks owned by Canadian National.

Service levels remain robust during off-peak hours and on Saturdays. On Sundays, trains run hourly north of 63rd Street and every two hours south of that point.

On January 4, 2021, fares on both the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines were cut by 50% for all riders as part of an effort to increase ridership.

Gold Line and Gray Line proposals

The Gold Line proposal, a simplified adaptation of the earlier Gray Line concept, intended to convert the Electric District into a rapid transit corridor with trains running every ten minutes from 6 a.m. until midnight. It would also have offered discounted transfers to CTA buses and trains. Unlike current service patterns that bypass many stops to speed suburban travel, this plan envisioned serving every city station along the route from Millennium Station to South Chicago (93rd Street), with an estimated budget of $160 million. The idea has received strong backing from communities along Chicago’s south lakefront. Nevertheless, officials from CTA and Metra have largely set it aside in favor of other expansion priorities. In 2009, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) together with the Chicago Department of Transportation allocated $450,000 for a "South Lakefront Study," which aimed to identify one or two new transit projects eligible for federal funding.

Peotone/Kankakee extension

Plans to extend the SouthWest Service line to Peotone, the proposed location for the Chicago south suburban airport, and potentially onward to Kankakee with a stop in Monee, have been under review ever since the line reached Manhattan. This proposed extension continues to be an integral element of Metra’s long-term strategy to improve regional transit connections and facilitate airport accessibility.

2017 service expansion

On May 24, 2017, Metra introduced a schedule revision aimed at increasing service frequency along the route. The update intended to offer Hyde Park station service every 20 minutes on weekdays until 7 p.m., and every 30 minutes on Saturdays. Additionally, service intervals on the main corridor from 63rd Street to Kensington were planned to shift from every two hours to hourly. However, this proposal also involved discontinuing underutilized Blue Island trains, including all Saturday operations.

After receiving input from the community, Metra decided to maintain four Blue Island trains on Saturdays and preserve one late-night trip serving South Chicago. This adjusted timetable was implemented starting September 11, 2017.

Ridership

Between 2014 and 2019, annual ridership experienced a decline of 23%, dropping from 9.4 million to 7.3 million passengers. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decrease in ridership, falling to roughly 2 million in 2020 and further decreasing to below 1.9 million in 2021.

Rolling stock

The Metra Electric District utilizes second-generation bi-level Highliner electric multiple units manufactured by Nippon Sharyo, supplemented by additional EMUs produced at Nippon Sharyo's Rochelle, Illinois plant, which commenced operations in 2012. These newer vehicles replaced the original Highliner fleet constructed during the 1970s by St. Louis Car Company and Bombardier Transportation.

The final revenue run of the original Highliners occurred on February 12, 2016. Twenty-four of these cars were preserved in museums across the Midwest, including the Illinois Railway Museum, while the remainder were reportedly dismantled.

Numbers	Type	Year built	Builder	Status
1227-1387	Highliner II	2012–2016	Nippon Sharyo	Active Service
1201-1226	Highliner II	2005	Nippon Sharyo	Active Service
1501-1630	Highliner	1971-1972	St. Louis Car Company	Decommissioned
1631-1666	Highliner	1978-1979	Bombardier Transportation	Decommissioned

Main branch

{{-stl}|Metra |27th Street }} Template:BSflag rowspan="2" Riverdale, Illinois Riverdale rowspan="2" Harvey Illinois HarveyHarvey station (Illinois Harvey)Hazel Crest Illinois Hazel CrestEast Hazel Crest Illinois East Hazel CrestUniversity Park Illinois University Park

County	Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
Cook	1	Chicago	Millennium Station	Template:Rint NICTD: South Shore Line Template:Rint Chicago "L": Template:Rcb (at Template:Cta), Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb (at Template:Cta) Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes 3, 4, X4, 6, 19, 20, 26, 60, N66, 124, 143, 147, 148, 151, and157 Template:Rint Pace Bus: routes 850, 851, and 855 Template:Rint ChicaGo Dash
				Template:Rint NICTD: South Shore Line Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes 1, 3, 4, X4, 6, 7, J14, 26,126 ,130 ,147 ,148 ,151	-	Template:Rint NICTD: South Shore Line Template:Rint Chicago "L": Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb (at Template:Cta) Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes1 ,3 ,4 ,X4 ,6 ,12 ,18 ,130 ,146
			2	Template:BSflag
				Template:Rint NICTD: South Shore Line Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes3 ,21
	Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes3 ,21
	31st Street			Closed between1960 and1965
	35th Street			Closed between1939 and1957
	39th Street (Oakland)			Closed between1939 and1957
	43rd Street			Closed between1960 and1965
				Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes2 ,6 ,28 ,47
				Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes2 ,6 ,15 ,28 ,171 ,172
				Template:Rint NICTD: South Shore Line Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes15 ,28 ,55 ,171
				Template:Rint CTA Bus: routes2 ,6 ,15 ,28
				Template:Rint NICTD: South Shore Line Template:Rint CTA Bus: route63
	67th Street			Closed1984
	72nd Street			Closed between1960 and1965
	75th Street (Grand Crossing)			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: routes30 ,75
	79th Street (Chatham)			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: route79
	83rd Street (Avalon Park)
	87th Street (Woodruff)			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: route87
	91st Street (Chesterfield)
	95th Street/Chicago State University}			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: routes4,N5,95,100,115
	103rd Street (Rosemoor)} Template:BSflag			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: routes4,106,115
	107th Street} Template:BSflag			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: routes4,115
	111th Street (Pullman)}			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: routes4,115
	Kensington/115th Street}			Template:Rint bus CTA Bus: routes4,111A,115
	130th Street (Wildwood)			Closed between1960 and1965
	Riverdale}			Template:Rint bus Pace Bus: route348
	Ivanhoe}
	147th Street (Sibley Boulevard)}	Template:Rint bus Pace Bus: routes350 Sibley and352 Halsted
	Template:Rint bus Pace Bus: routes348 ,349 ,350 ,352 ,354 ,356 ,360 ,361 ,364 ,890
	Hazel Crest}	Template:Rint bus Pace Bus: route356
	Calumet}	Template:Rint bus Pace Bus: route356
	Homewood}	Template:Rint us amtrak Amtrak City of New Orleans Illini and Saluki Template:R int bus Pace Bus :routes356 ,359
	Flossmoor}
	Olympia Fields}
	Pace Bus :route357
	Matteson}
	Richton Park}
	University Park}	Pace Bus :route367 River Valley Metro : University Park Routes1 and2

South Chicago branch

This branch splits from the main line just south of the old 67th Street station.

County	Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
Cook	2	Chicago		Template:Rint CTA Bus routes: 28, 71
				Template:Rint CTA Bus lines: N5, J14, 15, 71
				Template:Rint CTA Bus services: 6, 26, 71
				Template:Rint CTA Bus routes: N5, 71, 75
				Template:Rint CTA Bus: 79
				Template:Rint CTA Bus lines: N5, 26, 71
				Template:Rint CTA Bus: 87
				Service discontinued in 2001; succeeded by
				Template:Rint CTA Bus routes: N5, 26, 30, 71, 87, 95

Blue Island branch

This branch leaves the main line just south of .

rowspan=2 | Calumet Park Blue Island

County	Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
Cook	2	Chicago		Template:Rint CTA Bus route: 34
			Template:Rint CTA Bus: 8A, 108 Template:Rint Pace Bus: 352, 359
		Pace Bus route: 359
	Pace Bus lines: 348, 349, 359, 385 (accessible at Blue Island–Vermont Street station)

External links

• Official Metra Electric District Timetables
• Article by Hyde Park Historical Society
• History and Photos of the Metra Electric District