Masks continue to be recommended while riding public transportation.
Our Travel Guides are a useful resource whether you’re planning an extravagant weekend train crawl or if you’re simply looking for a place to pop in for a quick drink before your train comes. Each of our Travel Guides includes weekday and weekend schedule information, transit connections, and just about every bar within reasonable walking distance of a weekend train stop. Our PDFs are always free to download, but if you’re interested in ordering hard copies, reach out to us and we’ll mail you hard copies.
These are not official Metra schedules. These are not produced by Metra. As a courtesy, included below are links to Metra’s official schedules on metrarail.com; be sure to check Metra’s website or the Ventra smartphone app before your trip to check for any planned work or service disruptions. Schedules, fares, transit connections, and the venues listed are all subject to change.
For more information about our line iconography, secondary line names, and schedule notation, download our System Guide and check out our Metra system map.
NOTE: We are in the process of updating our Travel Guides for summer 2022; however, service changes are expected to occur more frequently as Metra gradually increases service following pandemic-era service cuts. For current schedules being used during the coronavirus recovery, visit metra.com. Updated Travel Guides are noted below.
Union Pacific North (UP-N)
The Ashland Line – Chicago (Ogilvie) to Waukegan and Kenosha
Official Metra UP-N Schedule
The Yard Social Club UP-N Weekend Guide NEW for Summer 2021!
The Yard Social Club UP-N Weekday Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
- On weekends, trains run every 90-120 minutes between Waukegan and Ogilvie, with select trains serving Zion, Winthrop Harbor, and Kenosha.
- Trains will stop at Ravinia Park on event days.
Union Pacific Northwest (UP-NW)
The North Western Line – Chicago (Ogilvie) to Crystal Lake and Harvard
Official Metra UP-NW Schedule
The Yard Social Club UP-NW Weekend Guide NEW for Summer 2021!
The Yard Social Club UP-NW Weekday Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
- Daily peak period express service!
- Trains generally run hourly on Saturdays and every two hours on Sundays between Crystal Lake and Ogilvie, with select trains serving Woodstock and Harvard.
- Trains do not serve McHenry and Gladstone Park on weekends.
Union Pacific West (UP-W)
The Kate Shelley Line – Chicago (Ogilvie) to Elburn
Official Metra UP-W Schedule
The Yard Social Club UP-W Travel Guide UPDATED for July 2021!
- On weekends, trains run every 2 hours between Elburn and Ogilvie.
- One additional morning inbound and one additional afternoon outbound train are scheduled on Saturdays.
- Trains do not stop at Kedzie.
- Generally, off-peak trains will stop at either Melrose Park or Maywood, but not both.
Milwaukee North (MD-N)
The Marquette Line – Chicago (Union) to Fox Lake
Official Metra MD-N Schedule
The Yard Social Club MD-N Travel Guide UPDATED for July 2021!
- On weekends, trains run every 90-150 minutes between Fox Lake and Union Station.
- One additional afternoon round-trip between Union Station and Lake Forest runs on Saturdays.
- Most trains make all stops.
North Central Service (NCS)
The Laker Line – Chicago (Union) to Antioch
Official Metra NCS Schedule
The Yard Social Club NCS Weekday Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
- No weekend service.
Milwaukee West (MD-W)
The Arrow Line – Chicago (Union) to Elgin
Official Metra MD-W Schedule
The Yard Social Club MD-W Travel Guide UPDATED for July 2021!
- On weekends, trains run every 2 hours between Elgin and Union Station.
- On Saturdays, inbound trains run hourly in the morning and outbound trains run hourly in the afternoon.
- Trains do not stop at Grand/Cicero, Hanson Park, Mars, Mannheim, and Big Timber Road.
BNSF Railway
The Western Star Line – Chicago (Union) to Aurora
Official Metra BNSF Schedule
The Yard Social Club BNSF Travel Guide UPDATED for July 2021!
- On weekends, trains generally run every 2 hours between Aurora and Union Station.
- On Saturdays, inbound trains operate hourly in the morning and outbound trains operate hourly in the afternoon.
- Trains do not stop at Halsted Street, LaVergne, Congress Park, Highlands, and West Hinsdale.
- On Saturdays, one express round-trip operates, skipping all stops between Downers Grove Main Street and Union Station: inbound in the morning, outbound in the evening. An additional express inbound trip operates in the afternoon.
Heritage Corridor (HC)
The Abraham Line – Chicago (Union) to Joliet
Official Metra HC Schedule
The Yard Social Club HC Weekday Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
- Weekday peak period service only.
SouthWest Service (SWS)
The Blue Bird Line – Chicago (Union) to Manhattan
Official Metra SWS Schedule
The Yard Social Club SWS Travel Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
- On Saturdays, three round trips operate between Manhattan and Union Station.
- No Sunday service.
Rock Island (RI) – Main Line
The Rocket Line – Chicago (LaSalle Street) to Joliet
Rock Island (RI) – Suburban Branch
The Suburban Line – Chicago (LaSalle Street) to Blue Island
Official Metra RI Schedule
The Yard Social Club RI Travel Guide NEW for Summer 2021!
- On weekends, trains run every 2 hours between Joliet and LaSalle Street, expressing between Gresham and Blue Island. Local trains also run every two hours between Blue Island and LaSalle Street, serving the Suburban Line through Beverly and Morgan Park. Trains meet at Blue Island with a ten-minute layover in the direction of travel.
- On Saturdays, two additional round-trips operate, making all stops in the early morning and late night. An additional outbound train also leaves LaSalle Street Station at 10pm.
- Trains do not stop at 95th Street-Longwood and 103rd Street-Washington Heights on weekends.
Metra Electric (ME) – Suburban Main Line
The Panama Line – Chicago (Millennium) to University Park
Metra Electric (ME) – City Main and Blue Island Branch
The Magnolia Line – Chicago (Millennium) to Kensington and Blue Island
Metra Electric (ME) – South Chicago Branch
The Diamond Line – Chicago (Millennium) to 93rd/South Chicago
Official Metra ME Schedule
The Yard Social Club ME (Suburban) Travel Guide NEW for July 2021!
The Yard Social Club ME (City and Branches) Weekend Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
The Yard Social Club ME (City and Branches) Weekday Guide (pre-pandemic schedules)
NOTICE
Metra recently implemented a new schedule for Metra Electric weekday trains. These schedules will be updated in our first post-pandemic Travel Guide update. On weekends, trains continue to operate on pre-pandemic Sunday schedules.
The Metra Electric line operates on three different branches: the Main Line operates between Millennium Station and University Park; the Blue Island Branch operates between Millennium Station and Blue Island (Saturdays only); and the South Chicago Branch operates between Millennium Station and South Chicago/93rd.
- On Saturdays, the schedule allows for 20-30 minute headways between downtown and Hyde Park on the three branches until 7:30pm, with 30-60 headways afterward.
- On Saturdays, trains operate hourly on the Main Line and on the South Chicago Branch. Limited service is available on the Blue Island Branch.
- On Sundays, trains run every two hours between University Park and 63rd Street, and every two hours between South Chicago and 63rd Street. Trains run every 30-90 minutes between 63rd Street and Millennium Station.
- Trains do not serve the Blue Island branch on Sundays.