Fare on Metra fare is determined by the number of fare zones traveled. The system has 10 fare zones designated by letters. Zone A is for the central Chicago stations and the letters go up from there. (some lines skip a letter zone, so a station in zone H means 2 zones from a station in zone F, even if it is just one stop away.)
Tickets are sold at station ticket counters, a mobile app, ticket vending machines, and onboard the trains. There a $5 surcharge for onboard ticket purchases when boarding at stations that have an open ticket counter.
Onboard the trains, conductors punch tickets, sell tickets to those who board without having one, and check for passes along with mobile tickets. Riders with a paper ticket should place ticket in the metal clip in front (lower level), or by the ledge (upper level).
Issues such as transferring, stopover, and ticket upgrade (riding beyond zones purchased) need to be communicated with the train conductor.
Ticket types
One way tickets sold at ticket counters are good for 90 days after purchase until punched by onboard conductors.
10 ride ticket are good for 1 year after sale.
Monthly pass are good for unlimited rides within the calendar month and are not transferable.
Ventra app đ± can be used to pay for train fares and passes. Download app and buy ticket on app before boarding train. "Activate" ticket after boarding train. Show the mobile device to the conductor when tickets are checked. The Ventra app is not the same as card, which is accepted by CTA and Pace but not Metra. However the app can link with a card so the payments for card and app can centrally managed.
Weekend pass costs $8 and is good throughout the system on Saturdays and Sundays.
Special user tickets eligibility:
- Senior (65 or above) and disabled riders with reduced fare permit issued by RTA.
- K-12 students with a valid school ID or certification letter. Required for purchasing tickets and riding onboard.
- Children ages 7 through 11.
- US active military members (all branches) with valid military ID.
Fare chart
Effective February 2018.
| Zones traveled
|
Full fare one way
|
10-ride
|
Monthly
|
Special user one way
|
Special user 10-ride
|
Special user monthly
|
| 1 |
$4.00 |
$38.00 |
$116.00 |
$2.00 |
$19.00 |
$70.00
|
| 2 |
$4.25 |
$40.50 |
$123.25 |
$2.00 |
$19.00 |
$70.00
|
| 3 |
$5.50 |
$52.25 |
$159.50 |
$2.75 |
$26.25 |
$96.25
|
| 4 |
$6.25 |
$59.50 |
$181.25 |
$3.00 |
$28.50 |
$105.00
|
| 5 |
$6.75 |
$64.25 |
$195.75 |
$3.25 |
$31.00 |
$113.75
|
| 6 |
$7.25 |
$69.00 |
$210.25 |
$3.50 |
$33.25 |
$122.50
|
| 7 |
$7.75 |
$73.75 |
$224.75 |
$3.75 |
$35.75 |
$131.25
|
| 8 |
$8.25 |
$78.50 |
$239.25 |
$4.00 |
$38.00 |
$140.00
|
| 9 |
$9.00 |
$85.50 |
$261.00 |
$4.50 |
$42.75 |
$157.50
|
| 10 |
$9.50 |
$90.25 |
$275.50 |
$4.75 |
$45.25 |
$166.25
|
Fare zones
Letter means fare zone. Number inside parenthesis means number of fare zones traveled from central Chicago. To calculate the number of zones traveled outside central Chicago, substract the numbers in parenthesis and then add 1.
| Fare zones
|
A (1)
|
B (2)
|
C (3)
|
D (4)
|
E (5)
|
F (6)
|
G (7)
|
H (8)
|
I (9)
|
J (10)
|
| UP-N |
Chicago OTC;
Clybourn |
Ravenswood;
Rogers Park |
Main St.;
Evanston (Davis St.);
Central St.;
Wilmette |
Kenilworth;
Indian Hill;
Winnetka;
Hubbard Woods;
Glencoe |
Braeside;
Ravinia;
Highland Park;
Highwood |
Fort Sheridan;
Lake Forest. |
Lake Bluff;
Great Lakes;
North Chicago |
Waukegan |
Zion;
Winthrop Harbor |
Kenosha
|
| MD-N |
Chicago Union Station;
Western Ave |
Healy;
Grayland;
Mayfair |
Forest Glen;
Edgebrook;
Morton Grove |
Golf;
Glenview;
Glen/N. Glenview |
Northbrook;
Lake-Cook;
Deerfield |
Lake Forest |
|
Libertyville;
Prairie Crossing |
Grayslake;
Round Lake |
Long Lake;
Ingleside;
Fox Lake
|
| NCS |
Chicago Union Station;
Western Ave |
|
River Grove;
Franklin Pk;
Schiller Park |
Rosemont;
O'Hare Transfer |
Prospect Hts |
Wheeling;
Buffalo Grove |
Prairie View;
Vernon Hills |
Mundelein;
Prairie Crossing. |
Washington St (Grayslake) |
Round Lake Beach;
Lake Villa;
Antioch
|
| UP-NW |
Chicago OTC;
Clybourn |
Irving Park;
Jefferson Park;
Gladstone Park |
Norwood Park;
Edison Park;
Park Ridge;
Dee Road |
Des Plaines;
Cumberland;
Mt. Prospect |
Arlington Heights;
Arlington Park |
Palatine |
Barrington |
Fox River Grove;
Cary |
Pingree Road;
Crystal Lake |
Woodstock;
McHenry;
Harvard
|
| MD-W |
Chicago Union Station;
Western Ave |
Grand/Cicero;
Hanson Park;
Galewood;
Mars;
Mont Clare |
Elmwood Park;
River Grove;
Franklin Park;
Mannheim |
Bensenville;
Wood Dale |
Itasca;
Medinah;
Roselle |
Schaumburg;
Hanover Park;
Bartlett |
|
National St;
Elgin;
Big Timber |
|
|
| UP-W |
Chicago OTC;
Kedzie |
Oak Park;
River Forest |
Maywood;
Melrose Park;
Bellwood;
Berkeley |
Elmhurst;
Villa Park;
Lombard |
Glen Ellyn;
College Ave;
Wheaton |
Winfield;
West Chicago |
|
Geneva |
La Fox;
Elburn |
|
| BNSF |
Chicago Union Station;
Halsted Street;
Western Avenue |
Cicero;
Lavergne;
Berwyn;
Harlem Ave. |
Riverside;
Hollywood;
Brookfield;
Congress Park;
LaGrange Road;
Stone Ave. |
Western Springs;
Highlands;
Hinsdale;
West Hinsdale;
Clarendon Hills;
Westmont |
Fairview Avenue.;
Downers Grove;
Belmont;
Lisle |
Naperville |
Route 59 |
Aurora |
|
|
| HC |
Chicago Union Station |
|
Summit |
Willow Springs |
Lemont |
Romeoville |
Lockport |
Joliet |
|
|
| SWS |
Chicago Union Station |
|
Wrightwood;
Ashburn |
Oak Lawn;
Chicago Ridge;
Worth;
Palos Heights |
Palos Park;
Orland Park 143rd;
Orland Park 153rd |
Orland Park 179th |
|
Laraway Road |
Manhattan |
|
| RI |
LaSalle Street;
35th St. - Lou Jones |
Gresham |
95th St.-Longwood;
103rd St.-Washington Hts.;
Brainerd;
91st St. - Beverly Hills;
95th St. - Beverly Hills;
99th St. - Beverly Hills;
103rd St. - Beverly Hills;
107th St. - Beverly Hills;
111th St. - Morgan Park;
115th St. - Morgan Park;
119th St.;
123rd St. |
Prairie St.;
Blue Island-Vermont;
Robbins;
Midlothian |
Oak Forest;
Tinley Park;
Tinley-80th |
Hickory Creek;
Mokena |
New Lenox |
Joliet |
|
|
| ME |
Millennium Station;
Van Buren St.;
Museum Campus/11th St.;
18th St.;
McCormick Place;
27th St. |
47th St. (Kenwood);
51st/53rd St. (Hyde Park);
55th - 56th - 57th St.;
59th St. (U. of Chicago);
63rd St.;
75th St. (Grand Crossing);
79th St. (Chatham);
Stony Island;
Bryn Mawr;
South Shore;
Windsor Park;
Cheltenham (79th St.);
83rd St.;
87th St.;
South Chicago (93rd);
83rd St. (Avalon Park);
87th St. (Woodruff); |
91st St.;
95th St.;
103rd St. (Rosemoor);
107th St.;
111th St. (Pullman);
Kensington
State St.;
Stewart Ridge;
West Pullman;
Racine;
Ashland |
Riverdale;
Ivanhoe;
147th St.;
Harvey;
Burr Oak;
Blue Island |
Hazel Crest;
Calumet;
Homewood;
Flossmoor |
Olympia Fields;
211th St.;
Matteson;
Richton Park |
University Park |
|
|
|
Inter-agency fare arrangements
Metra Link-up Pass - $55
For monthly pass holders. Good on CTA on weekdays from 6am to 9:30pm and from 3:30pm to 7pm and Pace at anytime.
Metra/Pace PlusBus Pass - $30
For monthly pass holders. Good on Pace only.
