This week, Metra is introducing the café car, a prototype service with half a gallery car converted into café-style seating and tables. During the trial period, snacks and drinks will be offered for free as riders complete an onboard survey. The car will rotate among different diesel lines throughout the fall. Metra aims to determine whether this is a viable method to boost ridership.
Onboard cafés are common on intercity trains, offering food and beverage service for long journeys, as well as on ferries. However, onboard food sales are uncommon on commuter or regional trains. In the Bay Area, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit featured a food and beverage service counter on all trains. Sales were available before the COVID pandemic, but the service has not resumed since.
Controversially, Amtrak San Joaquins’ intercity service dropped café car service in May 2025 in favor of complimentary snacks and drinks. The main reason for dropping the service was the introduction of single-level Venture cars that lacked such features. While bi-levels are still operated on the line, café car service is not available to ensure consistent food service across all trains, regardless of train type. Despite being freely available to all passengers, some consider the food options unsatisfactory for long journeys. Additionally, without café cars, adult passengers cannot purchase nor consume alcohol.