10 transit tips for the New Year's holiday
If your New Year's Eve plans don't involve hunkering down at home or sleeping when the clock strikes midnight, here are 10 travel tips for the big night and long weekend.
• Take transit into the city if you're headed to fireworks at Navy Pier or other revelry.
• Don't worry about dashing for a Metra train just when the clock strikes midnight. The commuter railroad offers extra trains after midnight on most lines including the BNSF, Milwaukee District North and West, and Union Pacific North, Northwest and West.
• No imbibing on Metra trains, however. The railroad is prohibiting alcohol after 7 p.m. New Year's Eve.
• If you're out and about in the suburbs, Pace is operating on a regular schedule but is offering rides for a penny between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
• In Chicago, the CTA is providing free rides on buses and trains from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. The agency also is adding extra service on certain bus and train routes.
• Regular commuters should know that Metra is tweaking aspects of its service this week. Thursday, the agency is operating with a modified train schedule and Friday, it is using a holiday schedule.
• Metra offers an $8 unlimited ride pass good on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
• The CTA has launched its Loop Link service that connects riders at Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center to downtown destinations and Navy Pier using designated lanes aimed at reducing gridlock.
• Need more info? Go to Metra at http://metrarail.com, Pace at http://www.pacebus.com/, and the CTA at http://www.transitchicago.com.
• Need an incentive to appoint a designated driver over the New Year's Eve long weekend? The Illinois State Police and 200 local agencies will be out looking for impaired drivers with multiple roadside checkpoints across the region. Last year, 10 people statewide died in vehicle crashes over the holiday and five of those involved a drunken driver.