What you need to know about free rides, airport crowds this holiday
The holiday juggernaut of Christmas and Hanukkah will bring crowded airports and special deals on Metra.
Here are some tips for navigating your holiday travels.
Fare deals
• Metra is extending its Family Fares program to weekdays through Dec. 29. The bargain ticket lets three kids age 11 and younger ride free with an adult.
And on Christmas and New Year’s Day, the commuter railroad will sell a special $7 day pass with unlimited trips.
Different schedules
• Metra will operate on a reduced schedule on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. On Christmas and New Year’s Day, Metra will run on a Sunday schedule.
• For those planning to be out on New Year’s Eve, Metra will hold the departure of the last outbound train from downtown on the BNSF, Metra Electric, Milwaukee Districts, Rock Island and all UP lines until after 1 a.m. New Year’s Day. The final Southwest Service train leaves downtown at 12:42 a.m.
Free rides
• On New Year’s Eve, Metra passengers won’t have to pay on trains arriving at or leaving from downtown stations after 6 p.m. on Dec. 31.
For information, go to metra.com.
• The CTA is teaming up with Miller Lite to provide free trips on buses and trains 10 p.m. Dec. 31 through 4 a.m. Jan. 1.
Airport traffic
• Allow plenty of time to traverse O’Hare and Midway international airports. The Chicago Department of Aviation expects about 3.7 million people to surge through their terminals between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2, based on airline estimates.
At O’Hare, over 3 million travelers will pass through the airport, a 7.8% increase over 2023, over 220,000 more passengers.
At Midway, about 613,000 fliers will stream through the airport, which is similar to 2023.
• The CDA offers free cellphone lots and Kiss n’ Fly sites at Midway and O’Hare. If you are parking, check the city’s flychicago.com/parking website to see what’s available.
To avoid traffic, Metra’s North Central Service runs between Union Station and the airport weekdays, and Pace’s Pulse Dempster Line is an inexpensive, speedy trip to O’Hare from suburbs such as Des Plaines and Rosemont. A trip from Des Plaines takes about 20 minutes.