CHICAGO — Metra has announced a kids-ride-free program through the summer months, with up to three children ages 11 and under able to ride free with an adult from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
“A trip on Metra is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family without having to worry about traffic and parking,” Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a news release. “Plus, on weekends, Metra’s $10 Weekend Pass gives you another reason to hop aboard the train this summer. And during this coming holiday weekend, the weekend pass will be good on Memorial Day, too.”
Metra will also mark the start of the Memorial Day weekend with special early-getaway trains on Friday, May 25. A link to line-by-line schedules is available here.
It is about time Metra encourage more family use of the rail service. The program is a great way to do just that. I hope it is successful and becomes a blueprint for the future.
Indoctrinate ’em while they’re young! My first-ever passenger train ride was on a pre-Metra BN comuter train when I was 13. Not that I needed convincing, but it was a big deal at the time.