Changes coming for Metra riders, including new fares, low-income program and bike policy

Metra riders are in for a slew of changes in February.

New fares will be taking effect, along with changes to the way riders can buy tickets. A program that cut fares on lines to the south and southwest suburbs will end, replaced with a new program for low-income riders. New policies will guide riders who want to bring bikes on trains.

The changes are coming as the commuter rail agency faces ridership that has continued to lag since the pandemic upended traditional commuting patterns. In November, before the end-of-the-year-holidays, the average number of weekday riders reached 57% of pre-pandemic levels. Like the region’s other transit agencies, Metra faces a looming financial cliff when federal pandemic aid runs out, which the agency has projected will be in 2026.

Here’s what’s in store for Metra riders, beginning Feb. 1.

Among the biggest changes riders will encounter next month is a new fare structure. Laid out as part of the agency’s 2024 budget, it includes fewer fare zones across the Metra system and is intended to be simpler for new riders.

Metra fares have traditionally been divided into zones, meaning the farther a passenger rides the more they pay. Under the new structure, Metra’s traditional 10 zones will be reduced to four. Downtown stations will make up one zone, and other stations will be categorized into the remaining three zones based on their distance from downtown, service and ridership.

Trips that start and end outside downtown will cost a flat $3.75, as Metra looks to attract more non-traditional-commuting riders. Prices for trips to and from downtown will depend on the number of zones traveled.

None of the new fares will be higher than pre-pandemic prices, Metra has said.

As Metra makes the transition, monthly passes for February will not go on sale until Feb. 1. January monthly passes will remain valid until noon Feb. 5. In subsequent months after the transition, passes will once again go on sale on the 20th of the prior month.

The 10-ride ticket will be eliminated at the end of January, replaced instead with a five-pack of day passes that costs 9.5 times the price of a one-way ticket and can be purchased in the Ventra app. Each day pass can be used on any day until the pack expires. Once activated, each pass is valid until 3 a.m. the following day.

Already-purchased 10-ride tickets and the new day pass pack both expire 90 days after purchase.

Monthly passes will no longer be a flat $100 — a rate put in place as part of a pandemic-era promotion — but will instead cost about the same as 20 one-way tickets. For longer trips, the cost can exceed $100, but Metra said all monthly passes will be cheaper than pre-pandemic prices.

Daily passes sold for $6 or $10 during the pandemic will be replaced by day passes that cost the same as two one-way tickets.

One-way tickets bought before the new fares take effect Feb. 1 will continue to be valid for 14 days after purchase, and day passes purchased before February will remain valid for 7 days.

Incremental fares, or an extra fee riders can pay to travel farther than the zones listed on their ticket, will be discontinued.

Metra will close its remaining ticket windows Feb. 1., meaning riders will instead have to purchase fares from ticket vending machines, the Ventra app or conductors on trains. Ticket windows at outlying stations on the BNSF line already closed earlier in January.

Metra intends to have vending machines installed by Feb. 1 at each of the 46 stations that had a ticket agent, spokesman Michael Gillis said. Metra intends to eventually install ticket machines at every station, though the agency doesn’t have a timeline to complete the work.

Some of the ticket agents will come out of the booths and act as customer service representatives, including at Metra’s downtown stations, the agency said. No ticket agents will be laid off as a result of the change, Gillis said.

As new fares take effect and ticket windows close, the Regional Connect pass, which allows Metra monthly passholders unlimited rides on CTA and Pace, will only be sold in the Ventra app.

Metra’s Fair Transit South Cook pilot program will end Jan. 31, and be replaced with a program for all low-income Metra riders. The Fair Transit South Cook program, backed by Cook County, slashed fares for all riders on the Metra Electric line to the south suburbs and the Rock Island line to the southwest suburbs and boosted the frequency of nearby Pace service.

The new program, called the Access Pilot Program, will cut fares for low-income riders on all lines. It is open to all residents of the Chicago area eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal income-based program. In 2020, about 777,000 adults in the region received SNAP benefits.

The Access program is expected to run through July 31, 2025, and cost about $10 million. Of that, $6 million is coming from Cook County and the remainder from Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority.

County and RTA officials have previously said they hope to eventually expand a low-income rider program to all of the region’s transit agencies, including the CTA, but would need more money than Cook County is now providing.

Ten-ride tickets bought under the previous Fair Transit South Cook pilot program will be valid for 90 days after purchase, and one-way tickets will remain valid for 14 days.

Metra recently enacted policies for bikes on trains, and put in place a passenger code of conduct.

The new bike policy will take effect Feb. 1, and permanently allows bikes on trains at all times of day. Before the pandemic, bikes were only allowed during non-rush periods, but that policy was eased when the COVID-19 pandemic kept many riders home.

Metra has begun installing bike racks on 50 railcars, which will be identified with a logo on the outside. Each rack, made in-house, can hold two to four bikes, and can also be used for e-scooters. Bikes are also allowed in the ADA-compliant priority seating area, as long as the area is not needed by a passenger with a disability.

The number of riders who brought bikes on trains in 2023 reached the highest annual level ever: 260,000, Metra officials said. Metra’s new policy comes after advocates urged the agency to adopt a clear bike policy, then joined a working group to help with the policy and test the new bike racks.

Metra has also adopted a new passenger code of conduct, after the state legislature passed a law last year allowing transit agencies to suspend riding privileges or confiscate fares for passengers who threaten others.

The new code of conduct prohibits passengers from threatening the safety of train crews, employees and other riders. It prohibits actions such as pushing, hitting, kicking, attacking, throwing, spitting or threatening the safety of others, including waving a weapon or pointing a gun.

Passengers who violate the code could have their fares confiscated or riding privileges suspended for anywhere from 10 days to one year, and longer for repeat offenses. Metra employees will contact Metra police, who will issue a notice to the passenger and set a date for a hearing that must take place before action is taken, Metra said. Riders have the right to appeal twice, and any unused value on confiscated fares will be reimbursed.

“The safety of our riders and our workers is paramount, and Metra intends to make full use of this new state law to make sure we are protecting both riders and workers to the best of our ability,” CEO Jim Derwinski said in a statement.

sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com