page_title: Metra
section_title: Operations
hierarchical_section_title: Metra / Operations
caption_attribution_description: Geneva Metra station on the Union Pacific/West Line in Geneva, Illinois.
context_page_description: Metra is a commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. It is the fourth busiest commuter rail system in the United States by ridership and the largest and busiest commuter rail system outside the New York City metropolitan area. There were 83.4 million passenger rides in 2014, up 1.3% from the previous year. The estimated busiest day for Metra ridership occurred on November 4, 2016—the day of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series victory rally.
  Using Chicago's rail infrastructure, much of which dates to the 1850s, the Illinois General Assembly established the parent Regional Transportation Authority to consolidate all public transit operations in the Chicago area, including commuter rail. The RTA's creation was a result of the anticipated failure of commuter service operated and owned by various private railroad companies in the 1970s. In 1984, RTA formed a commuter rail division to focus on rail operations, which branded itself as Metra in 1985. Freight rail companies still operate four of Metra's routes under purchase-of-service agreements.
caption: Passengers near an inbound train at Geneva Station.
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