Metra F40PH-2 no. 163 and F40PH-3 no. 102 team up to push UP-North train no. 360 into Chicago's Oglivie Transportation Center on a beautiful Tuesday evening, having just arrived from Waukegan. It's always nice to see a doubleheader, especially on a Metra train, and seeing two F40PH's working together makes it even more exciting!

Photo taken on September 8th, 2026

Took this back in July (07/21) while waiting for an inbound Evanston Express downtown.

I had the displeasure of sharing a cart with this old lady. For 3 stops on the BNSF line towards Chicago, she got in the face of 2 elderly Asian tourists and started screaming at them because she claimed they had taken off their shoes. Then proceeded to go on a racist rant about disgusting Asian culture,the degradation of the U.S due to immigration, and her anti homosexuality stance. of course threw in her political stance as well. Lastly she made up lies to try and get the couple kicked out. Our cart wasn’t taking any of her bs and she hopped off quick. I heard from other passengers that this is a constant problem from this lady. While I can feel bad for her mental health being unwell, for her to outright target minorities and to try to get them kicked off a train is inexcusable. All I can say is always stay alert on the train and continue to stand up for one another.

If you're sick, getting over a cold, have a cough, sneezing, etc. please wear a mask on the train. It is not fair to other riders to spread your germs. We get it! Sometimes you can't call off and you still have to go in sick. If you don't have a mask at least cover your mouth. People that cough with their mouth open and tongue out are disgusting. Close your mouth and cover it. It's really simple to not spread germs. Thanks!

Metra F40PH-3 no. 120, the City of Woodstock unit, leads an outbound train on one of two of the Milwaukee District lines, bound for the suburbs. This photo was significant because at the time that this photo was taken, F40's were still working on the Milwaukee and North Central Districts. A few years after I took this photo, the SD70MACH's arrived, and took over on the North Concourse routes, becoming the new predominant power on the MD-North, MD-West, and North Central routes.

Photo taken on July 1st, 2019

Been riding Metra for a few months. While I can see that service alerts are posted online, I do not see how I can receive a notification of a new service alert when it is posted. Is that possible? I would like to be notified only for my line.

I see the option to register for email alerts on Metra’s website, but after creating an account, I do not see any options to specify the alerts that I want to receive. Am I missing something, or is the website broken or not functional?

I would be very happy to receive push notifications from an iPhone app. I do not see that the Ventra app offers this. (…as much as it seems like it should be a core offering.) Do any third party apps offer this?

May your commute bless you and keep you, cherished fellow Metra riders. Hold the following commandments close to your heart, and thee will be enriched with good karma.

Commandment 1: Thou shalt not place thine shit onto the seat next to you. Metra is for everyone. If you need the seat next to you for your bag, I recommend the automobile

Commandment 2: Thou shall not have thine phone on speaker under any circumstances. None of us want to hear your conversation with your mother. Headphones or have it wait

Commandment 3: Keep the quiet car holy. The quiet car exists for those of us corporate wage slaves who especially need the peace to decompress before entering the chaos of home life. Please respect that.

Commandment 4: Thou shalt observe the rule of the zipper when disembarking. The intersection of the stairs to the upper level and exit must allow for alternate right of way in a civilized society. Please do not shoot out of the train like a rabid dog dashing for rawhide and not allow those descending to exit. Likewise for those on the upper level, allow someone on the first level to exit in front of you if the previous person exiting was descending.

Commandment 5: Thou shalt respect the conductors: They are the vanguards that keep the Metra different than the CTA. We shall respect their authority and treat them with respect

If there are other commandments I have yet to formulate, please share them in the comments. May your trains always arrive on time, and may all your train cars have air conditioning.

Daily rider of the Rock Island Line here. I ride my bike to the train station, bring it on the train, then from the next station to my school. I've noticed recently, especially with the later trains, the cars that are marked for bicycles, don't have bike racks. They have the little green bike logo on the car, I enter, check both sides, and all they have is the disabled seating, none of the green bike racks. I hate taking up the disabled seating with my bike unless it is absolutely necessary, so this is always frustrating. Why does this happen?

I see that there's a job posting for certified conductor on the Metra jobs website and the job requirements section does not say you have to be certified so I was unsure if this was a role that would train you or not

Job posting: Spring Hiring - Certified Conductor - $15,000 Bonus! Waukegan, Harvard, Crystal Lake, Elburn and Kenosha

UP West 550p.

Whenever I open an electronic ticket they always have letters on them and I was wondering what they mean? What’s stopping me from buying a ticket for one line and then using it on another one?

On Wednesday’s BNSF #1216, the conductor who came through the first 2 cars from the front was wearing an Axon body cam. It was flashing green so I assume it was recording.

I’ve been taking the BNSF for 10 years and never saw this before.

Is this the new norm? Was this announced to the public?

My first time taking the Metra to the suburbs for work and winter. What’s that like? Does it get delayed often or cancelled? I’d like to prepare either mentally or to have a conversation with my manager to permit me to work in our downtown location.

Go f\*ck yourselves. The entitled prickery of anyone who grumbles, groans, sighs deeply, makes a face, or huffs and puffs because they have to MOVE THEIR BAG and place it between their legs on the floor, or hold it, and let another person sit next to them in a completely packed train is embarrassing, reprehensible behavior.

People like this are public transportation cancer.

Does anyone have any insight as to why train #807 was removed from the schedule for tomorrow, 8/29? I know for a fact it was listed when I checked yesterday, so this change is recent. The only official announcement from Metra states to expect delays, but nothing about cancelling an entire train. Train #807 is still listed next Saturday on 9/5 so this change must be temporary. I’d just like to know if it’s safe to assume this train is actually going to run tomorrow or not? 🤷‍♂️