Where To Buy Metra Tickets
If you ride Metra, you can use the Ventra app to buy mobile tickets and ride with the app. Buy your tickets before you board so you're ready to go when the conductor comes around. Tickets are stored on your device and can be used even if you don't have cell signal on the train.
where to buy metra tickets
Your new mobile tickets will be stored under "Metra Tickets" in the app for when you're ready to use them. You can view and activate Metra tickets from the home screen and the "Tickets" section of the app.
Metra tickets for any line may be purchased at the downtown stations or at outlying stations where a ticket agent is on duty. (Click here for a list of stations with agents.) On the Metra Electric Line, tickets at the busiest non-downtown stations are available through vending machines. All Metra tickets can also be purchased on your Apple or Android smartphone with the free Ventra app, available in the App Store or Google Play.
Metra sells a variety of passes and tickets as detailed below. Passes cost a flat rate and allow for unlimited rides during the relevant time period, while the cost of One-Way and 10-Ride tickets is based on a distance-based fare system consisting of ten fare zones. (Riders are charged based on the number of zones they travel through. Click here to see a system map with fare zones. To determine your One-Way or 10-Ride fare, you must know your originating station and your destination station.)
Details about each ticket type are below. All ticket types except Weekend Passes and Day Passes are available at a reduced rate for K-12 students, seniors and other special classes as described below. Use the fare calculator above to see the cost of each type of ticket, full fare and reduced, between your selected origin and destination stations. For information about where to buy tickets, click here. New riders can find more information about the Metra system here.
For travel from one station destination to another. One-Way Tickets are valid for 14 days from the date of purchase. Metra does not sell round-trip tickets; such trips require two One-Way Tickets, two punches on a 10-Ride Ticket or a pass. One-Way Tickets are not refundable.
Military personnel may purchase One-Way or 10-Ride Tickets at the reduced fare rate provided they present proper military identification indicating they are on active duty. These privileges are extended to all branches of the military: Marines, Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard. Military fare tickets are sold only at Metra ticket offices or on trains.
Full time students enrolled in a grade school or high school can purchase a reduced One-Way, 10-Ride or Monthly Pass. College students are not included in the program. Student fares are in effect at all times. When purchasing a ticket, students must present a valid letter of certification from their school (on school stationery) or present a valid school I.D. (both are valid through the end of the calendar year) bearing the student's name, school name and authorized signature. Student identification card or letter of certification must be displayed along with the ticket to the conductor. Failure to do so will result in full fare payment. Student tickets are not transferable. Any questions concerning the above may be directed to Metra Passenger Services at 312-322-6777.
Under the Fair Transit South Cook Pilot subsidized by Cook County, all riders on the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines will be charged the reduced fare rate for all tickets. These tickets are not valid on any other Metra line. The reduced fare rates can be found on this chart.
Welcome to Metra, the commuter rail system serving the Chicago area. We want you to think of us as My Metra, because Metra belongs to all of us. We are part of your community, bringing families together, driving economic growth and opportunity and, of course, safely carrying you where you need to go.
Be sure to arrive at the station early so that you have time to park your car and purchase your ticket. Be advised that times listed in Metra timetables are departure times from each station, not arrival times; please plan accordingly and give yourself time to be in position on the platform. If ticket agent is not at the station when you board, you can buy a ticket on the train from a conductor without penalty. You also can buy a Metra mobile ticket on your smartphone with the Ventra App. Download the FREE app at the App Store or Google Play. When the train arrives, simply get on board, find a seat and, if you have a paper ticket, place it in the metal clip in front of you. (If you are riding on the upper level, the clip is on the side of the privacy panel.) If you have a mobile ticket, show the ticket on your smartphone screen when the conductor checks for tickets - you will be asked to tap the screen to verify the ticket is valid. Let the conductors know it's your first time traveling aboard Metra, and they'll be happy to help you if you have any questions or concerns about your trip. Announcements are made before each stop. When you hear the message announcing the approach of your stop, pick up your ticket and any items you brought with you and head to the vestibule to disembark at your final destination. Customers who are hearing impaired may want to notify a conductor about their stop during ticket collection.
Metra (Metropolitan Rail) runs 12 commuter/suburban train lines from several downtown Chicago terminals. Rush hour service is frequent; otherwise trains generally operate every 1 to 2 hours and most routes run daily. Fares are separate, but a Link-Up Pass is available to Metra monthly ticket holders for use on CTA and you can buy Metra tickets (via credit, debit or transit value in your registered Ventra transit account) in the Ventra app.
Metra ticketing is located centrally on the Concourse level of the station. Be sure to purchase your ticket in the station or on the mobile Ventra app. A penalty applies when buying tickets from onboard personnel.
When you buy a mobile ticket for use on Metra trains, the ticket is downloaded and stored on your device. By storing tickets on your device (rather than keeping them on our servers), your tickets are still available even if you need to use your ticket in a place where you don't have an internet connection (such as when you're in underground stations or in a cellular "dead zone"). You can, however, easily move tickets bought while signed into the Ventra app from one device to another. Learn more about how to move tickets to a new device.
Just select "Tickets" in the bottom right corner of the home screen and then choose "Move tickets to this device." You'll be shown tickets on other devices in your account and can move them to the device you're using, instantly.
If the agent is not on duty, and at stations where no ticket agent or vending machine exists, passengers may board the train and purchase a One-Way Ticket with cash from the conductor. However, if an agent is on duty and you elect to purchase the ticket on the train, the conductor will charge an additional $5.
When you buy a Metra mobile ticket with the new Ventra app, it's stored on our servers but will only appear on the device you used to buy it. This makes it easier for people who share an account so people don't mix up whose tickets are whose.
Riders with an iPhone or Android smartphone will no longer experience that stressful situation after Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace co-launch the Ventra app this year. For the first time in the last 20 years (at least) riders will be able to pay for their trip on board with a credit card as well as without a surcharge. Being able to buy Metra tickets electronically on the train is a significant new convenience for daily and casual riders that makes up for the limited and slow options off the train.
Metra conductors will validate tickets by inspecting the on-screen animation and asking the rider to tap the screen, an action that changes its color. Brantz said that every type of ticket is available through the app, but those who use reduced fare will have to show the conductor proper ID.
BUY ON THE TRAIN You can pay with cash on the train for a one-way ticket. A $1.00 service fee will be charged for tickets purchased on the train when a ticket agent was present at the departure station.
ONLINE (MAILED TO YOUR HOME ADDRESS) Purchase multiple-ride tickets and monthly passes to be mailed to your home address. A $2.00 service fee will be charged for your entire online ticket order. Allow 5-7 business days for delivery.
TICKET AGENT All ticket types, including monthly tickets, are available from our ticket agents. Agents are available weekdays at Carroll Ave.; Sunday thru Saturday at Millennium. Please note the South Bend ticket agent office is temporarily closed as of July 11, 2022. Agents accept cash or checks. Millennium Station agents also accept credit cards.
*One-way tickets expire 90 days from date of purchase. Multiple ride tickets expire one year from date of purchase. Monthly paper tickets expire at noon on the first business day of the following month. Electronic monthly tickets expire at midnight on the last calendar day of the month.
You can always pay on the train but it's cheaper if you can buy your tickets at stations that have manned booths. Cashiers have limited hours or may not have one at all depending on the station, so it's not always possible and you won't get docked price-wise for being unable to buy advance tickets if that's the situation at your station. For unlimited weekend rides those are sold directly on the train, $8 I believe, which is a bargain.
You don't have to buy them in advance, but I would call and see if they have a ticket window where you can purchase them in Schaumburg. I purchased mine through the Ventra app right before we boarded so that is an option as well. 041b061a72