Metra offers special ticket for Thanksgiving and Black Friday riders

Metra is offering special one-day passes allowing unlimited travel for $7 on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, and Black Friday, Nov. 29.

The special tickets can be purchased onboard, at Metra’s vending machines or via the Ventra App and are good for travel through any zone, at any time, in any direction, according to a news release from Metra.

“Thanksgiving is a time meant to be spent with family, and we want to make it as easy as possible for Metra customers to visit their loved ones and start holiday preparations,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in the release.

Metra will also extend its Family Fares program to the Thanksgiving holiday. Metra’s Family Fares allow up to three children aged 11 and under to ride free with each fare-paying adult, according to the release.

However, on Thanksgiving Day, trains will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule, which means there will be no service on the Heritage Corridor line that runs through Joliet, Lockport, Romeoville, Lemont and other communities on its way to Chicago’s Union Station.

Other lines that will not offer Thanksgiving Day service are North Central and SouthWest service lines, according to the release.

Regular weekday service will resume the Friday after Thanksgiving to accommodate Black Friday shoppers, according to the release.