fran ois metra . this article is about chicago commuter rail . for the muscogee county georgia bus service see metra transit system . metra mp36 418 leads a train out of union station in chicago . overview owner regional transportation authority rta locale chicago metropolitan area united states transit type commuter rail number of lines 11 2 planned 1 number of stations 241 1 2 daily ridership 292 000 weekday fy2013 3 109 700 weekend fy2013 3 chief executive don orseno 4 operation began operation 1984 operator s metra union pacific bnsf reporting marks metx technical system length 487.7 mi 784.9 km 2 track gauge 4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gauge system map metra reporting mark metx is a commuter railroad in the chicago metropolitan area . the railroad operates 241 stations on 11 different rail lines . 1 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 . 5 there were 83.4 million passenger rides in 2014 up 1.3 % from the previous year . 6 the busiest day for metra ridership occurred on june 11 2010 the day of the chicago blackhawks 2010 stanley cup victory rally with over 429 000 passengers . 7 using chicago s rail infrastructure much of which was created in the 19th century the illinois general assembly established the rta and later metra to serve commuters by rail . metra s creation was a result of the anticipated failure of commuter service operated and owned by various private railroad companies in the 1970s . freight rail companies still operate some routes ; however these operations are guided by contracted service agreements . metra owns all rolling stock and is responsible for all stations along with the respective municipalities . since its inception metra has directed more than 5 billion into the commuter rail system of the chicago metropolitan area . contents 1 history 1.1 early chicago commuter rail 1.2 formation of the rta 1.3 metra branding 1.4 growth corruption and expansion 2 operations 2.1 stations 2.2 routes 2.3 connections 2.4 positive train control 3 fare system and ticketing 3.1 tickets 3.2 reduced fare programs 4 safety and security 4.1 law enforcement 4.2 rail safety 4.3 incidents 5 rolling stock 5.1 locomotive fleet 5.2 coach fleet 5.3 privately owned club coaches 5.4 metra electric fleet 6 see also 7 references 8 further reading 9 external links history edit see also history of passenger rail in chicago early chicago commuter rail edit since its founding in the 19th century chicago has been a major midwestern hub in the north american rail network . 8 it has more trackage radiating in more directions than any other city in north america . 8 railroads set up their headquarters in the city and chicago became a center for building freight cars passenger cars and diesel locomotives . by the 1930s chicago had the world s largest public transportation system but commuter rail services started to decline . 9 by the mid 1970s the commuter lines faced an uncertain future . the burlington northern milwaukee road chicago and north western and illinois central were losing money and were using passenger cars dating as far back as the 1920s . 10 formation of the rta edit to provide stability to the commuter rail system the illinois general assembly formed the regional transportation authority in 1974 . 11 its purpose was to fund and plan the chicago region s public transportation . in the beginning the regional transportation authority commuter train fleet consisted of second hand equipment until 1976 when the first order of new emd f40ph locomotives arrived . that f40ph fleet is still in service today . 10 less than a decade later the regional transportation authority was already suffering from ongoing financial problems . in 1983 the illinois legislature reorganized the agency . that reorganization left the regional transportation authority in charge of day to day operations of all bus heavy rail and commuter rail services throughout the chicago metropolitan area . it was also responsible for directing fare and service levels setting up budgets finding sources for capital investment and planning . 11 metra branding edit metra 614 in chicago . due to the broad range of responsibilities entrusted with the regional transportation authority the commuter rail service board was created in 1984 . it was renamed metra in july 1985 . 12 the newly reorganized metra service helped to bring a single identity to the many infrastructure components serviced by the regional transportation authority s commuter rail system . 11 metra s operating arm the northeast illinois regional commuter railroad corporation was created as a separate rail subsidiary which operates seven metra owned routes . contracts were set up with the union pacific and bnsf railroads to operate four other metra routes . while metra owns all rolling stock and is responsible for most stations on those routes the freight carriers use their own employees and control the right of way for those routes . in keeping with metra s purpose to provide a single identity for commuter rail in the region the freight operators provide service under the metra name . 11 growth corruption and expansion edit in the late 20th and early 21st century metra experienced record ridership and expanded its services . in 1996 metra organized its first new line the north central service running from union station to antioch . by 2006 it added new intermediate stops to that same route extended the union pacific west line from geneva to elburn and extended southwest service from orland park to manhattan . in 2012 it boasted 95.8 % average on time performance measured only for a train s arrivals at its last station no more than six minutes late . 13 it also posted its fourth highest volume in its history despite decreases in employment opportunities in downtown chicago . 14 metra continued to seek expansion options and to improve passenger service . over the past three decades metra has invested more than 5 billion into its infrastructure . that investment has been used to purchase new rolling stock build new stations renovate tracks modernize signal systems and upgrade support facilities . 11 in addition to core improvements on the union pacific northwest and union pacific west routes planning advanced on two new metra routes southeast service and the suburban transit access route . 15 metra also has been marred by allegations and investigations of corruption . in april 2010 metra s executive director phil pagano faced investigation for taking an unauthorized 56 000 bonus and was later found to have improperly received 475 000 in vacation pay . the day that the agency s board was scheduled to discuss his fate pagano stepped in front of a moving metra train in an apparent suicide . around the time of pagano s death allegations also surfaced that a metra employee demanded a 2 000 payoff from the studio that used metra in the 2011 film source code . that employee was later relieved of his duties . 16 in june 2013 metra ceo alex clifford abruptly resigned his position with no public comment . it gradually was reported that his exit had been demanded by the metra board which negotiated a 871 000 severance package including a non disclosure agreement . 17 clifford s ouster was allegedly arranged because he rejected requests for patronage hiring and promotion including a request to promote a longtime supporter of state representative michael madigan . 18 in the wake of this scandal five board members resigned . 19 in august 2013 the remaining board members unanimously elected don orseno as interim ceo . the six member board was operating with reduced membership and thus lacked the authority to elect a permanent ceo . orseno and alex wiggins shared duties as co executive directors . orseno s long railroad career beginning with work to set up trains and check doors for the chicago rock island and pacific railroad played favorably in the board s decision . 20 21 22 by october 2013 local officials had restored metra s board to 11 members . 23 after reviewing four candidates the re constituted board formally appointed orseno ceo of metra in january 2014 . 24 25 operations edit passengers near an inbound train at geneva station . stations edit for a more comprehensive list see list of metra stations . metra services passengers through stations throughout the chicago metropolitan area . each station unless a route or branch terminus provides travel toward inbound and away from outbound downtown chicago . therefore a passenger can connect between the city and a suburb or between two points in the suburbs using metra service . although metra s commuter rail system is designed to connect points all over the chicago metropolitan area it does provide some intracity connections within chicago . 26 in downtown chicago metra trains originate from one of four stations . six lines originate at union station . the three union pacific lines originate at ogilvie transportation center . the rock island district originates at lasalle street station and the metra electric district originates at millennium station . all of these stations are situated within walking distance of the chicago loop so metra passengers may also transfer to a different metra line upon their arrival downtown . 26 metra s urban centric service remains popular with suburban commuters working downtown reverse commuters and those who visit chicago for recreational activities and tourism . 27 routes edit of metra s 11 routes four are operated under contract . the bnsf line service is operated by bnsf railway . the lines out of the ogilvie transportation center formerly north western station are operated by the union pacific railroad . lines not contracted are operated by the northeast illinois regional commuter rail corporation nirc metra s operating subsidiary . inbound trains on every line at all times run through to their chicago terminus however many outbound trains do not run through to their respective lines terminus for example most trains on the union pacific northwest line do not run through to harvard ; instead terminating at crystal lake bnsf railway line the bnsf railway line is metra s busiest route . this 37.5 mile 60 km route runs from union station to aurora illinois . had an average of 64 600 weekday passenger trips in 2010 . the hollywood station is within walking distance of chicago s brookfield zoo . 26 heritage corridor the heritage corridor is a 37.2 mile 60 km route running from union station to joliet illinois . it had an average of 2 600 weekday passenger trips in 2010 . 26 metra electric highliners at 59th street station . metra electric district the metra electric district is a 31.5 mile route from millennium station to university park with branch lines serving blue island and south chicago . the line had an average of 36 200 passenger weekday trips in 2010 . a number of major chicago attractions are served by the metra electric district 26 millennium station millennium park including the jay pritzker pavilion and cloud gate van buren street station art institute of chicago symphony center auditorium theatre buckingham fountain museum campus 11th street station chicago s museum campus including the shedd aquarium field museum of natural history adler planetarium & astronomy museum and soldier field mccormick place station mccormick place 55th 56th 57th street station university of chicago robie house oriental institute museum of science and industry and the dusable museum of african american history milwaukee district north line the milwaukee district north line is a 49.5 mile 80 km route from union station to fox lake illinois . the line had an average of 23 500 weekday passenger trips in 2010 . 26 milwaukee district west line the milwaukee district