April 23, 2024
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Metra offering special services Saturdays until Sept. 3

By Shaw Local News Network
Commuters at the Lockport Metra station wait July 11, 2014, for the arrival of the last morning train bound for Union Station in Chicago on the Heritage Corridor line. Metra will be adding an additional mid-afternoon outbound train on the Heritage Corridor beginning March 14

Commuters at the Lockport Metra station wait for the arrival of a morning train bound for Union Station in Chicago on the Heritage Corridor line in this July 11, 2014, file photo. (Shaw Local News Network)

Metra is offering a special service on the Heritage Corridor Line on 10 Saturdays this summer, giving Chicago-area residents opportunities to explore the bike and running paths, festivals, craft breweries, restaurants and vibrant communities along the historic route, according to a news release.

The “Rails, Trails and Ales” excursions will provide three round-trip trains, each equipped with Metra’s new bike cars to carry extra bikes. The trains will leave Chicago Union Station at 10:30 a.m., 4:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. and make all stops to Joliet. Inbound trips will depart Joliet at 8 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., making all stops to Union Station.

The schedule also provides an opportunity for those living along the Heritage Corridor to use Metra for trips to the city on Saturdays. Full schedules can be viewed at metra.com.

The Heritage Corridor (HC) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its southwestern suburbs, terminating in Joliet, Illinois. While Metra does not refer to its lines by colors, the Heritage Corridor appears on Metra timetables as “Alton Maroon,” after the Alton Railroad, which ran trains on this route.

As Wikipedia notes, “The name Heritage Corridor refers to the Illinois and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor. Established in 1984, it runs parallel to the line.”

“Amtrak’s Texas Eagle and Lincoln Service use these tracks from Union Station to Joliet. The Texas Eagle only stops at Chicago and Joliet, while the Lincoln Service also stops at Summit. The Joliet Transportation Center replaced Joliet Union Station on April 11, 2018.[4]”

“On May 16, 2017, Metra announced that the new station for Romeoville had officially broken ground near the intersection of 135th St and New Avenue. The cost of the new station is estimated to be around $4.9 million.[5] The station was opened to the public on February 5, 2018.”