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CTA, Metra and Pace Are Offering Free Rides on New Year’s Eve. Here’s What You Need to Know

In keeping with tradition, Chicago-area public transit agencies will be offering free rides on New Year’s Eve.

The Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace are encouraging residents to celebrate responsibly and take advantage of the free late-night transit services to get around on New Year’s Eve. Here’s how to catch a ride.

CTA

CTA is offering New Year’s Eve free rides on trains and buses, starting from 10 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 4 a.m. on Jan. 1.

The free rides are sponsored this year by Miller High Life.

Metra

Metra will offer free rides on all trains arriving at or departing from downtown stations after 6 p.m. on Dec. 31.

Alcohol will be banned on all trains after 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

All lines will be operating on reduced schedules on New Year’s Eve. To give those ringing in the new year enough time to catch the last trains, Metra will hold the departure of the last outbound trains from downtown until after 1 a.m. on the following lines: BNSF, Metra Electric, Milwaukee District North, Milwaukee District West, Rock Island, Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West.

The last Southwest Service train will depart downtown at 12:42 a.m.

On New Year’s Day, all lines will be operating on Sunday/holiday schedules. There will be no service on the Heritage Corridor, North Central and Southwest Service.

Pace

Pace will provide free bus and ADA paratransit rides from 10 p.m. Dec. 31 until 4 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Pace will offer limited bus service during these late-night hours. ADA paratransit service, however, operates 24/7 within the city.

Regular Sunday schedules are in effect on most routes on Jan. 1.

Note: This article has been updated with additional information about Pace’s schedule. 

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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