Let Metra Take You to the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

News Release

Metra Media Relations 312-322-6776

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Let Metra take you to the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

CHICAGO (Nov. 14, 2017) – Metra will add trains and expand seating capacity on Saturday, Nov. 18 for the BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, which, for many, has become the official kickoff of the holiday season.

In anticipation of the large crowds, Metra will add seating capacity to its regularly scheduled trains and add extra trains to the BNSF and Union Pacific Northwest and West lines. Schedules for the added service can be found here.

The festival promises a day full of free family fun including musical performances by nationally known artists. The event culminates with more than 1 million lights being illuminated during a grand tree-lighting parade down North Michigan Avenue led by Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse and a spectacular fireworks show over the Chicago River.

For the biggest savings, take advantage of Metra’s $8 Weekend Pass, which offers unlimited rides on all lines Saturday and Sunday. As always, with Family Fares, up to three kids 11 and under can ride free with each adult. Don’t forget you can buy your train ticket from your smartphone with the free Ventra App, available in the App Store or Google Play.

The festival is located in downtown Chicago within walking distance from all five downtown Chicago train stations: Chicago Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, LaSalle Street Station, Millennium Station and Van Buren Street Station.

Metra’s official rideshare partner, Uber, offers another option to get from all downtown stations to the festival. If you’re new to Uber, download the app, request a ride and a driver will arrive in minutes. Enter promo code METRA2017 for your first ride free up to $15. This offer is not valid on uberCAB.

### About Metra Metra is one of the largest and most complex commuter rail systems in North America, serving Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties in northeastern Illinois. The agency provides service to and from downtown Chicago with 241 stations over 11 routes totaling nearly 500 route miles and approximately 1,200 miles of track. Metra operates more than 700 weekday trains, providing about 300,000 passenger trips each weekday.