Metra holding open houses for feedback on fares

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Metra is holding a series of open houses next month to get some feedback on potential changes to fare and ticket options.

Metra customers who can't attend an open house can take an online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MetraFares.

"What we are hoping to do is to modify our fare structure and ticket options in ways that work well for Metra's customers and also help Metra make the best use of available resources and capacity," said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski.

Proposed changes including redefining the inner zone so Zone A only covers six downtown stations )Chicago Union Station, Ogilvie, LaSalle Street, Millennium, Van Buren Street and Museum Campus/11th Street) with other stations moving to Zone B and a phased consolidation of Zones K,L, and M into Zone J, capping fares for trips exceeding 45 miles.

The town halls will be taking place at:

Kane County Government Center

719 Batavia Ave.

Geneva

Thursday, Feb. 1, 4-7 p.m.

Crystal Lake City Hall

100 W. Woodstock St.

Crystal Lake

Monday, Feb. 5, 4-7 p.m.

Arlington Heights Village Hall

33 S. Arlington Heights Rd.

Arlington Heights

Thursday, Feb. 8, 4-7 p.m.

Homewood Village Hall

2020 Chestnut Rd.

Homewood

Monday, Feb. 12, 4-7 p.m.

Libertyville Village Hall

118 W. Cook Ave.

Libertyville

Tuesday, Feb.13, 4-7 p.m.

Clarendon Hills Village Hall

1 N. Prospect Ave.

Clarendon Hills

Thursday, Feb.15, 4-7 p.m.

Will County Office Building

302 N. Chicago St.

Joliet

Monday, Feb. 19, 4-7 p.m.

Metra Headquarters

547 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago

Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2-7 p.m.

Metra fares go up February 1 and some service reductions will go into effect on Feb. 5.

The fare increases going into effect Feb. 1 are:

• An increase of $0.25 on all one-way tickets in all zones
• The price of 10-ride tickets will go up by $4.25 to $7.75, depending on the zone
• The price of monthly passes will go up by $9 to $12.50 depending on the zone
• Weekend passes, which allow unlimited rides on both Saturday and Sunday, will go up from $8 to $10

For more information, visit metrarail.com.