Metra Union Pacific North Line to offer free rides to Ravinia concert ticketholders again this year
For the sixth year in a row, Metra is offering free rides to ticketholders for concerts at Ravinia this summer.
The season at Ravinia began June 3. On Saturday, July 11, the venue will hold a grand reopening concert at its newly renovated Hunter Pavilion — featuring the Chicago symphony Orchestra with Ravinia chief conductor Martin Alsop, pianist Yunchan Lam playing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, and an appearance by superstar and flautist Lizzo.
Also on the docket this summer at Ravinia are Billy Idol, Harry Connick Jr., Paul Simon, St. Vincent joining the CSO, Emmylou Harris with Graham Nash, Chance the Rapper, Hugh Jackman, Gladys Knight with Brian McKnight, Hugh Jackman, Umphreys McGee and moe., Ricky Martin, Alabama Shakes, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Kool & the Gang, Ray LaMontaigne, Miranda Lambert, Snoop Dogg, Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Martina McBride, and Jacob Collier.
To see any of the above, or any of several other acts this summer, ticketholders can take the Metra Union Pacific North Line for free. Concertgoers will just need to show a Metra conductor their ticket or e-ticket in place of a Metra train ticket.
The UP North Line, historically part of the Chicago and North Western Railway, runs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago's West Loop north through the city's North Side along Ravenswood Avenue. It passes through Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, and Glencoe before arriving in Highland Park, where Ravinia is located.
The Ravinia Festival has its own Metra station called Ravinia Park, where Metra trains will stop starting at 5 p.m. on concert nights. Weekend service to the Ravinia Park Metra station begins mid-morning and continues throughout the day when events are scheduled at Ravinia.
The Ravinia Park station is only open from early June through late September.
Metra notes that to the south of the Ravinia Park station, the Braeside station is only a short walk from the Ravinia Festival.
North of the festival, there is also a Ravinia station at 510 Roger Williams Ave. in Highland Park, which is a different station from the Ravinia Park station. This station is about a 17-minute walk from the Ravinia Festival.
"This partnership is just one more way we can bring value to our customers," said Metra executive director and chief executive officer Jim Derwinski said in a news release. "Metra has always been more than just a way to commute to work. It's a way to travel affordably and sustainably and enjoy all that the Chicago region has to offer. The fact that our trains stop at the entrance to Ravinia Park is a great example of how easy it is to access many regional attractions without a car."
