Football fans, make Metra a part of your game plan

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The first home game of the Chicago pro football season is Sunday, Sept. 8! This year Metra is offering extra service on two of its lines on game days making traveling to and from Soldier Field easier than ever.

When you use Metra, there are no worries about missing part of the game because you’re trying to find parking or leaving early to beat everyone else out of the parking lot. Extra trains will be running on the Metra Electric and the UP North Lines on game days, and Metra’s recently expanded weekend service on the BNSF Line to Aurora gives fans another stress-free travel option.

The Metra Electric Line provides direct service to Soldier Field via the 18th Street Station. For fans coming from the South Side or south suburbs, an extra rain on the Metra Electric Line will once again serve fans during home games. On Sundays when the game at Soldier Field is scheduled to start at noon, an extra train will depart University Park at 9:30 a.m. The train will make all stops between University Park and Kensington as well as stops at the 59th Street, 55th-56th-57th Street, and 51st/53rd Street stations. The train’s next stop (at 10:21 a.m.) is the 18th Street Station, a short walking distance from Soldier Field.

For the trip home, an extra outbound train will depart the Museum Campus/11th Street Station approximately 30 minutes after every game.

For the Thursday night game on Dec. 26, inbound trains 132, 136 and 140 will make an extra stop at 18th Street. For the trip home, Train 149 will be held 5 minutes at 18th Street.

Fans hailing from the northern suburbs will also have a new option, with extra trains scheduled for Sunday games on the Union Pacific North Line. The extra inbound service will depart Waukegan at 9:38 a.m. and make all stops, except Ravinia Park, to Chicago, arriving downtown at 11 a.m. For the trip home, an extra outbound train will depart Chicago at 5:05 p.m. and make all stops to Waukegan.

Game day schedules can be found here.

For Sunday games, fans can take advantage of Metra’s $7 Sunday Day Pass, and Metra’s Family Fares allow up to three children aged 11 and under to ride free.

Fans riding Metra into Chicago Union Station or Ogilvie Transportation Center can board the CTA’s #128 Express for a quick trip to Soldier Field. Buses will depart from Metra's Ogilvie Transportation Center (southbound on Clinton at Madison) and Union Station (bus stop on Jackson east of Canal) and run express to Soldier Field. CTA express service starts 90 minutes before kickoff and resumes for an hour after the game on a load-and-go basis. The roundtrip bus service costs only $5.

BFrs fans arriving at Metra’s LaSalle Street Station on the Rock Island Line should walk east on Van Buren to State Street and take the CTA’s #146 bus to Soldier Field.

Note that the NFL can change scheduled game times throughout the season. Please monitor Metra’s social media channels and its website, metra.com, for the latest information to make your travel plans.