Metra to offer Saturday “Rails, Trails and Ales” Excursions on Heritage Corridor this fall
Cycle on a trail, visit a festival or explore a community during the special service
CHICAGO (Sept. 9, 2021) – Metra will be offering special service on the Heritage Corridor Line on five Saturdays this fall to give Chicago area residents an opportunity to explore the “Rails, Trails and Ales” and other points of interest many bike and running paths, festivals, and communities along the historic and vibrant route.
Two round trip trains, each equipped with Metra’s new bike cars to carry extra bikes, will operate on Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9, and Oct. 16. The trains will leave Chicago Union Station at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and make all stops to Joliet, with the return trips leaving Joliet at 1:45 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and making all stops to Union Station. Full schedules can be viewed at metra.com.
“Fall is a great time in Chicago and we thought this special service would be a great way to help My Metra riders explore some areas that can’t normally reached by train on weekends,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “Bring your bike onboard and ride a bike path. Check out a weekend festival. Ride a zip line. There are scores of possibilities in all of the communities along the Heritage Corridor Line.”
The Heritage Corridor was named after the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor, which the line parallels. Many of the towns that are now stops on the line are closely linked to the canal’s creation, with rich and interesting histories, and bike paths using the canal’s former towpath or connecting with it are accessible from many of those stops.
A list of some of the events, sites, restaurants, breweries, and biking/hiking paths near each stop can be found at metra.com.
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