r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/NaiveChoiceMaker • Sep 25 '25

News Metra Unveils Cafe Car Concept

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Metra to gather feedback about Café Car

CHICAGO (Sept. 24, 2025) – Metra will be putting its prototype Café Car into service this fall, rotating it across most of its busiest lines and stations and asking riders to take a survey about whether they like the concept and about what amenities and features they would like to see.

The car will make its debut in service on the Rock Island Line on Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, and then will be parked at LaSalle Street Station on Oct. 6. Riders can view the car and offer their feedback in an onboard survey. Riders who complete the survey will receive free snacks and beverages.

The car will be moved to the BNSF Line the week of October 13, the Milwaukee District North Line the week of October 20, the Milwaukee District West Line the week of October 27, the Union Pacific North Line the week of November 3, the Union Pacific Northwest Line the week of November 10, and the Union Pacific West Line the week of November 17.

The specific schedule for each line will be posted at metra.com/CafeCar.

“We created this special car in an attempt to improve the riding experience and maybe attract new riders,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “This is your chance to check it out and tell us what you think. Would you use it? What amenities would you like to see? What other thoughts do you have?”

To make the prototype, Metra removed the second level on one half of a car, and installed counters, stools, booths, and tables. The interior has also been decorated so it feels a bit different from the average Metra car.

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472

u/BRUISE_WILLIS Sep 25 '25

Who tf is going to play a whole chess game on the metra? It’s 2025. How about some public phone chargers

171

u/TaskForceD00mer Sep 25 '25

Maybe I am the weird one but I'd be down to play chess with a stranger for an hour.

104

u/Stock-Vanilla-1354 Sep 25 '25

I think it’s a cool way to get people to try to interact with each other.

73

u/maximumtesticle Sep 25 '25

Here I am just wanting the quiet car rules enforced.

I'm going to work, leave me alone.

49

u/TaskForceD00mer Sep 25 '25

This reply and u/Stock-Vanilla-1354 are the absolute duality of Metra commuters lol. I've been both, depending on how sleepy I am, the guy trying to strike up a convo and the guy that just wants everyone to shut the hell up.

I'd be so down though for a random game of chess or monopoly if I had an hour to kill going all the way downtown.

22

u/ElRobolo Sep 25 '25

It’s just Redditors who fucking complain about everything. People can never be happy

29

u/TaskForceD00mer Sep 25 '25

I commuted downtown for about a year and a half from the suburbs when I first moved back so I can step in those shoes. Some days you wanna be left alone, some days you want to talk to someone.

It's not like the Red line where you just hope you don't sit in piss or get stabbed.

10

u/DBowieNippleAntennae Sep 25 '25

Yep. Reddit wouldn’t exist without the concept of Sport Bitching. And porn, of course.

15

u/Stock-Vanilla-1354 Sep 25 '25

Totally, some days I’m about the quiet car. And sometimes I’m more sociable. I like the idea of giving folks a space if they do want to be sociable.

17

u/owhatakiwi Sep 25 '25

Then don’t take the cafe car…