Cubs victory celebration sets new record for Metra

Metra experienced the busiest day in its history on Friday, Nov. 4 as Chicago Cubs fans celebrated the team’s first World Series win in more than a century.

Metra carried more than 460,000 passengers the day of the Cubs victory parade and rally, shattering the record of 430,488 passengers previously set on July 3, 2007, based on preliminary numbers. The Chicago Blackhawks victory parade and rally on June 28, 2013 takes third place with 425,241 rides. A table of the top 10 days for ridership is included in this news release.

“We knew the Cubs long-awaited victory had the potential to create a historically busy day for Metra, which is why we used every locomotive and railcar available to manage the huge number of fans traveling downtown,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “I’m proud of the way our train crews and staff at the stations directed the crowds and delivered fans and daily commuters to their destinations safely. I am also grateful to all of our customers for their patience during this extraordinary event.” 

For additional perspective, ridership during the Cubs rally was 61 percent greater than that of the first Friday in November 2015, when Metra carried 285,078 passengers.

Many customers took advantage of the special $5 ticket offered for unlimited travel that Friday only. Between Thursday, Nov. 3 and Friday, Nov. 4, Metra sold more than 38,400 special event tickets through the Ventra App. Customers purchased more than 46,000 over the counter and more than 25,600 from conductors. In total, Metra sold more than 110,000 special event tickets.

The Ventra App also proved popular for celebration-goers, with new users up nearly 290 percent the day of the rally.

Metra’s Top 10 Ridership Days