Decked out for the Christmas season both inside and out, specially decorated Metra Holiday Trains are spreading holiday cheer to passengers and passerbyers alike. This is the Metra Holiday Trains third year in service, designed to brighten up the regular commute or make a trip into the city extra special.
Holiday Train tickets include a round-trip to and from your starting station on a decorated train with treats and visits from holiday characters. The Metra Electric Line includes a visit to a North Pole winter wonderland at Millennium Station, featuring treats, holiday music, face painting and other fun activities.
In years past, there was extremely high demand for this festive, affordable train experience. Even with the addition of a sixth line hosting additional trips on the Holiday Train (Metra Electric Line) this experience sold out within 5 minutes of tickets going on sale in 2024.
Tickets this year are $10 per person, and include your return trip as well. There is a limit of five tickets per purchase. All transactions are managed by PayPal, but you do not need a PayPal account (just choose Pay With Debit or Credit Card).
Tickets go on sale November 17 at noon and they will sell out fast! Bookmark this link: shop.metra.com. It has great instructions and is also the link where the tickets will go on sale. The Holiday Trains don’t stop at every station, which is why we linked the train line schedules below, so check that out too.
Want to try and catch a glimpse of a decorated train? Better yet, get into the holiday spirit with a day trip to the city. The Holiday Trains are scheduled to be on the move Saturdays before Christmas this holiday season, starting December 6, 2025. The trains shaded in blue are the Holiday Trains.
December 6, 2025: Milwaukee District West (WX02 inbound; WX01 outbound) and BNSF (9516 inbound, 9513 outbound) lines
December 13, 2025: Metra Electric (BX02 inbound; BX03 outbound), Rock Island (MX02 inbound; MX01 outbound), and UP Northwest (7902 inbound; 7903 outbound) lines
December 20, 2025: Metra Electric (BX02 inbound; BX03 outbound) line
Metra suggests checking back for updates to the Holiday Train schedule.
While these aren’t full-on Polar Express events, they certainly add some fun festivity to any train trip. The trains departing from Metra Electric Line will arrive at the ‘North Pole Wonderland’ (also known as Millennium Station!) where riders can enjoy holiday treats, festive music, face painting, and games before heading home on their return trip.
If you catch one of these holiday trains, please let us know what you think by commenting below or tagging us on Instagram @kidlist!
