List of Metra stations
Metra is the commuter rail system serving the Chicago metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Illinois and Wisconsin, servicing Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in northeastern Illinois and the city of Kenosha in southern Wisconsin. It is one of three of the Regional Transportation Authority's service boards. With an average weekday ridership of 294,600 in 2015, Metra is the fourth-busiest commuter rail system in the United States, only behind New York City metropolitan area systems.[1][2] The Metra system has a total of 242 active stations spread out on 11 rail lines with 487.5 miles (784.6 km) of tracks.[1][3] As of August 2017, there are no actively planned extensions of the Metra system. The newest Metra station in Joliet, Illinois opened on April 11, 2018.[4]
In 1974, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) was created to provide stability in the commuter rail system, as most private commuter companies in the area were beginning to fail.[5] In 1984, RTA created the Commuter Rail Service Board to help with planning an organized commuter rail system in the Chicago area.[5] The board was renamed Metra in 1985. Through the creation of the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (NIRC), Metra's operating subsidiary and contracts with freight companies, Metra was able to open a network of commuter rail lines across the region.[5] The system's newest line, North Central Service, opened on August 19, 1996.[6]
Seven of the system's eleven lines are owned or operated by the NIRC.[5] Operation of the BNSF Railway Line and the Union Pacific / North Line, Union Pacific / Northwest Line, and the Union Pacific / West Line are handled through purchase of service agreements (PSAs) between Metra, the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.[5] Under these agreements, the railroad companies provide the service using their own employees and either own or control the rights-of-way in addition to the majority of other facilities necessary, while Metra provides the rolling stock.[5] Additionally, Metra funds the portion of South Shore Line within Illinois because it shares tracks with the Metra Electric District.[5] Metra also operates the Hegewisch station, although no Metra trains serve the station.[5]
The development of Chicago's commuter rail network resulted in a spoke–hub distribution paradigm and Metra's services radiate out from the Chicago Loop from four terminals: Ogilvie Transportation Center, Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, and Millennium Station.[5] However, all are within a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) radius of each other and easily accessible from one another, either by walking, cycling, driving, or the use of public transport.[7]
Key
| Station | The official name for the station |
|---|---|
| Lines | The line(s) that stop at the station |
| Rail connections | Any rail connections that can be made from the station |
| Location | The municipality or Chicago neighborhood in which the station is located |
| Fare zone | Identifies which of the nine fare zones the station is in. The zones are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, and M; with Zone A is closest to Chicago Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, Millennium Station, and Ogilvie Transportation Center, while Zone M is the farthest.[8] |
| Info | A link to the station's information on http://metrarail.com |
 |
A terminal station |
 |
The station is identified by Metra as accessible in some way, usually using wheelchair lifts. (Metra designates some stations as "partially accessible" in that a station may not be fully ADA-compliant.[9]) |
Lines
| Line | Symbol | Stations | Inbound terminus | Outbound terminus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNSF | 26 | Chicago Union Station | Aurora | |
| HC | 7 | Chicago Union Station | Joliet Transportation Center | |
| ME | 49 | Millennium Station | University Park, South Chicago (93rd Street), Blue Island | |
| MD-N | 22 | Chicago Union Station | Fox Lake | |
| MD-W | 22 | Chicago Union Station | Big Timber Road | |
| NCS | 18 | Chicago Union Station | Antioch | |
| RI | 26 | LaSalle Street Station | Joliet Transportation Center | |
| SWS | 13 | Chicago Union Station | Manhattan | |
| UP-N | 27 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | Kenosha | |
| UP-NW | 23 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | Harvard, McHenry | |
| UP-W | 19 | Ogilvie Transportation Center | Elburn |
Stations
Future stations
| Station | Lines | Rail connections | Location | Fare zone | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Park | RI | N/A | Auburn Gresham, Chicago | B | Under construction[11] |
| Peterson Ridge | UP-N | N/A | Edgewater, Chicago | B | Planned[12] |
| Johnsburg |
UP-NW | N/A | Johnsburg | J | Proposed[13] |
| Prairie Grove | UP-NW | N/A | Prairie Grove | J | Proposed[13] |
| Ridgefield | UP-NW | N/A | Ridgefield | J | Proposed[13] |
Former stations
| Station | Lines | Rail connections | Location | Fare zone | Closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Street | HC | N/A | Lockport | G | 1988[14] | |
| 67th Street | ME | N/A | Woodlawn, Chicago | B | 1984[14] | Station platforms still exist. |
| 91st Street (South Chicago) |
ME | N/A | South Chicago, Chicago | B | June 2001 | Replaced by South Chicago (93rd Street).[15] |
| 99th Street–Longwood | RI | N/A | Longwood Manor, Chicago | C | 1985[14] | |
| Abbott's Platform | UP-N | N/A | North Chicago | G | 1986[14] | Station only listed on timetables as a note on select North Chicago stop times. |
| Brighton Park | HC | N/A | Brighton Park, Chicago | C | 1984[14] | |
| Clyde | BNSF | N/A | Cicero | B | 2007 | Closed due to low ridership and close proximity to Cicero.[16] |
| Cragin | MD-W | N/A | Belmont Cragin, Chicago | B | 2007 | Closed along with Hermosa and replaced with Grand/Cicero.[17] |
| Givens | RI | N/A | Morgan Park, Chicago | C | 1984[14] | |
| Glenn | HC | N/A | Central Stickney | C | 1989[14] | Closed due to low ridership and difficulty to access the station. |
| Halsted Street | HC | N/A | Bridgeport, Chicago | B | 1984[14] | |
| Hartland | UP-NW | N/A | Hartland | L | 1984[14] | |
| Hermosa | MD-W | N/A | Hermosa, Chicago | B | 2007 | Closed along with Cragin and replaced with Grand/Cicero.[17] |
| Joliet Union Station |
RI | Amtrak | Joliet | H | 2014 | Replaced with Joliet Transportation Center in 2018.[4] |
| Rondout | MD-N | N/A | Rondout | G | 1984[14] | |
| Western Avenue | SWS | N/A | Ashburn, Chicago | B | May 1984[18] | |
| Wilson Road | MD-N | N/A | Long Lake | J | 1984[14] |
References
- "Ridership Reports – System Facts". Metra. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter and End-of-Year 2016" (pdf). American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- "Where do Metra trains run". Metra. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
- Fabbre, Alicia (April 11, 2018). "New train station opens for commuters in Joliet, ending a six-year wait". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- "Metra History". Metra. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- Hanna, Janan (August 20, 1996). "Latest Metra Route Opens New World To Suburbs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- "Frequently Asked Questions". Metra. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- "Commuter Rail Fares & Passes". Metra. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- "Accessibility". Metra. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- "Metra Fare Schedule" (PDF). Metra. February 26, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- Wisniewski, Mary (September 30, 2019). "New Metra station coming to Auburn Gresham neighborhood". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- "Metra gets state funding for two new stations". Metrarail.com. April 17, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- "Go to 2040: Comprehensive Regional Plan". Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. 2010. p. 281. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- Ridership Trends - Annual Report 2017 (PDF) (Report). Metra Division of Strategic Capital Planning. February 2018. p. 32. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- Van Hattem, Matt (July 5, 2006). "Metra: Chicago's commuter railroad". Trains Magazine. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- "Metra to shut down BNSF's Clyde station". CS Trains. May 17, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- "Cragin Station". Chicago Rail Junctions. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- "RTA closing 13 rail stations". Chicago Tribune. March 9, 1984. p. 51. Retrieved December 4, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
