Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Metra
Metra is Chicagoland's commuter rail system, serving over 200 stations on eleven lines across the Regional Transportation Authority 's (RTA's) six-county service area.
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History
The RTA formed in 1974 to provide financial support from local and county governments to railroads providing commuter service between Chicago and its suburbs. In the wake of the 1980 bankruptcy and liquidation of the Rock Island Railroad, the RTA also inherited ownership and operational responsibilities of that railroad's commuter operations (known today as Metra's "Rock Island District"). RTA consolidated its railroad holdings and its financial relationships with the freight railroads into its Northeastern Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) subsidiary in 1984.
Besides owning and operating the Rock Island District, Metra also assumed complete ownership of, or operates its own trains, over several other rail lines:
- "Milwaukee District" lines North and West, which Metra acquired from the Milwaukee Road in 1985.
- Ex-Illinois Central's "Electric" line and the ex-Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad's "Heritage" line, in 1987.
- In 1993, Metra started operating its own commuter trains along the ex-N&W (nee-Wabash) Norfolk Southern line, which Metra now calls it's "South West Service", and Canadian National's ex-WC (nee-Soo Line) line, which Metra calls its "North Central Service".
As it was originally designed, Metra contracts for commuter service with only two freight railroads:
- The Union Pacific Railroad, which operates Metra commuter trains along its three ex-C&NW lines (North, Northwest and West).
- The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which operates Metra trains along its ex-BN (nee-CB&Q) line.
There is one (and, historically speaking, was at least one other) railroad providing commuter passenger service in Chicagoland in the Metra (post-1974) era:
- The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (Indiana's version of Metra) operates the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend between Chicago's Randolph Street Station and northern Indiana, terminating in South Bend.
- The Pennsylvania Railroad (and subsequently Amtrak) operated commuter trains from Chicago's Union Station to Valparaiso, Indiana that were not subsidized by Metra, and when this line was abandoned in 1991, Metra did not acquire it.
Metra's Commuter Lines and Stations
Union Pacific/North Chicago, Ogilvie Transportation Center Clybourn Ravenswood Rogers Park Main Street, Evanston Davis Street, Evanston Central Street, Evanston Wilmette Kenilworth Indian Hill Winnetka Hubbard Woods Glencoe Braeside Ravinia Park Ravinia Highland Park Highwood Fort Sheridan Lake Forest Lake Bluff Great Lakes North Chicago Waukegan Zion Winthrop Harbor Kenosha, Wisconsin (Possible future extension to Racine and Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
North Central Service Chicago, Union Station Western Avenue River Grove O'Hare Transfer Prospect Heights Wheeling Buffalo Grove Prairie View Vernon Hills Mundelein Prairie Crossing / Libertyville Round Lake Beach Lake Villa Antioch
Milwaukee District/North Chicago, Union Station Western Avenue Healy Grayland Mayfair Forest Glen Edgebrook Morton Grove Golf Glenview Glen / North Glenview Northbrook Lake Cook Road Deerfield Lake Forest Libertyville Prairie Crossing Grayslake Round Lake Long Lake Ingleside Fox Lake (Possible future extension to Richmond, Illinois)
Union Pacific/Northwest Chicago, Ogilvie Transportation Center Clybourn Irving Park Jefferson Park Gladstone Park Norwood Park Edison Park Park Ridge Dee Road Des Plaines Cumberland Mount Prospect Arlington Heights Arlington Park Palatine Barrington Fox River Grove Cary McHenry Branch after Cary Station McHenry Crystal Lake Woodstock Harvard
Milwaukeee District/West Chicago, Union Station Western Avenue Hermosa Cragin Hanson Park Galewood Mars Mont Clare Elmwood Park River Grove Franklin Park Mannheim Bensenville Wood Dale Itasca Medinah Roselle Schaumburg Hanover Park Bartlett National Street Elgin Big Timber Road
Union Pacific/West Chicago, Ogilvie Transportation Center Kedzie Avenue Oak Park River Forest Maywood Bellwood Berkeley Elmhurst Villa Park Lombard Glen Ellyn College Avenue Wheaton Winfield West Chicago Geneva (Future extension to La Fox and Elburn)
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Chicago, Union Station Halsted Street Western Avenue Cicero Clyde LaVergne Berwyn Harlem Avenue Riverside Hollywood (Zoo Stop) Brookfield Congress Park LaGrange Road LaGrange, Stone Avenue Western Springs Highlands Hinsdale West Hinsdale Clarendon Hills Westmont Fairview Avenue Downers Grove, Main Street Belmont Lisle Naperville Route 59 Aurora
Heritage Corridor Chicago, Union Station Summit Willow Springs Lemont Lockport Joliet
Southwest Service Chicago, Union Station Wrightwood Ashburn Oak Lawn Chicago Ridge, Illinois Worth Palos Park Orland Park, 143rd Street Orland Park, 153rd Street Orland Park, 179th Street (likely future extension to Manhattan, Illinois)
Rock Island District Chicago, LaSalle Street Station Gresham 95th Street - Longwood 103rd Street - Washington Heights Brainerd 91st Street - Beverly Hills 95th Street - Beverly Hills 99th Street - Beverly Hills 103rd Street - Beverly Hills 107th Street - Beverly Hills 111th Street - Morgan Park 115th Street - Morgan Park 119th Street 123rd Street Prairie Street Blue Island, Vermont Street Robbins Midlothian Oak Forest Tinley Park Tinley Park, 80th Avenue Mokena, Hickory Creek Mokena, Front Street New Lenox Joliet
Metra Electric Chicago, Randolph Street Station VanBuren Street Roosevelt Road 18th Street McCormick Place 27th Street 47th Street (Kenwood) 53rd Street (Hyde Park) 55th, 56th, 57th Street (Museum of Science and Industry) 59th Street (University of Chicago) 63rd Street South Chicago Branch after 63rd Street Station Stony Island Bryn Mawr South Shore Windsor Park Cheltenham (79th Street) 83rd Street 87th Street South Chicago (93rd Street) 75th Street (Grand Crossing) 79th Street (Chatham) 83rd Street (Avalon Park) 87th Street (Woodruff) 91st Street (Chesterfield) 95th Street (Chicago State University) 103rd Street (Rosemoor) 107th Street 111th Street (Pullman) Kensington (115th Street) Blue Island Branch after Kensington Station State Street Stewart Ridge West Pullman Racine Avenue Ashand Avenue Burr Oak Blue Island Riverdale Ivanhoe 147th Street (Sibley Boulevard) Harvey Hazel Crest Calumet Homewood Flossmoor Olympia Fields 211th Street (Lincoln Highway) Matteson Richton Park University Park
See Also
Regional rail Commuter railroads
External links
- Metra official website
- Chicago Transit and Railfan Website
References
"Village board seeks Metra extension." McHenry Online. Accessed on 20 January, 2005.
"Metra: Driven by its history, A modern Chicago railroad carries its past with it." Trains Magazine, July 2003, by J. David Ingles. Accessed on 21 January, 2005.
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