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Union Pacific/North Line
The Union Pacific/North (UP-N) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. This line was operated by Chicago & North Western until its merger with UP in 1995. While Metra does not specifically
refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Union Pacific/North line are printed in dark
"Flambeau Green".
Its southern terminus is the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's northern neighborhoods and its northern and far northern suburbs to Kenosha, Wisconsin, although most trains originate or terminate in Waukegan, Illinois.
The Green Bay Trail and North Shore Trail parallel the Union Pacific North Line, using the former right of way of the North Shore Line for over 20 miles from Wilmette to North Chicago.
Preliminary engineering has also begun in extending Metra service further north from Kenosha to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Should all go well in cooperation between Wisconsin and Illinois, and should officials in Wisconsin find funding, Metra hopes to begin service by 2010. This new section of Metra would make stops in Milwaukee, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Caledonia, Racine, and Somers.
[edit] Station stops
Union Pacific/North Line trains make the following station stops:
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North Central Service
The North Central Service (NCS) is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the North Central
Service line are printed in light purple.
Its southern terminus is Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's western neighborhoods and its northwestern and far northern suburbs to
Antioch, Illinois.
Service began August 19, 1996. As of 2006 this is the only new line in the Metra system since its formation.
Station stops
North Central Service trains make the following station stops:
On January 30, 2006, four new stations on the North Central Service opened: Franklin Park, Schiller Park, Rosemont, and Grayslake.[1] Another station, at Grand and Cicero Avenues in Chicago (between the Western Avenue and River Grove stops) is scheduled to
be completed by the end of 2006. Service doubled from 10 to 20 trains per day with this change in the timetable.[2]
On September 11, 2006 service expanded from 20 to 22 trains when Metra split one rush-hour local train in each direction into two express trains.
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Milwaukee District/North Line
The Milwaukee District/North (MD-N) is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the North Central
Service line are printed in pale "Hiawatha Orange".
Its southern terminus is Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's western neighborhoods and its northwestern and far northern suburbs to
Fox Lake, Illinois.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail company, also runs trains from Union Station on these tracks, stopping only in Glenview.
Before the Rondout station was closed and demolished, Metra made a stop in Rondout, Illinois between Lake Forest and Libertyville.
[edit] Station stops
Milwaukee District/North Line trains make the following station stops:
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Union Pacific/Northwest Line
The Union Pacific/Northwest (UP-NW) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Union Pacific/North
line are printed in bright "Viking Yellow".
Its eastern terminus is the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's northern and western neighborhoods and its northwestern and far northwestern
suburbs to Harvard and McHenry, Illinois.
[edit] Station stops
Union Pacific/Northwest Line trains make the following station stops:
- McHenry Branch after Cary
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Milwaukee District/West Line
The Milwaukee District/West (MD-W) is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Milwaukee
District/West line are printed in dark "Arrow Yellow".
Its eastern terminus is Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's western neighborhoods and its western and far western suburbs to Elgin, Illinois.
A new station at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Cicero Avenue opened on December 11, 2006. It replaced stations in the Hermosa and Cragin neighborhoods.[1]
Metra has long-range plans to eventually extend the line to Huntley and Marengo, Illinois, and possibly out to Rockford. [1] [2]
[edit] Station stops
Milwaukee District/West Line trains make the following station stops:
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Union Pacific/West Line
The Union Pacific/West (UP-W) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Union Pacific/West
line are printed in "Kate Shelley Rose" pink.
Its eastern terminus is the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's western neighborhoods and its western and far western suburbs to Elburn.
[edit] Station stops
Union Pacific/West Line trains make the following station stops:
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BNSF Railway Line
The BNSF Railway Line is a commuter rail line in the United States, provided by Metra and operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the BNSF line
are printed in bright "Cascade Green".
Its eastern terminus is the Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's western neighborhoods and its western and far western suburbs to Aurora.
[edit] Station stops
BNSF Railway Line trains make the following station stops:
[edit] History
A westbound Metra commuter train led by a BN E9 passes Eola Yard, just east of Aurora, in 1992.
The railroad between Chicago and Aurora was originally constructed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1864. The CB&Q operated the commuter service until the railroad became part of the Burlington Northern in 1970. Burlington Northern merged with Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1995, and the name of the new railroad became Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The railroad has now been renamed to simply BNSF.
With its three tracks and fast and frequent trains of both Metra and freight service, this line earned the nickname "The
Racetrack".
On August 26, 1991, around 6 in the evening, a woman named Mary. T. Wojtyla was hit and killed by an express train in Downers Grove. Her death was captured on film by a railfan.
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Heritage Corridor
The Heritage Corridor (HC) is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Heritage
Corridor line are printed in dark "Alton Maroon". The Alton Railroad was the historic operator of trains over this route.
Its northern terminus is Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago's western neighborhoods and its southwestern and far southwestern suburbs
to Joliet, Illinois.
The name Heritage Corridor refers to the Illinois and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor. Established in 1984, it runs parallel to the line.
As of 2006 there are three trains inbound to Chicago during the morning rush hour and three trains outbound to Joliet during the afternoon
rush hour.
[edit] Station stops
Heritage Corridor trains make the following station stops:
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SouthWest Service
The Southwest Service (SWS) is an American commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra, running southwest from Union Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois to Manhattan. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the SouthWest
Service line are printed in "Banner Blue". The trackage is owned by Metra north of a junction with the Belt Railway of Chicago at Loomis Boulevard, and by the Norfolk Southern Railway south of the junction (NS has trackage rights over Metra's portion).
The SouthWest Service does not operate on weekends or holidays.
History
The line south of the curve at the east end of the section aligned with 75th Street was originally built by the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway, which opened in 1880 to Chicago. At that curve was a junction with the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad, which the Wabash owned one-fifth of, and used to reach Dearborn Station in downtown Chicago.
After several reorganizations, the Wabash Railroad was leased by the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1964; by then all that was left in the way of passenger trains was the Chicago-Orland Park commuter service. On May 2, 1971, after only one day of operations, Amtrak pulled out of Dearborn Station, and for several years the N&W operated trains to a track west of the station. In 1976
the terminal was moved to Union Station, via a new connection at Alton Junction, and the Regional Transportation Authority began to subsidize the service in 1978. The N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1982, and for a while the line was known as the Norfolk Southern Line (NS). On June 1, 1993 Metra took over operations and renamed it the Southwest Service.
The rail line expansion project, which includes 11 miles of new track and at least two additional train stations, was completed
(except for the Laraway Road station) in January 2006. The number of trains per day increased from 16 to 30, 15 in each direction.[1] For years, Pace had operated bus route 835, with funding help from Metra. It provided additional service during rush hour, as well as midday
and early evening service to much of the SouthWest Service area, except Manhattan and Laraway Road, which were not yet open.
As most of the train line was only single track, with limited double track segments, Metra could not add any additional trains
until the expansion project was complete. Pace had planned to eliminate route 835 when Metra expanded its service, since Pace
would no longer receive money from Metra to help fund route 835. Pace held public hearings regarding the discontinuance of
route 835 and heard complaints from many regular riders. Pace decided to retain 4 morning inbound and 4 evening outbound runs
between Worth and Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago.[2]
[edit] Station stops
Southwest Service trains make the following station stops:
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Rock Island District
The Rock Island District (RI) is a commuter rail line operated by Metra from Chicago, Illinois, United States southwest to Joliet. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Rock Island
District line are printed in "Rocket Red". This refers to the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad's Rocket series of passenger trains.
Station stops
Rock Island District trains make the following station stops: (not all trains stop at all stations)
A limited number of rush-hour express trains skip all stops between Gresham and Blue Island - Vermont Street, instead making
the following stops:
The trackage is all owned by Metra, bought from the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad for $35 million in December 1982. The Regional Transportation Authority had signed a contract with the Rock Island in 1976 to fund service, and in 1980 the Chicago and North Western Railway began operating the Rock Island District. But in spring 1981 the C&NW stepped away, and the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) was formed to take over operations.
The Rock Island District consists of a main line over the Rock Island's former main line to Joliet. The slightly longer Suburban Line loops to the west between Gresham and Blue Island, carrying most trains; the two stations on that part of the main line are only served during rush hours.
The Suburban Line was originally built in 1870 as a steam dummy line, splitting from the main line just north of 99th Street, running west along 99th and turning south to merge with the current line at the S-curve just south of 99th. The crossing of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway midway along 99th was known as Dummy Crossing on that line. In the early 1890s the line was extended north in conjunction with the expansion of the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad, and the portion on 99th was removed.
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Metra Electric Line
The Metra Electric Line (ME) is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra, connecting Randolph Street Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois with its southern suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Metra Electric
line are printed in bright "Panama Orange" to reflect the line's origins with the Illinois Central Railroad and its Panama Limited passenger train.
The Electric Line is the only Metra line that is powered by overhead catenary. Trains operate on 1500 volts DC, and all stations have high-level platforms. Sharing the main line north of Kensington is NICTD's South Shore Line, an interurban line that runs through northern Indiana to South Bend.
History
The line was originally built and operated by the Illinois Central Railroad. Commuter service, one of the first outside the major metropolitan areas of the northeastern U.S., began July 21, 1856 between the Illinois Central's downtown station (at the current location of Randolph Street Station) and Hyde Park. Extensions of the commuter service were later made, and part of the line was elevated for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Jackson Park.
The line predates the Chicago Fire and used to run on a trestle just offshore in Lake Michigan. After the fire, the burned buildings were simply dumped into the lake, creating landfill that is now Grant Park. This is why the train runs through the middle of Grant Park to this day.
Also built were two branches - one from Brookdale southeast to South Chicago (in the early 1880s), and the other from Kensington southwest to Blue Island (in the early 1890s). These two branches were also electrified and are still operated by Metra.
The IC electrified its commuter tracks in 1926, then stretching from downtown to Matteson. In addition to the removal of all grade crossings, the tracks were completely separated from and moved to the west side of the two freight and intercity tracks. At McCormick Place just south of downtown Chicago, the two non-electrified tracks crossed over the new electric alignment to end at Central Station. The electric tracks continued north to the new Randolph Street Station, on the site of the Illinois Central's original terminal
before Central Station opened in 1893 (though it still served commuters).
The main line had six tracks between Roosevelt Road (Central Station) and 53rd Street, and four tracks from there south
to 111th Street. The six-track segment was reduced to four tracks in 1962. The main line has two tracks south from 111th Street,
as does the South Chicago branch. The Blue Island branch is single-track.
Service was extended 1.1 mile southward from Matteson to Richton Park, a new station built at the south end of the coach storage yard, in 1946.
By the early 1900s, the IC operated as many as 300 trains a day. Trains were operated by steam locomotives which produce
a great deal of smoky exhaust. This might have been tolerable had service been less frequent, but the service was popular
with residents of Chicago's fashionable Hyde Park neighborhood. Reducing service would not have been popular, so in 1919,
the IC and Chicago collaborated to build a berm stretching from the far south suburb of Homewood into the city. They also
dug a trench from the near south side into the city proper. These moves resulted in elimination of all grade crossings on
the busy main line. The main line now has one grade crossing just south of the Richton Park station. The University Park extension required the line to cross a very long private driveway as well. The South Chicago branch, on the other hand runs
at-grade and operates on regular city streets with many grade crossings.
The grade-crossing elimination project was followed by the electrification of the line. The steam locomotives were then
replaced by electric trains which satisfied the concerns of the well-to-do residents of Hyde Park regarding the smoke and
noise from the steam trains. This resulted in the only commuter rail line in Chicago that is still electrified, and the only
rail line in the city with an overhead catenary system. The "IC Electric" was once Chicago's busiest suburban railroad, and
carried a great deal of traffic within the city as well as to suburban communities. The three lines carried 26 million passengers
during the first full year of electrified operation, 1927. This rose to 35 million at 1929, and reached an all-time peak of
47 million at 1946.
On October 30, 1972 a new lightweight bi-level commuter train inbound to Chicago during the morning rush hour overshot the 27th Street platform
and backed up into the station. The bi-level train had already tripped the signals to green for the next train, an older,
heavy steel single-level train. As the bi-level train was backing up at 11 miles per hour, it was struck by the single-level
express train at full speed. The single-level train telescoped the lightweight bi-level train killing 45 passengers and injuring hundreds, primarily in the bi-level train. A major contributing
factor was that the Illinois Central Railroad used a dark gray color scheme, including the ends of rail cars, that was very
difficult to see on the cloudy morning of the accident. After the accident the ends of all commuter rail cars and locomotives
in the Chicago area were painted with orange and white stripes for better visibility.
In 1976 the Regional Transportation Authority signed a contract with the Illinois Central to fund its commuter service. The next year a short (2.3-mile) extension was
built to the current terminal at University Park (originally named Park Forest South). On May 1, 1987 Metra bought the Electric Line and branches for $28 million. The two intercity/freight tracks are still owned by the IC,
now part of the Canadian National Railway, and are used by Amtrak's City of New Orleans and Illini.
This is the only line on the Metra system in which all stations (except 18th and 47th Streets, both flag stops) have ticket vending machines. The machines originally vended magnetically-encoded tickets which unlocked the turnstiles. People with paper tickets or weekend passes, travelers who qualified for reduced fares
and anyone who had trouble with the vending machines, had to pick up a blue or orange pal phone to get an operator to unlock
the turnstiles. Complaints from passengers who missed their trains caused Metra to remove the turnstiles in November 2003.
The Main line and South Chicago branch run daily, including Sundays and holidays, but the Blue Island Branch does not operate
on Sundays or holidays. A unique feature of the Metra Electric schedule is the similarity of the weekday and Saturday timetables.
Many express trains run throughout the day in both directions. On other Metra lines, express service operates exclusively
during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
[edit] Station stops
Metra Electric Line trains make the following station stops: (not all trains stop at all stations)
[edit] Main Line
[edit] South Chicago Branch
South Chicago Branch trains split from the main line at 63rd Street and make the following station stops:
[edit] Blue Island Branch
Blue Island Branch trains split from the main line at Kensington/115th Street and make the following station stops:
The Metra Electric line uses bi-level Highliner multiple-unit cars, first built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1972. Starting in 2005, these cars are gradually being replaced with stainless steel bi-level MUs built by Nippon-Sharyo.
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South Shore Line (NICTD)
The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban streetcar line (passenger) operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) between Randolph Street Terminal in downtown Chicago and the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana.
[edit] History
The line was operated as the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS&SB) until it went bankrupt in 1989, when the NICTD, formed in 1977 to help fund the line, took over operations. The line's freight service was picked up in 1990 by the new Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad (AAR reporting marks CSS), which still operates freight service.
The South Shore Line and how it corresponds to the Metra Grid
The NICTD is one of the few surviving interurban streetcar lines in the United States, with only the Norristown High Speed Line and SEPTA Suburban Trolley Lines in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area in the same category. The main yard, shops and dispatching office are in Michigan City, and NICTD corporate headquarters is in Chesterton.
A southbound NICTD South Shore train, led by car #109, is seen entering 57th Street station in the Hyde Park section
of Chicago.
The oldest predecessor of the line was the Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railway, chartered on December 2, 1901. Service began in September 1903 between East Chicago, Indiana and Indiana Harbor. The following year it was renamed the Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railway. Revenue service began July 1, 1908 on the line from Michigan City east to South Bend. An extension west to State Line Junction in Hammond, a transfer point for other railroads, opened September 8.
The Illinois Central Railroad-owned Kensington and Eastern Railroad was chartered in Illinois to complete the route, and was leased to the CLS&SB on April 4, 1909. That year the full line to Kensington, Illinois on the Illinois Central was completed, and on June 2, 1912 the trains started to be coupled to IC steam locomotives and ran all the way to downtown Chicago.
The line entered receivership on February 28, 1925 and was bought at foreclosure by Samuel Insull's Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (incorporated June 23) on June 29. The power system was changed from AC to DC on July 28, 1926, allowing CSS&SB trains to operate directly to the Illinois Central's Randolph Street Terminal without an engine change, beginning August 29. That same year, the original line between East Chicago and Indiana Harbor was abandoned.
South Shore train in the streets of Michigan City
On September 16, 1956 a street-running section in East Chicago was removed with the building of a new alignment next to the Indiana Toll Road. A truncation to west of downtown South Bend removed street trackage in that city from July 1, 1970. However, street trackage still exists in downtown Michigan City.
The CSS&SB turned a profit during World War II due to the industrial nature of Northern Indiana. However, highway competition and suburban growth led to ridership declines. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway bought the line on January 3, 1967. The CSS&SB was one of six railroads with "long-distance" passenger services to decline joining Amtrak in 1971, and in 1976 they asked the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon passenger service. The ICC gave the State of Indiana a chance to reply, and the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District was formed in 1977 to fund the service. The company went bankrupt, and passenger service was taken over by the NICTD in December 1989. In December 1990 the track was sold to the NICTD, and freight service was taken over by the new Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad,
a subsidiary of short line operator Anacostia and Pacific.
On November 21, 1992 an extension was opened from the old South Bend terminal at the Amtrak station to the South Bend Regional Airport.
As of November 2005, there is an ongoing debate of plans to relocate trackage off the streets of Michigan City.
As of June 2006, there is a proposal service entitled the West Lake Corridor, for adding spur lines to the cities of Valparaiso and Lowell. Also, concerns over the price of gasoline has increased the ridership of the South Shore Line enough to require the addition
of new passenger railway cars to the line.
[edit] Station stops
South Shore Line trains make the following station stops: (not all trains stop at all stations)
- Illinois
- Indiana
All stops between Randolph Street and Kensington are also served by the Metra Electric Line. Because of this, the east-bound South Shore Line is loading only between those two stops; west-bound is unloading only.
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