Elmhurst station (Illinois)
Elmhurst is a Metra commuter railroad station in downtown Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. It is served by the Union Pacific West Line, and lies 15.7 miles (25.3 km) from the eastern terminus.[3] Trains go east to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far west as Elburn, Illinois. Travel time to Ogilvie ranges from 39 minutes on local trains to 26 minutes on express trains, as there are some trains that go non-stop between Elmhurst and Chicago. Evening peak trains make the run between Ogilvie and Elmhurst in as little as 24 minutes. As of 2022, Elmhurst is served by all 20 trains in each direction on weekdays, by all 10 trains in each direction on Saturdays, and by all nine trains in each direction on Sundays and holidays. As of 2018, Elmhurst is the fourth busiest of the 236 non-downtown stations in the Metra system, with an average of 2,540 weekday boardings.[2]
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| General information | |||||||||||||
| Location | 128 West 1st Street Elmhurst, IL 60126 | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41.8998°N 87.9408°W | ||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Elmhurst | ||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Union Pacific/West Line | ||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||
| Tracks | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Connections | Pace | ||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||
| Fare zone | D | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
| Opened | 1894 | ||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1989[1] | ||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | 2,540 (average weekday [2]  8.4% | ||||||||||||
| Rank | 4 out of 236[2] | ||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||
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The station is on ground level, on York Street between 1st Street and Park Avenue. Elmhurst University and Wilder Park Conservatory are both several blocks away. Pace suburban buses stop on York Street and on 1st Street. The station is just a few blocks west of Union Pacific's Proviso railroad yard. Due to the relatively close proximity to the railroad yard, Metra trains occasionally must use the middle track to avoid the frequent freight traffic. Because the middle track has no platform, the train’s cab car receives and discharges passengers at the York Road railroad crossing when this does occur.
Station History
The first "station" in Elmhurst is estimated to have been built in 1849 when the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was given right-of-way through the newly founded city. No documentation exists of this station, though it is implied it was built around the same time the railroad was constructed. At some point between the 1850s and 1880s, an upgraded depot was constructed to support increased farming in the area. The first two stations in Elmhurst were not designed for passenger use. In 1894, a significantly larger depot was built and would be the first station in Elmhurst designed exclusively for passenger trains. In the 1860s, the then new Chicago and North Western Railroad began using commuter trains heading to and from Chicago. The new station would have two platforms to accommodate these commuter services, with the north platform used for inbound trains and the south platform for outbound trains. The freight depot was moved west of the new station between Cottage Hill avenue and Maple avenue. Little documentation exists of the freight depot and it is not certain when it was torn down. The 1894 station remained in use for 70 years until it was demolished and rebuilt from 1964 to 1965. In its place would be the station still in use today. The 1965 station is much smaller than its predecessor, with elements of mid-century modern in design. The station saw minor improvements throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These included the addition of bike racks, newspaper boxes, and platform warning stripes. Most improvements were made after the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority, later as Metra, took over C&NW's commuter operations in 1974. In 1987, the north and south platforms were extended and warning stripes were painted red. In early 1989, the station was "rehabilitated" during Elmhurst's downtown redevelopment effort. The city was given a full grant from Metra with the goal to turn the station into an attractive people area.[1] To accompany the upgraded station, two parking garages were built for additional parking, despite early criticism.[1] One of the most popular additions, however, was the installation of heat lamps for use during the winter.
Gallery
Elmhurst station circa 1890.
Wide shot of the south side of the station.
A picture of the windowfront of Pilot Pete's, a concession stand within the station.
A platform sign at Elmhurst station.
The entrance/exit to a pedestrian underpass that leads to the opposite site of the tracks.
References
- "Revitalizing Downtown Elmhurst". www.lib.niu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- "Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018" (PDF). metrarail.com. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2019.
- "Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/West Line". Archived from the original on May 7, 2010.
External links
Media related to Elmhurst station (Illinois) at Wikimedia Commons
- Metra – Stations – Elmhurst station (Illinois)
- Station from York Street from Google Maps Street View