Union Pacific/West Line

Union Pacific/West Line

The River Forest station on the line, located in River Forest, Illinois
Overview
Type Commuter Rail
System Metra
Termini Ogilvie Transportation Center
Elburn
Stations 19
Daily ridership 30,200 (Avg. Weekly 2009)[1]
Operation
Owner Union Pacific Railroad
Operator(s) Union Pacific Railroad
Technical
Line length 43 miles
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) (Standard gauge)
Route map
Legend
Elburn
La Fox
Geneva
Fox River
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway
West Chicago
Winfield
Wheaton
College Avenue (Wheaton)
Glen Ellyn
Lombard
Villa Park
Elmhurst
Berkeley
Bellwood
Indiana Harbor Belt
Melrose Park
Maywood
Des Plaines River
River Forest
Canadian Pacific Railway
Oak Park
Kedzie
Metra/Amtrak (lines to/from Union Station)
Metra/Amtrak (lines to/from Union Station)
Union Pacific/North Line (to Kenosha)
and Union Pacific/Northwest Line (to Harvard/McHenry)
Metra/Amtrak (lines to/from Union Station)
Chicago 'L' (Green and Pink lines)
Ogilvie Transportation Center (Chicago)

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, honoring an Iowa woman who saved a Chicago & North Western Railway train from disaster in 1881.[2]

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.

In late spring 2009, Union Pacific began a major upgrade to the Union Pacific/West line. A third mainline track will be built between Elmhurst and River Forest, major signal system upgrades, the consolidation of the Bellwood and Melrose Park Stations (separate project), removal of all mid-platform pedestrian crossings at all stations, advanced warning systems for pedestrians, and new platforms. Work is being conducted in three phases and will be completed by late December 2010.

Speculation exists that the line could be extended from its current end in Elburn further west through Maple Park and Cortland to DeKalb. This would provide greater access for North-Central Illinois Residents to the Chicago area, as well as for students at Northern Illinois University. Maple Park has indicated that adding a Metra stop in the town is in the County's 2040 transportation plan.[3] Further west, however, remains uncertain.[4]

Station stops

Union Pacific/West Line trains make the following station stops:

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Metra_Union_Pacific/West_Line Metra Union Pacific/West Line] at Wikimedia Commons