BNSF Railway (Metra)

BNSF Railway Line
An inbound Metra train arrives in Naperville.
Overview
Type	Commuter Rail
System	Metra
Termini	Union Station Aurora
Stations	26
Daily ridership	64,800 (Avg. Weekday 2014)[1]
Operation
Owner	BNSF Railway (Leased to Metra)
Operator(s)	BNSF Railway
Technical
Line length	37.5 miles (60.4 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map Legend NCS to Antioch MD-W to Big Timber Road MD-N to Fox Lake 0.0 Chicago Union Station Blue Line HC to Joliet SWS to Manhattan 1.8 Halsted Street Pink Line 3.7 Western Avenue Pink Line 7.0 Cicero 8.5 Clyde 9.0 La Vergne 9.6 Berwyn 10.0 Harlem Avenue 11.0 Riverside Des Plaines River 11.7 Hollywood Salt Creek 12.3 Brookfield 13.0 Congress Park 13.7 La Grange 14.1 Stone Avenue 15.4 Western Springs 16.3 Highlands 16.8 Hinsdale 17.8 West Hinsdale 18.2 Clarendon Hills 19.4 Westmont 20.3 Fairview Avenue 21.1 Downers Grove 22.9 Belmont Saint Joseph Creek 24.4 Lisle DuPage River(East Branch) 28.4 Naperville DuPage River(West Branch) 31.6 Route 59 38.4 Aurora California Zephyr to Emeryville Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg to Quincy Southwest Chief to Los Angeles

The BNSF Railway Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. In 2010, the BNSF Railway Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership (average 64,600) of the 11 Metra lines.^[2] (Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the BNSF line are "Cascade Green," like the paint of the Burlington Northern Railroad.^[3]) In April 2014, the public timetable (published March 11, 2012)^[4] showed 47 trains leaving Chicago each weekday, of which 31 run to Aurora.

The east end is Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago and its western and far western suburbs to Aurora. BNSF Railway operates it under a "purchase of service agreement" with Metra; management and crews are BNSF employees and Metra owns the equipment. The June 2007 timetable shows a 70 mph maximum allowed speed for passenger trains.

Metra has studied the feasibility of extending the line beyond Aurora, possibly as far as Plano, Illinois.^[5]

History

BNSF Railway Line is in Light Green

The railroad between Chicago and Aurora was constructed in 1864 by the Chicago and Aurora Railroad, which later merged into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The CB&Q operated the commuter service until the railroad became part of the Burlington Northern in 1970. Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1995 and the name of the railroad became Burlington Northern Santa Fe. It later changed its name to the abbreviation, BNSF.

With three tracks, fast and frequent Amtrak and Metra passenger trains, and BNSF freight trains, the line nicknamed the "race track" is a favorite of rail fans.^[6]

The Clyde station at South Austin Boulevard and West 29th Street in Cicero was closed on April 1, 2007 due to low ridership and its dilapidation. In the months before its closure, it was used by about 50 passengers a day.^[7]

Station stops

• Union Station
• Halsted Street (16th & Halsted) (Rush Hour Service Only)
• Western Avenue (18th & Western)
• Cicero (26th & Cicero)
• Clyde (Closed)
• LaVergne (Rush Hour Service Only)
• Berwyn
• Harlem Avenue
• Riverside
• Hollywood (Zoo Stop)
• Brookfield
• Congress Park (Rush Hour Service Only)
• La Grange
• Stone Avenue
• Western Springs
• Highlands (Rush Hour Service Only)
• Hinsdale
• West Hinsdale (Rush Hour Service Only)
• Clarendon Hills
• Westmont
• Fairview Avenue
• Downers Grove – Main Street
• Belmont (Downers Grove)
• Lisle
• Naperville
• Route 59
• Aurora Transportation Center

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metra BNSF Railway Line.

• Metra BNSF Railway service schedule