Rock Island District

Rock Island District

Rock Island trains at LaSalle.
Overview
Type Commuter Rail
System Metra
Termini LaSalle Street Station
Joliet
Stations 26
Daily ridership 32,100 (Avg. Weekday 2009)[1]
Operation
Owner Metra (LaSalle Street Station to Blue Island) CSX (Beyond Blue Island)
Operator(s) Metra, CSX, Iowa Interstate Railroad, Chicago Rail Link
Technical
Line length 40.2 (6.7 Suburban Branch from Gresham Jct. to Blue Island)
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

0.0 LaSalle Street
Red Line
to Howard
IC West Line
Green and Orange Lines
to the Loop
Orange Line
to Midway
3.1 mi
5 km
Jones/Bronzeville (Flag Stop)
Green Line
to Ashland/63rd
6.7 mi
10.8 km
Englewood
Red Line
to 95th/Dan Ryan
7.2 mi
11.6 km
Normal Park
7.8 mi
12.6 km
Hamilton Park
8.6 mi
13.8 km
Auburn Park
9.8 mi
15.8 km
Gresham
SouthEast Service
10.6 mi
17.1 km
Brainerd
11.3 mi
18.2 km
91st Street – Beverly Hills
11.7 mi
18.8 km
95th Street – Beverly Hills
10.9 mi
17.5 km
Longwood
12.3 mi
19.8 km
99th Street – Beverly Hills
12.8 mi
20.6 km
103rd Street – Beverly Hills
12.0 mi
19.3 km
Washington Heights
13.3 mi
21.4 km
107th Street – Beverly Hills
13.8 mi
22.2 km
111th Street – Morgan Park
14.3 mi
23 km
115th Street – Morgan Park
14.8 mi
23.8 km
119th Street – Blue Island
15.2 mi
24.5 km
123rd Street – Blue Island (Flag Stop)
15.9 mi
25.6 km
Prairie Street (Flag Stop)
ME to Millennium Station
Blue Island
16.4 mi
26.4 km
Vermont Street
17.2 mi
27.7 km
Robbins (Flag Stop)
18.4 mi
29.6 km
Midlothian
20.4 mi
32.8 km
Oak Forest
23.5 mi
37.8 km
Tinley Park
25.1 mi
40.4 km
Tinley Park – 80th Avenue
27.2 mi
43.8 km
Mokena – Hickory Creek
29.6 mi
47.6 km
Mokena – Front Street
SWS
34.0 mi
54.7 km
New Lenox
40.2 mi
64.7 km
Joliet Amtrak
HC Amtrak to Union Station
Amtrak
Lincoln Service
to St. Louis
Amtrak
Texas Eagle
to Los Angeles

The Rock Island District (RI) is a Metra commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois, southwest to Joliet. Metra does not refer to its lines by color, but the timetable accents for the Rock Island District line are "Rocket Red". This refers to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad's Rocket passenger trains.[2]

The November 2015 timetable shows 34 trains out of Chicago each weekday, of which 9 terminate at Blue Island, 24 at Joliet, and 1 at Tinley Park. Originally the train that terminates at Tinley Park terminated at New Lenox. Weekend express trains run through to Joliet, while weekend local trains make a short run to Blue Island.

The track is 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. In spring 1981 the C&NW stepped away, and the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) was formed to take over operations. Through freight trains on the line are operated by CSX and Iowa Interstate Railroad on a trackage rights agreement. In addition, Chicago Rail Link has rights to operate local freight service on the whole district, and it also uses the line between Gresham Wye and Blue Island to connect with the Iowa Interstate and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroads.

The Rock Island District consists of the former Rock Island main line to Joliet and the slightly longer Suburban Line that loops to the west between Gresham and Blue Island. Most trains use the latter; the two stations on that part of the main line are served only during rush hour and during weekend express operations.

The Suburban Line was 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 the present 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. In the early 1890s the line was extended north to 89th Street in conjunction with the expansion of the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad, and the portion on 99th was removed.

A new station at 35th Street and Federal Street opened on April 3, 2011 to serve U.S. Cellular Field and the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was named 35th Street/'Lou' Jones/Bronzeville Station after Lovana Jones who was an Illinois State Representative in the Bronzeville neighborhood.[3]

In June 2015, Metra began weekend express service on the Rock Island District. The six express trains that operate on both Saturday and Sunday run express from 35th Street to Blue Island-Vermont Street before making all stops to Joliet, bypassing the entire Beverly branch. Local trains run as well, making all stops on the Beverly branch and terminating at Blue Island-Vermont Street. This cuts about 20 minutes off the trips from Blue Island to downtown. On August 23, 2015, Metra announced that the weekend express service would become permanent upon completion of the trial period on November 29, 2015.

The Rock Island District runs a few empty equipment move (deadhead) trains, most during the weekdays. Inbound deadheads are scheduled between the Joliet, Mokena-Front Street, and Tinley Park stations and run to Blue Island-Vermont Street.

Stations

Zone Station Municipality County Notes
A LaSalle Street Chicago Cook Connections:

Metro interchange CTA "L" lines: Brown, Pink, Orange, and Purple Line Express (at LaSalle/Van Buren), and Blue Line (at LaSalle)
Bus interchange CTA buses: 1 Bronzeville/Union Station, 7 Harrison, 22 Clark, 24 Wentworth, 36 Broadway, 126 Jackson, 130 Museum Campus, 132 Goose Island Express, 151 Sheridan, and 156 LaSalle
Bus interchange ChicaGo Dash

Jones/Bronzeville Flag Stop[4]

Points of interest:
Guaranteed Rate Field, Illinois Institute of Technology, Shimer College, Chicago Police Headquarters, and De La Salle Institute
Connections:
Metro interchange CTA "L" lines: Red Line (at Sox–35th), Green Line (at 35th–Bronzeville–IIT)
Bus interchange CTA buses: 24 Wentworth, 31 31st, 35 31st/35th, and 39 Pershing
Bus interchange Pace buses: 773 Markham/Tinley Park-Guaranteed Rate Field Express, 774 Palos Heights/Oak Lawn-Guaranteed Rate Field Express, 775 Bolingbrook/Burr Ridge-Guaranteed Rate Field Express

B Gresham Connections:

Bus interchange CTA buses: 8A South Halsted, 24 Wentworth, 87 87th, and N87 87th

C Brainerd
91st Street – Beverly Hills
95th Street – Beverly Hills Connections:

Bus interchange CTA buses: 95 95th
Bus interchange Pace buses: 381 95th Street, and 395 95th/Dan Ryan CTA Station/UPS Hodgkins

Longwood Main line (rush hour only)

Connections:
Bus interchange CTA buses: N9 Ashland, 95 95th, and 112 Vincennes/111th
Bus interchange Pace buses: 381 95th Street, and 395 95th/Dan Ryan CTA Station/UPS Hodgkins

99th Street – Beverly Hills
103rd Street – Beverly Hills Connections:

Bus interchange CTA buses: 103 West 103rd

107th Street – Beverly Hills
Washington Heights Main line (rush hour only)

Connections:
Bus interchange CTA buses: 9 Ashland, 103 West 103rd, and 112 Vincennes/111th

111th Street – Morgan Park Connections:

Bus interchange CTA buses: 112 Vincennes/111th

115th Street – Morgan Park
119th Street – Blue Island Blue Island Connections:

Bus interchange CTA buses: 119 Michigan/119th

D 123rd Street – Blue Island Flag Stop
Prairie Street Flag Stop
Vermont Street Connections:

Mainline rail interchange Metra trains: Metra Electric (at Blue Island)
Bus interchange Pace buses: 348 Harvey/Riverdale/Blue Island, 349 South Western, 359 Robbins/South Kedzie Avenue, and 385 87th/111th/127th

Robbins Robbins Flag Stop

Connections:
Bus interchange Pace buses: 359 Robbins/South Kedzie Avenue

Midlothian Midlothian Connections:

Bus interchange Pace buses: 354 Harvey/Oak Forest Loop

E Oak Forest Oak Forest Connections:

Bus interchange Pace buses: 354 Harvey/Oak Forest Loop, 364 159th Street, and 383 South Cicero

Tinley Park Tinley Park Connections:

Bus interchange Pace buses: 386 South Harlem

Tinley Park – 80th Avenue
F Mokena – Hickory Creek Mokena Will
Mokena – Front Street
G New Lenox New Lenox
H Joliet Joliet Connections:

Mainline rail interchange Metra trains: Heritage Corridor
Mainline rail interchange Amtrak trains: Lincoln Service, Texas Eagle
Bus interchange Pace buses: 501 West Jefferson, 504 South Joliet, 505 West Joliet Loop, 507 Plainfield, 508 East Joliet, 509 Forest Park, 511 Joliet–Elwood–Deer Run, 832 Joliet – Orland Square, and 834 Joliet – Downers Grove

See also

References

Route map: Google

KML is from Wikidata

Media related to Metra Rock Island District at Wikimedia Commons

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