Several Metra station locations have been in the news this week. A roundup:
— A new station has opened in Cary, Ill., on Metra’s UP Northwest line, with the 1,400-square-foot facility replacing a structure built in 1942. The $3.3 million project also added a warming shelter on the station’s inbound platform. Some $2 million in federal funds and $400,000 in Cary commuter parking funds, along with Metra funding, helped pay for the station. Nearly 900 passengers board at the station on an average weekday.
— The City of Aurora will receive $1 million from the Regional Transportation Authority, the umbrella organization for Metra, Pace bus service, and the Chicago Transit Authority, for improvements at the Aurora Transportation Center.
The grant, part of the RTA’s Access to Transit program for small-scale capital projects, comes as the Aurora facility is undergoing $14.3 million in upgrades, the Chicago Tribune reports. Work includes relocating bus boarding closer to where Metra trains arrive, as well as added parking and a chance in traffic signals for better access to the facility.
— The City of Plano is considering sites for a possible Metra station, should Metra extend its BNSF line beyond Aurora into Kendall County. Kendall County Now reports that the current Amtrak station, built in 1913, and a location at Little Rock Road on the city’s west side are under consideration.
Plano, Oswego, Yorkville, and Sandwich have all expressed interest in hosting station sites, should an extension of BNSF service occur. Metra has made it clear that no such expansion is in its near-term plans [see “Two Illinois counties are rivals for Metra extension that’s unlikely to happen,” Trains News Wire, June 14, 2019.]
The Cary “station” is actually a bit comical looking. It’s about 8 feet deep and is more of a glorified warming shelter. The station across from it has more character.