GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — Glen Ellyn has received a $14.4-million grant for a makeover of its Metra station, an event the community will celebrate with a Monday ceremony.
The Daily Herald reports that the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning awarded the money as part of $475 million in federal funds to be distributed between 2020 and 2024. Metra has already pledged $3 million for the project.
The station remake, estimated at $20 million, would add warming shelters, ADA-accessible restrooms, and revise traffic patterns around the station. A new building would be 50% larger than the current 2,500-square-foot structure, now the second-busiest on the UP West line.
The project would create a pedestrian underpass rather than forcing passengers to use grade crossings east and west of the station to cross the tracks. It will seek state funding for that portion of the project.
The project is still “a few years” from being put to bid, Village of Glen Ellyn engineer Rich Daubert said, but the village board could be considering a recommended design team by March or April 2020.
Monday’s ceremony, at 9:30 a.m. will feature U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, village representatives, and other officials.
Fix the headline to read “Glen Ellyn.”
As the now retired CNW conductor used to announce on the PA “BEAUTIFUL downtown Glen Ellyn”.
There isn’t a large amount of space for this upgrade. The other side is the former CA&E ROW, now a commuter parking lot along with the bike trail.
But the station is very busy. There are 2 very large offsite parking sites that feed this station and they are almost full now.