DeKALB, Ill. — The DeKalb City Council has authorized a state grant to pay for a new study on extending Metra service to the city, Shaw News reports.
The $400,000 technical assistance grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation will build on an earlier feasibility study completed in 2023 that addressed financial benefits and potential ridership for an extension of Metra’s UP West line from its current western endpoint of Elburn, Ill., about 18 miles from DeKalb. Among other findings, that study said annual ridership on a bus route from DeKalb to the Elburn station was 3,163 in 2019; it was 14,179 in 2023.
City Manager Bill Nicklas told the news site that the new study would begin looking at the UP line between DeKalb and Elburn to determine the prospects of building a third track next to the existing two-track main line, which the city believes would be expected by UP and Metra. The UP West line is currently three tracks from Elburn to Chicago, save for a short segment near Geneva, Ill., that is undergoing the addition of a third main. Specifically, the grant will fund a “planning and environmental linkages” study to address potential environmental, economic, and community impacts of extending Metra service. The study would be a prelude to pursuing federal funding.
Council approval means the city can now issue a request for proposals for firms interested in conducting the study.
