CHICAGO — Metra has opened a new $27 million station on Union Pacific’s North Line. The Peterson/Ridge station opened May 20. It includes two six-car platforms; heated concrete stairs and ADA-compliant ramps; a glass and masonry warming house with side canopies and metal roof; two shelters with on-demand heating; an access drive with a cul-de-sac turnaround and ADA pick-up/drop-off; five ADA parking spaces and 44 pay parking spaces; bicycle parking; a plaza with associated landscaping and irrigation system; and reworked traffic signals for the station entrance. The project also included renovation work on the bridges over Peterson and Ridge avenues. Construction began in November 2021 [See “After 12 years, Metra holds station groundbreaking…” Trains News Wire, Nov. 2, 2021].
Four new trains began May 20 that will serve the new station:
- Inbound Train No. 390 will depart Waukegan at 5:35 a.m. and make all stops to Chicago, arriving at 6:55 a.m. A second new inbound Train No. 392 will depart Winnetka at 7:53 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 8:35 a.m. in an effort to relieve crowding.
- For outbound service, Metra is adding a 6:40 a.m. departure serving stations between Chicago and Highland Park. For the evening rush, Train No. 393 that will serve stops between Chicago and Winnetka is being added and will depart Chicago at 4:50 p.m. Metra hopes to announce plans to upgrade weekend service on the UP North Line later this year.
While the new station is now open, there will be an official dedication ceremony taking place in June.
And yet last year Metra rebuilt the Clarendon Hills station, with a plain nondescript station, no amenities, not even a washroom. At last the old station had a bathroom that you could use when it wasn’t locked.