Chicago area Metra on track to rehab, rebuild dozens of stations

Written by jrood

Lattes flow for commuters at Tinley Park's $5-million Metra station, an architectural gem. But the only thing flowing at Cicero's dreary train stop is the rainwater that blows through the corrugated-metal shelter, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"A lot of people are
understandably upset with the way this place is now," said commuter
Merrill Shepro, 56, of Cicero, as he recently waited at the open-faced
structure. "With that [wall] being open, when it rains, the benches get
all wet and you can’t sit on them. That’s just one of many problems."

But that will change next
year when Metra is expected to rebuild Cicero’s platforms and decrepit
shelters, at an anticipated cost of $6.5 million. The project is part of a
$136-million, state-funded public works program that includes three new Metra
stations and rehabbing 24 dilapidated facilities.

Metra has more than 230
stations serving about 315,000 daily riders. Some, like the one in Tinley Park,
are Taj Mahals, while others are transit tenements.

The improvements, some long
overdue, are needed to build ridership at a time when fares are increasing while
revenues are dropping because of the slack economy, Metra says.

"We don’t want to go
back to the bad old days, the days of Metra’s inception, when the system was in
such a deteriorated condition … that it affects service and ultimately costs
more to run the railroad," Metra Chairwoman Carole Doris said.

The Cicero station served
as a poster child for decay last April when transportation officials toured it
as they lobbied legislators to approve the public works program. Cicero and
Metra officials have talked for years about fixing the open-air shelter. But
the only work done so far — replacing some rusty metal from the wall with
plywood — has made things worse by opening the platform to the elements,
commuters said.

Cicero commuters aren’t
going to get a fancy station, even though the project will cost $1.5 million
more than Tinley Park’s.

Metra says one reason the
Cicero project is so expensive is because an access tunnel and ramp need to be
rebuilt to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Also, the
work, expected to take 18 months, will be particularly complicated by the
nearness of one platform to a freight railroad yard.

Other Metra stations due
for a rehab include several along the Electric District line that are as
dilapidated as the one in Cicero. Crumbling concrete abounds on platforms at
Hazel Crest, Flossmoor and Calumet.

Meanwhile, two historically
significant stations on Chicago’s South Side, at 91st Street in Beverly and at
115th Street in Morgan Park, will be restored at a cost of $8 million each. Dating
to the 1890s, both were built for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
Railway. The Queen Anne-style buildings have been stripped of their original
exteriors over the years, according to rail historians.

All three new stations are
needed to meet increasing commuter demand and fill service gaps, Metra says. Metra
provides money for the basic cost, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. The
amenities at each station are generally determined by ridership and by the
communities themselves.

One will be built in
Romeoville on the Heritage Corridor line, with $2 million coming from the
public works program. The fast-growing community long has sought a station,
Gillis said.

Another station, with $11.5
million coming from the program, will grace the Rock Island line in the South
Side’s Auburn Park neighborhood. Auburn Park is currently bypassed by trains
that run nonstop between Gresham and downtown.

The third new facility will
be built on the North Side at Peterson/Ridge avenues on the Union Pacific North
line with $5 million from the program. The station is intended to relieve crowding
at the Rogers Park and Ravenswood stations, Metra said.

In Flossmoor, Metra will
spend $5 million to rebuild platforms and shelters.

Apart from the state
program, federal stimulus money is being used on two other stations, one of
them a $5 million project to rehab Winnetka’s station on the Union Pacific
North line.

Construction recently began
on a new Bronzeville station at 35th Street on the Rock Island line, work
funded through a combination of $6.8 million in stimulus money and $4.9 million
in other federal funds.

Local funds played a large
part in building the Oak Park Avenue station in Tinley Park in 2003. The
station includes a coffeehouse and a three-story clock tower. Tinley Park
officials hope to outdo themselves by building an even fancier station at 80th
Avenue at a potential cost of $8 million. The facility would include a clock
tower as well as a full-service kitchen for a restaurant, an Internet cafe and
a great hall.

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