IDOT to pay for Metra Heritage Corridor study

The Illinois Department of Transportation has agreed to pay for a study of increasing Metra service on the Heritage Corridor. Congressman Dan Lapinski (D-IL) has been leading the push to expand commuter service on the Heritage Corridor, which currently offers only three weekday round trips between Joliet and Chicago's Union Station, with stops in Summit, Willow Springs, Lemont, and Lockport. "I'm very glad that IDOT has agreed to this capacity study of the Heritage Corridor so we can determine what needs to be done to allow Metra to add trains on the line," Rep. Lipinski said. "There is tremendous demand along the line for more service and this is a big step in the right direction. It shows that the effort to expand Metra and Amtrak service on the Heritage Corridor has real momentum. Adding trains may not happen overnight, but the fact is that three round trips a day simply isn't enough. With unemployment still too high and gas prices squeezing family budgets, we need to make sure Chicagoland residents can get to where the jobs are - safely, efficiently and affordably." The Regional Transportation Authority has formally requested that IDOT perform the Heritage Corridor capacity study.