Rehab of 27 stations to cost Metra $136 million

Some people like the haunted train station look -- the boarded-up windows at the Metra stop at 115th Street, or the eerie yellow light shining on the plywood fencing at Cicero, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Metra, however, is assuming that most riders prefer stations that don't look as if they're about to fall on their heads. So the commuter rail service is doing rehabs on 27 stations in the area.

"We need to make some
significant investment in stations," said Metra executive director Philip
Pagano. "It’s something our customers see everyday."

Metra will spend $136
million on a five-year station-improvement program, using capital money from
the state. The work will range from platform work at Naperville and Downers
Grove, historic renovations at 91st Street and 115th street on the Southwest
Side, and new station buildings at Cicero and Romeoville. Eight Electric
District stations will get renewed stairways, platforms and shelter.

Pagano noted that platform
material at some Electric District stations has deteriorated because of salt,
and that new platform material will better resist damage and should last a
"solid 25 years."

In Geneva and Elmhurst,
Metra will contribute to parking decks being built by the cities.