Evanston Central Street station

Central Street
General information
Location	1826 Central Street Evanston, Illinois 60201
Owned by	Union Pacific
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	CTA and Pace Buses
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	1911[citation needed]
Passengers
2018	1,346 (average weekday)[1]  5.7%
Rank	27 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station Wilmette toward Kenosha Union Pacific North Evanston Davis Street toward Ogilvie
Former services Preceding station Chicago and North Western Railway Following station Wilmette toward Milwaukee Milwaukee Division Evanston toward Chicago
Track layout Legend UP-N north to Kenosha Central St. Poplar Ave. Green Bay Rd. Lincoln St. UP-N south to Ogilvie
Location

Evanston Central Street is the northernmost of the three commuter railroad stations in Evanston, Illinois. It is an elevated station at Green Bay Road and Central Street, surrounded by a neighborhood of stores, restaurants and multi-story apartment buildings. Just north of the station, the tracks descend to grade and pass through Wilmette on ground level.

Evanston Central Street station is served by Metra's Union Pacific North Line, with service south to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far north as Kenosha, Wisconsin. The station is 13.3 miles (21.4 km) from Ogilvie Transportation Center.^[2] In Metra's zone-based fare system, Evanston Central Street is in zone 2. As of 2018, Evanston Central Street is the 27th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,346 weekday boardings.^[1] There are two platforms: northbound trains stop at the west platform, and southbound trains stop at the east platform. Evanston Central Street has a station house on the east platform. The station house contains a ticket booth as well as a coffee and pastry shop named "Upstairs Cafe" owned and run by three Evanston women, two of whom are professional bakers.^[3] The station house is open from 5:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and a ticket agent is present during these hours on weekdays.

As of February 16, 2024, Evanston Central Street is served by 59 trains (30 inbound, 29 outbound) on weekdays, by 22 trains (11 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by 16 trains (eight in each direction) on Sundays and holidays. During the summer concert season, the extra weekend train to Ravinia Park also stops here, running as an express directly to Ravinia Park after serving Evanston Central Street.

This is the closest Metra station to Northwestern University's sports complex at Ryan Field. The 15th hole fairway and 16th hole tee box of the Canal Shores Golf Course adjoin this Metra station.^[4] The Chicago Transit Authority's Central station on the Purple Line is less than a mile to the east, though a more direct connection can be made at the adjacent Evanston Davis Street station.