Cheltenham station (Metra)

Cheltenham/79th St.
Cheltenham-79th Street Metra Electric station as seen from northbound Exchange Avenue.
General information
Location	79th Street & Exchange Avenue South Shore, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41°45′08″N 87°33′10″W / 41.7521°N 87.5527°W / 41.7521; -87.5527
Owned by	Metra
Line(s)	South Chicago Subdistrict
Platforms	1 Island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Street-side
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Rebuilt	2008
Electrified	1926 (Overhead line, 1,500 V DC)
Passengers
2018	47 (average weekday)[1]  14.5%
Rank	213 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station Windsor Park toward Millennium Station Metra Electric South Chicago Branch 83rd Street toward South Chicago
Former services Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station 83rd Street toward 91st Street Electric Suburban South Chicago Branch Windsor Park toward Randolph Street
Track layout Legend ME north to Millennium 78th St. Exchange Ave. 79th St. ME south to South Chicago
Location

Cheltenham (also known as Cheltenham–79th Street) is a station on the Hyde Park/South Chicago branch of the Metra Electric Line. The station is located along the median of Exchange Avenue, approximately one city block north of East 79th Street, and is 11.49 miles (18.49 km) away from the northern terminus at Millennium Station.^[2] As of 2018^[update], Cheltenham is the 213th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 47 weekday boardings.^[1]

West of this station is another Metra Electric station along 79th Street known as 79th Street (Chatham) along the Main Branch. Street-side parking is available only on Cheltenham Place, which also intersects with 79th Street and Northbound Exchange Avenue. The station was recently renovated in 2008 as part of Metra's redevelopment program for the South Chicago branch.

According to a 2014 study commissioned by the Regional Transportation Authority, the Cheltenham station is an urban neighborhood station. The surrounding area of such stations is predominantly residential with greater density and some commercial near the station.^[3]