Milwaukee District West Line

Milwaukee District West Line
A Milwaukee District West train at Roselle in 2009.
Overview
OwnerMetra (Dispatched by Canadian Pacific Kansas City)
Termini
Stations22
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetra
Operator(s)Metra, CPKC Railway
Daily ridership22,100 (Avg. Weekday 2009)[1]
Ridership2,302,491 (2023)
Technical
Line length39.8 mi (64.1 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
Map Milwaukee District West Line highlighted in orange
39.8 mi
64.1 km
Big Timber Road
36.6 mi
58.9 km
Elgin
Elgin Coach Yard
36.0 mi
57.9 km
National Street
Spaulding
30.1 mi
48.4 km
Bartlett
28.4 mi
45.7 km
Hanover Park
DuPage River (West Branch)
26.5 mi
42.6 km
Schaumburg
23.9 mi
38.5 km
Roselle
23.0 mi
37 km
Medinah
21.1 mi
34 km
Itasca
19.1 mi
30.7 km
Wood Dale
17.2 mi
27.7 km
Bensenville
I-490.svg I-490 (under construction)
14.0 mi
22.5 km
Mannheim
13.2 mi
21.2 km
Franklin Park
11.4 mi
18.3 km
River Grove
10.2 mi
16.4 km
Elmwood Park
9.5 mi
15.3 km
Mont Clare
9.1 mi
14.6 km
Mars
8.6 mi
13.8 km
Galewood
7.7 mi
12.4 km
Hanson Park
7.0 mi
11.3 km
6.5 mi
10.5 km
Grand/Cicero
5.9 mi
9.5 km
Amtrak UpperRight arrow
Coach Yard
2.9 mi
4.7 km
Western Avenue
enlarge… UpperLeft arrow UP-W to Elburn
enlarge… UP-NW
enlarge… UP-N to Kenosha
0 mi
Union Station Amtrak
enlarge… BNSF to Aurora
enlarge… HC to Joliet
enlarge… SWS to Manhattan
Key
Milwaukee District West Line
Other Metra lines
Metra Union Pacific lines
Other freight lines
CTA lines
Mileage source[2]

Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible except Mannheim.

The Milwaukee District West Line (MD-W) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to any of its lines by a particular color, but the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District West line are dark "Arrow Yellow," honoring the Milwaukee Road's Arrow passenger train.[3] Trains are dispatched from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway's American headquarters in Minneapolis.

The line runs from Chicago Union Station through the western suburbs to Elgin, Illinois. As of February 15, 2024, the public timetable shows 52 trains (26 in each direction) operating on weekdays. Of these, 19 inbound trains originate from Big Timber Road, three from Elgin, one from National Street, and three from Franklin Park. Three outbound trains terminate at Franklin Park, one at National Street, and the remainder terminate at Big Timber Road.

On weekends, Metra operates 12 roundtrips on Saturdays and nine on Sundays and holidays, all running from Union Station to Elgin. There is no weekend or holiday service to Big Timber Road.

The line runs on the CPKC Railway's Elgin Subdivision (ex-Milwaukee Road line to Omaha). In 1982, the Milwaukee Road Elgin Line was sold to the newly created Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation which ran commuter trains for the Milwaukee Road while the latter underwent reorganization. The Milwaukee Road retained ownership of the line until 1986. Metra formally purchased the Milwaukee District (the only other being Milwaukee District North) from the Soo Line Railroad (which took the bankrupt Milwaukee Road under its wing in 1985) in 1987. The Soo Line then ran freight trains on the line via trackage rights before its absorption into the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1990. CP Railway merged with the Kansas City Southern Railway in April 2023 into the Canadian Pacific Kansas City, or CPKC.

Metra has included the possibility of extending the Milwaukee District West Line along one of two routes in their Cost Benefit Analysis report. If this were to happen, the line could continue west via CPKC trackage to Hampshire, with an additional stop in Pingree Grove. Alternatively, the line could switch to the Union Pacific Railroad's Belvidere line (ex-Chicago & North Western line to Freeport) and travel northwest from Big Timber Road to Marengo, with additional stops in Gilberts, Huntley, and Union.[4] In 2023, Governor J. B. Pritzker selected Metra to operate new intercity passenger rail beyond Big Timber Road to Rockford using the Milwaukee District West Line, with intermediate stops in Belvidere, Huntley, and at one of the three existing Metra stations in Elgin. The service would provide additional capacity to the existing line; introducing express reverse commute and expanded weekend options between Elgin and Union Station.[5] The extension is scheduled to open in 2027, making it the first passenger rail service to connect Chicago and Rockford after the discontinuation of Amtrak's Black Hawk service in 1981.[6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ "Ridership Reports - System Facts". Metra. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  2. ^ State of the System - Milwaukee District West
  3. ^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010.
  4. ^ "Systemwide Cost Benefit Analysis of Major Capital Improvements" (PDF). Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  5. ^ Studenkov, Igor (July 21, 2023). "Metra Board of Directors officially signs off on planning Rockford service via Memorandum of Understanding with IDOT - Streetsblog Chicago". Streetsblog Chicago. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Schobinger, Meghan (July 6, 2023). "Metra to bring rail service to Rockford, Belvidere in 2027". WIFR-LD. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Neveau, James (July 6, 2023). "Metra to restore rail service between Rockford, Chicago for first time in 40 years". NBC Chicago. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "Gov. Pritzker Announces Partnership with Metra to Restore Chicago-Rockford Passenger Rail Service". www.illinois.gov. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Chicago to Rockford | Illinois Passenger Rail". www.chicagotorockfordrail.org. July 6, 2023.