O'Hare Transfer station

O'Hare Transfer
General information
Location10300 W. Zemke Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60666
Coordinates41°59′42″N 87°52′50″W / 41.9950°N 87.8806°W / 41.9950; -87.8806
Owned byCity of Chicago
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsMonorail ATS to O'Hare Airport
Local Transit Pace buses
Construction
Platform levels1
ParkingNo
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone2
History
OpenedAugust 19, 1996[1]
Passengers
2018113 (average weekday)[2]Decrease 8.1%
Rank183 out of 236[2]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Prospect Heights
toward Antioch
North Central Service Rosemont
Preceding station Airport Transit System Following station
Terminal 5
toward Terminal 1
Airport Transit System Terminus
Location
Map

O'Hare Transfer is a commuter railroad station along Metra's North Central Service that serves Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The station is 18.6 miles (29.9 km) away from Chicago Union Station, the southern terminus of the line.[3] As of 2018, O'Hare Transfer is the 183rd busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 113 weekday boardings.[2] The station is located at the dead end of Zemke Boulevard east of Mannheim Road (US 12/US 45) outside the northeast corner of the airport's Multi-Modal Facility (rental car/parking lot).

The railroad station is connected to the Airport Transit System people mover at the O'Hare Multimodal Facility. Two Pace bus routes also stop curbside at the lower level of the ATS station. The free ride on the people mover provides a connection to all four of the airline terminals.

As of February 15, 2024, O'Hare Transfer is served by 12 trains (six in each direction) on weekdays.

Owing to the weekday only operation and limited frequency typically offered by the North Central Service, the station is not usually a significant means of access for travelers to O'Hare. All trains are scheduled to stop at the inside (westernmost) platform, but occasionally an announcement will be made over the public address system that a train will be stopping on the outside (easternmost) platform.

Metra offered an expanded schedule for the 2024 Democratic National Convention from August 12–30, 2024. On weekdays, in addition to regularly scheduled service, there were 15 hourly round trips between O'Hare Transfer and Union Station, with stops at River Grove and Western Avenue. On weekends, there were 16 hourly round trips serving the same stations, with no service north of O'Hare Transfer.[4]

  1. ^ Granger, Bill (August 19, 1996). "Commuter Trains Inch Back to Popularity". The Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. p. 1-7. Retrieved November 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b c "Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018" (PDF). Metra. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Metra Railfan Tips - North Central Service
  4. ^ https://metra.com/newsroom/metra-offer-ohare-shuttle-trains-during-dnc [bare URL]