Union Pacific West Line

Union Pacific West Line
A Metra train at Geneva
Overview
OwnerUnion Pacific Railroad (Leased to Metra)
Termini
Stations19
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetra
Operator(s)Union Pacific Railroad
Metra
Daily ridership27,196 (avg. weekday 2014)[1]
Ridership3,285,005 (2023)
Technical
Line length43.8 miles[2]
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map
Map Union Pacific West Line highlighted in pink
43.6 mi
70.2 km
Elburn
Elburn yard
40.9 mi
65.8 km
La Fox
38.1 mi
61.3 km
35.3 mi
56.8 km
Geneva
29.8 mi
48 km
West Chicago
DuPage River (West Branch)
27.5 mi
44.3 km
Winfield
25.0 mi
40.2 km
Wheaton
23.8 mi
38.3 km
College Avenue
22.4 mi
36 km
Glen Ellyn
DuPage River (East Branch)
19.9 mi
32 km
Lombard
17.8 mi
28.6 km
Villa Park
15.7 mi
25.3 km
Elmhurst
14.3 mi
23 km
Berkeley
12.6 mi
20.3 km
Bellwood
to Proviso Yard
11.3 mi
18.2 km
Melrose Park
10.5 mi
16.9 km
Maywood
9.7 mi
15.6 km
River Forest
9.1 mi
14.6 km
Lathrop Avenue
8.5 mi
13.7 km
Oak Park
8.2 mi
13.2 km
7.7 mi
12.4 km
7.2 mi
11.6 km
6.7 mi
10.8 km
4.8 mi
7.7 km
Keeler (employees only)
3.6 mi
5.8 km
Kedzie
3.0 mi
4.8 km
California Ave. coach yard
Western Ave. Corridor
enlarge…MD-N enlarge…MD-W enlarge…NCS Amtrak
enlarge… UP-NW
enlarge… UP-N to Kenosha
Chicago River (north branch)
0 mi
Ogilvie
Key
Union Pacific West Line
Former route alignment
Other Metra lines
Metra Milwaukee District lines
Other freight lines
CTA lines
Mileage source[3]

Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible except
Kedzie and River Forest.

The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a Metra commuter rail line operated by Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Pacific West line are "Kate Shelley Rose" pink, honoring an Iowa woman who saved a Chicago & North Western Railway train from disaster in 1881. Green and yellow were already selected for the Union Pacific North Line and Union Pacific Northwest Line, respectively, so pink was chosen for this line. Therefore, the UP-W is the only Metra line that uses a color to honor a person instead of a fallen flag railroad.[4] Until the late 1940s the line had a branch to Freeport, Illinois. It diverged from the main line at West Chicago and had stations at Elgin, Marengo, Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport, and other communities. The line was once known as the Chicago & Northwestern/West Line until UP took over the C&NW in 1995. All Metra trains on this line terminated at Geneva until 2006, when the line was extended to its present terminus in Elburn. The line runs as part of the Union Pacific Railroad's Geneva Subdivision (ex-C&NW line to Clinton, Iowa).

The line runs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago through the western suburbs to Elburn. This is the oldest railway route built from Chicago, the route of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad along Kinzie Street.

As of February 16, 2024, Metra operates 58 trains (29 in each direction) on the Union Pacific West Line on weekdays. Of these, 23 inbound trains originate from Elburn, two from La Fox, three from Geneva, and one from West Chicago. Two outbound trains terminate at Geneva, three at La Fox, and the remaining 24 terminate at Elburn.

On weekends, all trains run the full route to Elburn, with Metra operating 10 roundtrip trains on Saturday and nine on Sundays and holidays.

Union Pacific is building a third track from West Chicago through all of Geneva. The project started in September 2022 and is expected to be finished in July 2024. The improvements are designed to ensure smoother traffic flow and reduce conflicts between commuter and freight trains.[5]

By the first quarter of 2024, the Union Pacific Railroad is expected to transfer operations of the three Union Pacific lines to Metra. The Union Pacific will continue to own and maintain the right-of-way.[6]

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/West
  3. ^ State of the System - Union Pacific West
  4. ^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-02.
  5. ^ "Union Pacific Third Main Line Project | Geneva, IL - Official Website".
  6. ^ "Union Pacific Transferring Commuter Rail Services to Metra". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved April 1, 2023.