Elgin is one of three stations on
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. ...
's
Milwaukee District West Line
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 ...
in
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Elgin is located northwest of Chicago, along the Fox River. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 114,797, the seventh-larg ...
. The station is away from
Chicago Union Station
Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The station is Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest. While serving long-distance passenger trains, it is also ...
, the eastern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Elgin is in zone H. As of 2018, Elgin is the 116th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 411 weekday boardings.
As of December 12, 2022, Elgin is served by 44 trains (22 in each direction) on weekdays, by all 24 trains (12 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by all 18 trains (nine in each direction) on Sundays and holidays. All weekend trains originate and terminate here, in addition to three inbound trains originating from here on weekdays.
The station was built by
The Milwaukee Road and was a stop on numerous intercity trains, such as the ''
Midwest Hiawatha'', ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...
'', and ''
Southwest Limited''. It was also the terminus station for by more frequent commuter trains to Chicago Union Station, until Metra took over service.
The Elgin Metra station was to also serve as a stop on the revival of ''
Black Hawk''
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
service between
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Rockford and
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
, that was supposed to begin in 2015,
but has since been put on hold for further review by IDOT by Governor
Bruce Rauner
Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his election, he was the chairman of R8 Capital Partners and cha ...
, and it is unknown whether it will proceed.
The original proposal for the route was to have a station in
South Elgin.
Notable places nearby
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Fox River Trolley Museum
The Fox River Trolley Museum is a railroad museum in South Elgin, Illinois. Incorporated in 1961 as R.E.L.I.C. (Railway Equipment Leasing and Investment Co.), it opened in 1966 and became the Fox River Trolley Museum in 1984.
Location
The museum ...
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Pace Elgin Transportation Center
Bus connections
Pace
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References
External links
Station House from Google Maps Street View
Elgin, Illinois
Metra stations in Illinois
Former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad stations
Future Amtrak stations in the United States
Transportation buildings and structures in Kane County, Illinois
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1947
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