Homewood station is an Amtrak intercity and Metra commuter train station in Homewood, Illinois. It is also the location of the Homewood Railroad Park Museum. Served by the

Metra Electric District The Metra Electric District is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra which connects Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street Station), in downtown Chicago, with the city's southern suburbs. As of 2018, it is the fifth ...

, Homewood is from that line's northern terminus at Millennium Station. It is six stops away from the line's southern terminus at . In Metra's zone-based fare system, Homewood is located in zone 3. , Homewood is the 32nd busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,171 weekday boardings. It is also from Union Station, the northern terminus of the three Amtrak services which stop here.

History

In 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad began construction of their new rail line which branched south of Chicago to what is now the Village of Homewood. The first passenger train to run on this line ran from Chicago to Kankakee, IL on August 5, 1853, and stopped in present day Homewood. Also in 1853, the Illinois Central built a one-and-a-half story depot to serve to area. When the depot was built, the nearest town to the new depot was the large village of Thornton, IL, about three miles to the east of the depot, and the depot was named the "Illinois Central Thornton Depot" for sixteen years. In 1869, the depot was officially renamed to the Homewood Station. The Illinois Central Railroad built the current Homewood Depot in 1923 to serve the '' Panama Limited'' and '' Seminole Limited''.Great American Stations
Accessed March 21, 2013. The station house, now used by Amtrak, was built in a

mission revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

style in order to complement the architecture of the clubhouse of the nearby Ravisloe Country Club. Three years after the station opened, commuter services began. Throughout the years, the station also served such intercity trains as the '' City of New Orleans'', ''Creole'', and '' Green Diamond''. In 1971, Amtrak assumed control of the Illinois Central's passenger operations and continued to stop at Homewood. Metra purchased the commuter services in 1987. In 2003 the Homewood Rail Heritage Committee approved the installation of a train watching platform for railfans similar to that of the

Rochelle Railroad Park The Rochelle Railroad Park is a city park located in Rochelle, Illinois where railfans can safely view and photograph trains. Location The park is in the eastern quadrant of the diamond crossing between the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and BN ...

Rochelle, Illinois Rochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois. The population was 9,446 at the 2020 census. Rochelle is approximately west of Chicago and south of Rockford. History Originally named Hickory Grove, the town sits at the intersection of two rail ...

. As with many suburban Metra stations, bus connections are provided by Pace Transit Systems. On the Metra Electric, it is a regular stop on the main line. On Amtrak, it is served by the regional and the long-distance ''City of New Orleans.''

2020s renovation

The station is undergoing renovations. The renovations will improve the facilitates and bring the station complex into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Prior to the renovation, among the accessibility issues was a lack of an accessible path to the platforms from the west-side of the tracks (where Amtrak's station building is located). The first part of the project is a $15 million renovation by Amtrak of its facilities at the station. This project is utilizing federal funds. The Amtrak station closed in August 2020 for the renovations. Much of the architectural features of the Amtrak portion of the station will be retained, as the facility is on the Illinois Register of Historical Places. It will be expanded with a new structure. Amtrak will construct demolish the current boarding platform and build a new covered island platform to serve the two tracks that its trains utilize at the station. After Amtrak completes its renovation of its facilities, Metra will, separately, begin a $14 million renovation of their facilities at the station. Metra's plans are to replace their station structure at Harwood Avenue and Ridge Road with a new structure, and to renovate the track-access tunnel. The project will also see the adjacent Pace bus terminal reconfigured It will be funded, through a combined $9 million funds from the Federal Transit Administration and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, with a further $4 million coming from Metra, $585,000 coming from Homewood, and $300,000 coming from Cook County. Metra's renovation of their facilities at the Homewood station was announced in 2020, and is part of a five-year capital investment plan involving the renovation of nine stations (including Homewood) on the Metra Electric District.

Bus connections

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

* 356 Harvey/Homewood/Tinley Park * 359 Robbins/South Kedzie Avenue (weekdays only)

References

External links

Homewood Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)Chicago Railfan image (Homewood Station)
Amtrak stations in Illinois Metra stations in Illinois Former Illinois Central Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1923 Railway stations in Cook County, Illinois 1923 establishments in Illinois {{Illinois-railstation-stub