January 27, 2010 - 523 words
Metra officials present station possibilities
MIKE NEUMANN - The Woodstock Independent
Woodstock residents may have more options for train use in the future, after Metra officials discussed plans for a second train station near Lily Pond Road, north of Highway 14.
The station, which would be placed north of Woodstock's proposed minor league baseball stadium, would serve riders to the south and southwest of Highway 14, as well as a small percentage to the east of Highway 14 and in Bull Valley. Officials said the project would likely not be completed for at least three to five years.
"(The Union Pacific Northwest line) is one of the key rail lines in our system," said Phil Pagano, executive director for Metra.
Pagano said the line is the longest in Metra's system and has the third highest ridership. While he said he believes Metra has done a good job providing Chicago inbound trains, he said outbound trains and suburban transportation could be improved.
Metra still has plans to relocate the Crystal Lake rail yard to Lamb Road, east of Woodstock's current station. The rail yard would allow Metra to store trains beyond both Woodstock stations, meaning most trains would begin and end in Woodstock, rather than Crystal Lake.
"We realize that not everything lives and dies in Crystal Lake," Pagano said, adding that the rail yard would provide Woodstock with similar service as Crystal Lake.
An added benefit to a new rail yard would be the ability to run more express trains along the line, rather than making nearly every stop, which Pagano admitted wasn't efficient.
"We need to do a better job to change that landscape," he said.
Metra will continue to move forward on plans to build a station in Ridgefield, 1.6 miles east of the proposed Woodstock station. Regardless of whether that site moves forward, the proposed Woodstock station will remain in Metra's plans Pagano said. He added that Metra also would move forward with the station if the stadium were not built.
While planning for the station is in its earliest stages, with no funding currently available for construction, the station is designed to resemble Crystal Lake's Pingree Road station, said Rick Mack, Metra's community affairs administrator.
The station would feature a parking lot south of the railroad tracks with an underground tunnel leading to the north side of the tracks. There would be space for about 1,675 parking stalls, though only 400 to 500 would be built initially. Mack said a parking fee system had not been discussed or determined.
"We'd like to see some faster prime time and off-peak (transportation) into the city," said Councilman Mike Turner in support of the proposal.
Councilwoman Julie Dillon agreed, saying the need exists in the city. Dillon asked if Metra had plans to run all trains through the proposed station. While Pagano said it was too early to determine exact stop frequencies, he said the schedules would likely run similar to Pingree Road, which is often bypassed by some trains.
Mayor Brian Sager said he felt the timing was right for a new station and said he looks forward to the increased partnership between the city and Metra.
No members of the public spoke about the proposal at the meeting.
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