Lake Forest station (Milwaukee District)

Lake Forest is a railroad station in Lake Forest, Illinois, served by Metra's Milwaukee District North Line. The station is located on 10205 North Waukegan Road (IL 43), and is 28.4 miles (45.7 km) away from Chicago Union Station, the southern terminus of the line.[2] In Metra's zone-based fare system, Lake Forest is in zone 4. As of 2018, Lake Forest is the 82nd busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 607 weekday boardings.[1]

Lake Forest
Lake Forest station in October 2015, before the platforms were rebuilt.
General information
Location911 Telegraph Road
Lake Forest, Illinois
Coordinates42°13′25″N 87°52′29″W / 42.2236°N 87.8747°W / 42.2236; -87.8747
Owned byMetra
Line(s)C&M Subdivision
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
Passengers
2018607 (average weekday)[1]Increase 10.8%
Rank82 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Libertyville
toward Fox Lake
Milwaukee District North Deerfield
Former services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Rondout
closed 1984
toward Fox Lake
Milwaukee District North Deerfield
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Rondout
towards Milwaukee
Chicago – Milwaukee Deerfield
towards Chicago
Rondout
towards Walworth
Suburban Service
Location
Map

As of February 15, 2024, Lake Forest is served by 45 trains (21 inbound, 24 outbound) on weekdays, by all 20 trains (10 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by all 18 trains (nine in each direction) on Sundays and holidays.

Four inbound trains originate here, and four outbound trains terminate here, on weekdays. Additionally, one inbound train originates from here with one outbound train terminating here on Saturdays.

Another Lake Forest station exists along the Union Pacific North Line east of this station. Therefore, this station can also be referred to as West Lake Forest station. No bus connections exist here, nor is there any connection to the East Lake Forest station. However parking is available along Telegraph Road along the west side of the tracks, and the station is accessible from North Waukegan Road through Settler's Square on the east side of the tracks.

Lake Forest is the northernmost Metra station to be located on the C&M Subdivision, and serves as an emergency stop for Amtrak's Empire Builder, Borealis, and Hiawatha trains. Since 2010, Amtrak has had plans for its Hiawatha trains to stop at Lake Forest, but as of 2022 has yet to come to fruition. Metra has proposed the construction of crossovers at Lake Forest to make the station better suited to turning trains around.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018" (PDF). Metra. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2019.
  2. ^ Metra Railfan Tips - Milwaukee District/North Line
  3. ^ "Metra to begin reverse-commute service from Chicago to Lake County". Progressive Railroading. February 22, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
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