Matteson is one of two commuter rail stations along the Main Branch of the Metra Electric line which serve Matteson, Illinois. It is located at 215th and Main Streets, and is 28.2 miles (45.4 km) away from the northern terminus at Millennium Station.[2] In Metra's zone-based fare system, Matteson station is in zone 3. As of 2018, Matteson is the 86th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 591 weekday boardings.[1]

Matteson
Matteson station in April 2016.
General information
Location215th Street & Main Street
Matteson, Illinois
Coordinates41°29′55″N 87°42′09″W / 41.4985°N 87.7025°W / 41.4985; -87.7025
Owned byMetra
Line(s)University Park Sub District
Platforms1 Island platform (formerly 2)
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeElevated
ParkingYes
AccessibleNo
Other information
Fare zone3
History
Opened1863
ElectrifiedOverhead line1,500 V DC
Passengers
2018591 (average weekday)[1]Increase 16.6%
Rank86 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Richton Park Metra Electric
Main Line
211th Street (Lincoln Highway)
Former services
Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station
Richton Main Line Homewood
toward Chicago
Richton
Terminus
Electric Suburban
Main Line
211th Street
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Frankfort
toward Joliet
Joliet Division Chicago Heights
toward East Gary
Location
Map

Matteson station was the terminus of the IC Electric line until 1946, when it was extended to Richton Park, in order to bring the cars closer to the south end of the "IC Electric" coach storage yard.[citation needed] Originally built in 1863,[3] and rebuilt in 1912,[4] it was the southernmost station to be built before the line was electrified in 1926. Matteson is built on elevated tracks near the embankment of a bridge over Front Street. This bridge also carries the Amtrak line that runs parallel to it, carrying the City of New Orleans, Illini, and Saluki trains. Parking is available on both sides of the tracks on the south side of Front Street and a parallel bicycle path. The west side parking lot is along Main Street between the Front Street and Main Street bridges, while the larger east side parking lot is within the Village of Matteson but is actually operated by the Village of Park Forest and located on the corner of North Street, Homan Avenue, and Front Street. A pedestrian tunnel which runs beneath the tracks, is also elevated and has staircases on each end connects the two parking lots.

No bus connections are available at this station, but the Old Plank Road Trail offers a human-powered right-of-way going east and west.

There is evidence of another island platform to the east of the current platform. This served the IC long-distance trains on a non-electrified double track line—the same tracks used by Amtrak today.

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 - Metra Electric
  3. ^ Dynamic Depot Maps (Illinois)
  4. ^ ""Train from Randolph Street: 150 Years of Service on the Illinois Central and Metra Electric," by Norman Carlson (2006)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
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