Western Avenue station (Milwaukee District)

Western Avenue is the name of a railroad station owned by Metra, located in the West Town community area[2] of Chicago, Illinois near Western Avenue. The station is 2.9 miles (4.7 km) away from Union Station, the inbound terminus of the line.[3] Western Avenue station serves the Milwaukee District West Line, North Central Service, and Milwaukee District North Line, and is the last inbound stop for these three lines before the terminus at Union Station. Although it is not a station stop, Amtrak's Hiawatha, Borealis, and the Empire Builder also pass through here. The station was previously used by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. Located near the station are the California Coach Yard, and the Western Avenue Rail Yard, the latter of which host to Metra's remaining EMD F40Cs. Just southeast of the station platforms is a diamond where the Milwaukee Road Metra routes cross the tracks of the Union Pacific West Line to Ogilvie Transportation Center, then turn to run parallel to them. This goes on for about a mile before they split, as the West Line tracks continue to Ogilvie. The junction is controlled by the nearby A-2 tower.

Western Avenue
Western Avenue station in September 2007.
General information
Location420 North Artesian Avenue,
near Grand Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60612
Coordinates41°53′21″N 87°41′17″W / 41.8892°N 87.6881°W / 41.8892; -87.6881
Owned byMetra
Line(s)
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks3
ConnectionsLocal Transit Chicago Transit Authority
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone2
History
Opened1900
Passengers
2018836 (average weekday)[1]Increase 1.5%
Rank61 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Healy
toward Fox Lake
Milwaukee District North Union Station
Terminus
Grand/Cicero
Weekday Limited
Milwaukee District West
River Grove
toward Antioch
North Central Service
Former services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Deerfield
towards Seattle or Tacoma
Main Line Chicago
Terminus
Elgin
towards Omaha
Omaha – Chicago
Healy
towards Milwaukee
Chicago – Milwaukee
Healy
towards Walworth
Suburban Service
Hermosa
towards Elgin
Suburban Service
Preceding station Metra Following station
Hermosa
(Closed 2006)
Milwaukee District West Union Station
Terminus
Location
Map

Service

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As of 2018, Western Avenue is the 61st busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 836 weekday boardings.[1]

Western Avenue is served by a total of 117 Metra trains on weekdays, by 44 trains on Saturdays, and by 36 trains on Sundays and holidays. This includes all inbound trains from the three lines, as well as all outbound trains save for one outbound Milwaukee District North Line train on weekdays.[4][5][6]

Bus connections

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CTA

  • 49 Western (Owl Service)
  • X49 Western Express (weekday rush hours only)
  • 65 Grand

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. ^ "Chicago Maps: Community Areas: West Town" (PDF). www.cityofchicago.org.
  3. ^ "MMNC". web.me.com.
  4. ^ "Milwaukee District West Line" (PDF). metra.com. 2022-12-12.
  5. ^ "Milwaukee District North Line" (PDF). metra.com.
  6. ^ "North Central Service Line" (PDF). metra.com. 2022-12-12.
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