Wilmette is the name of a commuter railroad station in Wilmette, Illinois that is served by Metra's Union Pacific North Line. Trains go south to Ogilvie Transportation Center and as far north as Kenosha, Wisconsin. Travel time to Ogilvie is 31 minutes on local trains, and as little as 27 minutes on morning inbound trains and 22 minutes on one afternoon inbound train. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Wilmette is in zone 2. As of 2018, Wilmette was the 18th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,653 weekday boardings.[1]

Wilmette
General information
Location722 Green Bay Road
Wilmette, Illinois 60091
Coordinates42°04′38″N 87°42′33″W / 42.0773°N 87.7092°W / 42.0773; -87.7092
Owned byVillage of Wilmette
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsLocal Transit Pace Buses
Green Bay Bike Trail
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone2
History
Opened1871
Rebuilt2001
Passengers
20181,653 (average weekday)[1]Increase 2.4%
Rank18 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Kenilworth
toward Kenosha
Union Pacific North Evanston Central Street
toward Ogilvie
Former services at CNS&M station
Preceding station Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad Following station
Kenilworth
toward Milwaukee
North Shore Line
Shore Line Route
Linden
Location
Map

The station is located at Green Bay Road and Washington Avenue in Wilmette's central business district. It is also in close proximity to the Wilmette Village Hall. Northbound trains stop on the west platform and southbound trains stop on the east platform. The closest CTA Purple Line station is Linden, about a mile away.

As of February 16, 2024, Wilmette is served by all 70 trains (35 in each direction) on weekdays, by 24 trains (12 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by all 18 trains (nine in each direction) on Sundays and holidays.

History

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The first railroad station in Wilmette opened in 1871 at a cost of $700 (equivalent to $17,803 in 2023). In 1875, it took 30 minutes to get to Chicago (about the same as now), and the fare was 11 cents (adult one-way tickets cost $3.05 in 2006)[2] and $5.50 as of February 2018. The former station has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.[3][4]

The present Metra station in Wilmette opened in 2001.

Bus connections

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Pace

  • 213 Green Bay Road (Monday-Saturday only)
  • 421 Wilmette Avenue (weekday rush hours only)
  • 422 Linden CTA/Glenview/Northbrook Court (weekdays only)

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. ^ Cary, Joan (4 February 2004). "Railroads retain their importance". Chicago Tribune. p. NS-24.
  3. ^ Cook County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places
  4. ^ Chicago and North-Western Passenger Depot (Wilmette Historic Preservation Commission)
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