Winnetka is a station on Metra's Union Pacific North Line in Winnetka, Illinois. Winnetka station, located at 754 Elm Street in Winnetka, is 16.6 miles (26.7 km) away from Ogilvie Transportation Center, the inbound terminus of the Union Pacific North Line.[2] In Metra's zone-based fare structure, Winnetka is in zone 3. As of 2018, Winnetka is the 68th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 754 weekday boardings.[1]

Winnetka
Winnetka Metra station
General information
Location754 Elm Street
Winnetka, Illinois 60093
Coordinates42°06′19″N 87°43′58″W / 42.1052°N 87.7329°W / 42.1052; -87.7329
Owned byVillage of Winnetka
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsLocal Transit Pace Buses
Green Bay Bike Trail
Construction
Structure typeOpen cut
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone3
History
Rebuilt1940
Passengers
2018754 (average weekday)[1]Increase 2.3%
Rank68 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Hubbard Woods
toward Kenosha
Union Pacific North Indian Hill
toward Ogilvie
Former services
Preceding station Chicago and North Western Railway Following station
Highland Park Chicago – Minneapolis via Milwaukee Evanston
toward Chicago
Hubbard Woods
toward Milwaukee
Milwaukee Division Indian Hill
toward Chicago
Preceding station Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad Following station
at adjacent CNS&M station
Hubbard Woods
toward Milwaukee
North Shore Line
Shore Line Route
Indian Hill
Location
Map

Winnetka station is located in a below-grade trench. The platforms are accessible via stairs from Elm and Oak Streets and a passenger bridge. An elevator for accessibility is also located on the passenger bridge. The station consists of two side platforms which serve two tracks. A station house is located at street level; the station house is open from 5:15 A.M. to 1:15 P.M., and tickets are sold on weekdays. Parking is available in a lot adjacent to the station house. The Green Bay Trail, a hiking and bicycle trail, runs east of and parallel to the railroad tracks at Winnetka and can be accessed from the inbound platform.

As of February 16, 2024, Winnetka is served by all 70 trains (35 in each direction) on weekdays, by all 26 trains (13 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by all 18 trains (nine in each direction) on Sundays and holidays. On weekdays, seven outbound trains terminate at Winnetka, and six inbound trains originate from this station.

Winnetka was built at grade level when it served the Chicago and North Western Railway. As an increasing amount of railroad traffic came through Winnetka, the railroad crossings became unsafe, and 29 people had been killed at railroad crossings by 1937 despite safety efforts by the city and the railroad. After two prominent Winnetka women died at the Pine Street crossing on October 20, 1937, Winnetkans demanded that the grade crossings be removed, electing to put the tracks in a below-grade trench. With the help of funding from the Public Works Administration, the tracks were lowered into a trench by 1943. Winnetka and Hubbard Woods stations were located at street level with access to station platforms by stairs from a pedestrian walkway across the tracks, and Indian Hill became an elevated station.[3]

Bus connections

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Pace

  • 213 Green Bay Road (Monday-Saturday only)
  • 423 Linden CTA/The Glen/Harlem CTA (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 May 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/North Line
  3. ^ "Winnetka Historical Society: The Big Ditch". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
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