A new Metra station in Edgewater is set to open after a decade of talk and more than 2.5 years of construction.
The Peterson/Ridge station, on the Union Pacific North Line, is expected to open May 20. Metra will also boost weekday service on the line when the station opens, adding trains during morning and evening peak periods in an effort to fill gaps in rush-hour service and reduce crowding on some trains, the rail agency said.
The new $27 million station, which broke ground in November 2021, came in about $5 million more and a year later than expected when construction began. They were the latest delays for the project, which had been discussed for more than a decade as previous Illinois budget issues held up state funding that had been allocated to the project from a 2009 bond program. Then the project needed engineering work and ran into delays getting city permits, Metra has previously said.
Metra attributed the construction expense and most recent delay to “longer COVID-related lead times” and supply chain challenges that affected the ability to get needed materials.
The new station, along tracks that run west of the intersection of North Ridge and West Peterson avenues, will have two six-car platforms that extend over Peterson so passengers can board from either side of the street. Two shelters will have on-demand heating.
The station will also have paid parking spaces, ADA-compliant parking, bike parking and an access drive with a cul-de-sac turnaround and pickup and drop-off areas.
As the Edgewater station is set to open, Metra is continuing work on a new station in Auburn Gresham on the Rock Island line. The Auburn Park station, also long discussed and tied up in previous state budget issues like the Peterson/Ridge station, broke ground in June 2022. It will serve 79th Street, filling a gap on the line between 87th Street in Gresham and 35th Street in Bronzeville.
When construction began, the project was expected to cost $35 million and be finished around the end of 2024. The project is now expected to cost $42.6 million, and wrap up in early 2026.
Metra said the reasons for the extra time and costs are similar to the COVID-19 and supply chain issues that affected the Edgewater station.
