79th Street (Chatham) station explained

Style:Metra
Coordinates:41.7507°N -87.5972°W
Line:University Park Sub District
Other:CTA Bus
Tracks:4
Passengers:50 (average weekday)
Pass Year:2018
Pass Percent:-15.3
Pass Rank:212 out of 236
Closed:2023 (for reconstruction)
Rebuilt:2023-2024 (Ongoing)
Accessible:No
Zone:2
Other Services Header:Former services
Other Services Collapsible:yes
Map State:collapsed
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail
Marker-Color:
  1. ff4e00
Zoom:15

79th Street (Chatham) is an electrified commuter rail station along the Metra Electric Main Line in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is located at and over 79th Street, and is 9.9miles away from the northern terminus at Millennium Station.[1] In Metra's zone-based fare system, 79th Street is in zone 2., the station is the 212th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 50 weekday boardings.[2]

East of this station is another Metra Electric station along 79th Street (known as) along the South Chicago Branch. Like much of the main branch of the Metra Electric line, 79th Street-Chatham is built on elevated tracks near the embankment of a bridge over 79th Street. This bridge also carries the Amtrak line that runs parallel to it, carrying the City of New Orleans and Illini and Saluki trains. Parking is available only on the southwest corner of 79th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.

History

On July 10, 2023, the station was temporarily closed to the public for reconstruction. The project, which will update the station and make the platform ADA-Accessible, is expected to take seven months.[3] [4]

The former Nickel Plate Railroad passed on a long bridge over the Illinois Central (the current tracks) just north of the station.

Bus connections

CTA

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Metra Railfan Tips - Metra Electric.
  2. Web site: Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018. April 2019. Metra. https://web.archive.org/web/20190526034459/https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/2018_summary_results_report_final.pdf. 26 May 2019.
  3. News: McIntyre . Cory . Metra Electric line breaking ground on renovation at three stations - CBS Chicago . 15 October 2023 . www.cbsnews.com . 22 June 2023.
  4. News: McLawhorn . Jennifer . Metra Will Begin Project Work on Three Electric Stations in July . 15 October 2023 . . 26 June 2023.