Fairview Avenue station (Illinois) explained

Style:Metra
Coordinates:41.7954°N -87.994°W
Platform:2 Side platforms
Tracks:3
Parking:Yes
Passengers:415 (average weekday)
Pass Year:2018
Pass Percent:-9.4
Pass Rank:113 out of 236
Opened:1917
Accessible:Yes, partial
Owned:Village of Downers Grove
Zone:3
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. 3daf2c
Zoom:15

Fairview Avenue is one of three railroad stations on Metra's BNSF Line in Downers Grove, Illinois. The station is 20.3miles from Union Station, the east end of the line.[1] As of 2018, Fairview Avenue is the 113th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 415 weekday boardings.[2] Though its official address is on Fairview Avenue (hence the name) and Burlington Avenue, the main parking lot is on the south side of the tracks off of nearby Second Street. All parking lots, including the main parking lot are managed by the Village of Downers Grove.

Fairview Avenue station has a colonial barn-type design more akin to railroad stations of the Northeastern United States, such as those on the Long Island Rail Road, and also matching the adjacent Pepperidge Farm bakery. Currently, no buses run near the station.

As of April 29, 2024, Fairview Avenue is serviced by 32 inbound trains and 30 outbound trains (62 total) on Weekdays. 8 Weekday inbound trains originate and 5 Weekday outbound trains terminate here. 16 inbound trains and 17 outbound trains (33 total) serve this station on Weekends and Holidays.

Incident

On August 26, 1991, a 41-year-old woman, Mary T. Wojtyla, was killed at this station after being struck by a westbound Metra express train.[3] The accident was captured on camera by a railfan and an edited version of the footage cutting out the moment of impact is often used by Operation Lifesaver to stress the importance of rail safety.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Metra Railfan Tips - BNSF Railway Line. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110312040931/http://web.me.com/willvdv/chirailfan/mmbnsf.html. March 12, 2011.
  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: Train Kills Woman In Downers. August 27, 1991. Chicago Tribune. Downers Grove, Illinois. October 21, 2019.