Joliet Transportation Center Explained

Joliet Transportation Center
Style:Amtrak
Address:90 East Jefferson Street
Borough:Joliet, Illinois
Country:United States
Coordinates:41.5244°N -88.0789°W
Line:CN Joliet Subdivision (Amtrak/Heritage Corridor)
Joliet Sub District (Rock Island)
Platform:1 island platform (Amtrak/Heritage Corridor)
1 side platform (Rock Island District)
Tracks:2 (Amtrak/Heritage Corridor)
1 (Rock Island District)
Connections: Pace: 501, 504, 505, 507, 508, 509, 511, 832, 834
Parking:910 spaces, 29 accessible spaces[1]
Accessible:Yes
Zone:4 (Metra)
Opened:2014 (temporary structure)
2018 (full structure)
Map State:collapsed
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail
Marker-Color:
  1. 000
Zoom:15

The Joliet Transportation Center is a multimodal mass transit center linking passenger bus routes, two Metra commuter lines, and Amtrak passenger trains in the city of Joliet, Illinois. It has replaced Joliet Union Station as the commuter and passenger train station serving Joliet. Union Station ceased to provide train service in September 2014,[2] and a temporary station opened. Groundbreaking for the new Joliet Transportation Center took place late in 2016, with construction beginning shortly afterward.[3] After several delays, the station officially opened on April 11, 2018.[4] [5]

The Joliet Transportation Center is 37.2miles from Chicago Union Station on Metra's Heritage Corridor and serves as the northern terminus for service; and is 40miles from Chicago's LaSalle Street Station on Metra's Rock Island District and serves as the northern terminus for service. It is the only Metra station outside of its Chicago stations where two lines terminate. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Joliet is in zone 4 on both lines.

As of 2018, Joliet is the 51st busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 996 weekday boardings.[6]

For Metra, as of 2023, Joliet is served by 42 Rock Island District trains (21 in each direction) on weekdays, by 21 trains (ten inbound, eleven outbound) on Saturdays, and by 16 trains (eight in each direction) on Sundays and holidays.[7] On weekdays, the station is also served by three inbound Heritage Corridor trains in the morning and three outbound trains in the evening.[8]

For Amtrak, as of 2024, Joliet is served by eight Lincoln Service trains (four in each direction) and two Texas Eagle trains (one in each direction), every day.[9]

As of 2022, Amtrak hopes, in the future, to reroute its trains serving Joliet from the CN trackage currently used by both Amtrak and Heritage Corridor trains to travel from here to Chicago Union Station to instead travel via the Rock Island District as part of a number of large-budget projects to improve its operations in the Chicago-area. If this occurs, Amtrak intends to construct a new platform at the Joliet Transportation Center designed to serve Amtrak trains traveling into and out of Chicago on Rock Island District trackage.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joliet station information . March 7, 2024 . Metra.
  2. News: Wimbiscus . Bill. Final train departs Union Station. . March 25, 2015 .
  3. News: Okon. Bob. Yes, Joliet, a train station is being built. October 16, 2016. The Herald-News. October 8, 2016.
  4. News: Okon. Bob. Train station exterior nearly done; opening slated for early 2018. November 8, 2017. The Herald-News. October 26, 2017.
  5. News: New train station opens for commuters in Joliet, ending a six-year wait. Chicago Tribune. Alicia. Fabbre. April 12, 2018. April 11, 2018.
  6. 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. May 26, 2019.
  7. Web site: November 27, 2023 . Rock Island Line schedule . March 7, 2024 . Metra.
  8. Web site: December 12, 2022 . Heritage Corridor schedule . March 7, 2024 . Metra.
  9. Web site: December 10, 2023 . Lincoln Service & Missouri River Runner schedule . March 7, 2024 . Rail Passengers Association.
  10. Web site: Johnston . Bob . Amtrak unveils infrastructure plan to transform Chicago operations . Trains . June 15, 2022 . June 10, 2022.