How many stories could these platforms tell us if they could talk? This is Western Avenue Metra Station. It stands in Chicago’s West Town community. The Western Avenue Metra Station serves several lines. These include the Milwaukee District West Line. It also serves the North Central Service. Finally, it serves the Milwaukee District North Line. It is the last inbound stop before Union Station for these lines.
The Western Avenue station lies 2.9 miles from Union Station. That is the inbound terminus of the line. Amtrak trains also pass through here. These are the Hiawatha, Borealis, and the Empire Builder. However, they do not stop here.
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad previously used this station. Nearby are the California Coach Yard and the Western Avenue Rail Yard. The latter hosts Metra’s remaining EMD F40Cs.
Look southeast of the station platforms. Here, the Milwaukee Road Metra routes cross the Union Pacific West Line tracks. They run parallel for about a mile. Then they split. The West Line tracks continue to Ogilvie. The A-2 tower controls this junction nearby.
Western Avenue is a busy station. In 2018, it was the 61st busiest. This is out of Metra’s 236 non-downtown stations. It saw an average of 836 weekday boardings.
A total of 117 Metra trains serve Western Avenue on weekdays. On Saturdays, 44 trains stop here. On Sundays and holidays, 36 trains serve the station. This includes all inbound trains from the three lines. It also includes all outbound trains. Except for one outbound Milwaukee District North Line train on weekdays.
The Western Avenue Metra Station has bus connections. These include the 49 Western. This offers Owl Service. There is also the X49 Western Express. It runs during weekday rush hours only. Finally, there is the 65 Grand.
The station has two platforms. These serve the three-track line. An island platform serves inbound trains. A side platform serves outbound trains. An underground tunnel accesses the island platform. This is at its southern end. A staircase and ADA-compliant ramp provide access.
The ADA ramp has an overhanging canopy. This provides the only shelter on the platform. The tunnel leads to an opening. It is beneath the tracks. This is at the dead end of Artesian Avenue.
The inbound platform has a boarded-up brick station house. Access to the inbound platform is from a staircase and ramp. This is on the opposite side of the station house from the tunnel. A small parking lot angles upwards. It goes towards the platform level. This parking lot forms a triangle. It sits with the platform and the end of Artesian Avenue. Hubbard Street completes the triangle. The station house porch offers shelter to outbound passengers. As you can see, passengers are plentiful at this station. The Western Avenue Metra Station connects the community to the city and beyond.