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Union Pacific North Line

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Union Pacific North Line
A southbound train departs Highland Park station
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerUnion Pacific Railroad
LocaleChicago metropolitan area
Termini
Stations28
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetra
Operator(s)Union Pacific Railroad
Metra
Daily ridership41,000 (Avg. Weekday 2009)[1]
Ridership4,131,189 (2023)
Technical
Line length51.6 miles (83.0 km)[2]
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
Map Union Pacific North Line highlighted in dark green
Legend
text
text
Amtrak
Amtrak to St. Paul,
Seattle, or Portland
Lake Front Depot
84.2 mi
135.5 km
 Milwaukee
(1966-1971)
Menomonee River
Milwaukee River
National Avenue
Kinnickinnic River
Amtrak
Amtrak
to Union Station
78.2 mi
125.9 km
Cudahy
74.7 mi
120.2 km
South Milwaukee
61.8 mi
99.5 km
Racine
Root River
Pike River
51.5 mi
82.9 km
 Kenosha
KD Line
to Rockford
Wisconsin
Illinois
44.5 mi
71.6 km
 Winthrop Harbor
43.1 mi
69.4 km
Camp Logan
42.1 mi
67.8 km
 Zion
39.9 mi
64.2 km
Dunes Park
37.6 mi
60.5 km
Asbestos
EJ&E Railway
35.9 mi
57.8 km
 Waukegan
Waukegan Coach Yard
34.0 mi
54.7 km
Abbott's Platform
33.7 mi
54.2 km
 North Chicago
32.0 mi
51.5 km
 Great Lakes
30.2 mi
48.6 km
 Lake Bluff
Union Pacific Railroad
28.3 mi
45.5 km
 Lake Forest
25.7 mi
41.4 km
 Fort Sheridan
24.5 mi
39.4 km
 Highwood
23.0 mi
37 km
 Highland Park
21.5 mi
34.6 km
 Ravinia
20.9 mi
33.6 km
 Ravinia Park
(Seasonal) Handicapped/disabled access
20.5 mi
33 km
 Braeside
19.2 mi
30.9 km
 Glencoe
17.7 mi
28.5 km
 Hubbard Woods
16.6 mi
26.7 km
 Winnetka
15.8 mi
25.4 km
 Indian Hill
15.2 mi
24.5 km
 Kenilworth
14.4 mi
23.2 km
 Wilmette
13.3 mi
21.4 km
 Evanston Central Street
North Shore Channel
12.7 mi
20.4 km
Weber Subdivision
to UP-NW
Purple to Linden
12.0 mi
19.3 km
 Evanston Davis Street Pace Pulse
11.5 mi
18.5 km
Dempster Street
11.0 mi
17.7 km
 Evanston Main Street
10.3 mi
16.6 km
Calvary
Purple to Howard or the Loop
Yellow
Left arrowto Dempster–Skokie
to HowardRight arrow
9.4 mi
15.1 km
 Rogers Park
8.4 mi
13.5 km
Kenmore
8.3 mi
13.4 km
 Peterson/Ridge
7.8 mi
12.6 km
Rose Hill
7.1 mi
11.4 km
Summerdale
6.5 mi
10.5 km
 Ravenswood
Brown to Kimball
6.2 mi
10 km
Ravenswood–Wilson
5.5 mi
8.9 km
Northcenter
Brown to the Loop
4.6 mi
7.4 km
Belmont Avenue
3.5 mi
5.6 km
Deering
Chicago River (north branch)
 enlarge… UP-NW
to Harvard
or McHenry
2.9 mi
4.7 km
 Clybourn
enlarge… UP-W to Elburn
Blue to O'Hare
Chicago River (north branch)
Wells Street Station
 enlarge…MD-N enlarge…MD-W enlarge…NCS Amtrak
Green Pink
Blue to Forest Park
0 mi
 Ogilvie
Key
 Union Pacific North Line
Former route alignment
 Other Metra lines
Metra Milwaukee District lines
Other freight lines
CTA lines
Mileage source[3]
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible except
Clybourn, Indian Hill, and Hubbard Woods.
This diagram:

The Union Pacific North Line (UP-N) is a Metra line in the Chicago metropolitan area. It runs between Ogilvie Transportation Center and Kenosha, Wisconsin; however, most trains terminate in Waukegan, Illinois. Although Metra owns the rolling stock, the trains are operated and dispatched by the Union Pacific Railroad. This line was previously operated by the Chicago & North Western Railway before its merger with the Union Pacific Railroad, and was called the Chicago and North Western Milwaukee Division and then the Chicago & North Western/North Line before the C&NW was absorbed by Union Pacific in April 1995. It is the only Metra line that travels outside Illinois.

Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Pacific North line are dark "Flambeau Green," a nod to the C&NW's Flambeau 400 passenger train.[4]

Until 2022, a private club car ran weekdays exclusively on the Union Pacific North Line. It was the last remaining private car in service on a commuter railroad in the United States.

The current timetable as of December 5, 2022 shows 70 trains (35 in each direction) on weekdays. Of these, six inbound trains originate from Kenosha, 17 from Waukegan, six from Highland Park, and six from Winnetka. Seven outbound trains terminate at Winnetka, five at Highland Park, 17 at Waukegan, and six at Kenosha.

13 trains operate in each direction on Saturdays. Of these, five inbound trains originate from Kenosha and eight from Waukegan. Six outbound trains terminate at Waukegan and seven at Kenosha.

Nine trains operate in each direction on Sundays. Of these, three inbound trains originate from Kenosha and six from Waukegan. Six outbound trains terminate at Waukegan and three at Kenosha.

During the summer concert season, on weekends, an extra outbound train, named RAV1, makes all stops to Evanston Central Street, then runs express to Ravinia Park during events, with a train returning to Chicago after the concert.

History

[edit]

The route followed by the UP North Line was constructed in 1854 by the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad.[5] Passenger service between Chicago and Waukegan began on January 4, 1855. Initially, a single train operated each day, departing from a terminal in Chicago at Water St. and Kinzie St. at 8:30 am and returning from Waukegan at 3:30 pm.[6][7] The president of the railroad, former Chicago mayor Walter S. Gurnee, speculated on land in Lake County spurring the development of railway suburbs along the line.[8] The railroad merged with the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad in 1863, and was acquired by the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1866.[7][9] Commuter rail services along the line started operating into the new Chicago and North Western Terminal (now Ogilvie Transportation Center) in 1911. In 1966, the Chicago and North Western closed the Lake Front Depot and began operating into the new Milwaukee Union Station. This service would ultimately prove to be relatively short lived as the Chicago and North Western ended operations between Chicago and Milwaukee in 1971 and the line was truncated to Kenosha.

The North line became part of Metra when the agency was formed in 1984. The trains continued to be operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway under contract until that railroad was bought by Union Pacific in 1995. UP now operates passenger services along the line for Metra. Under a longstanding agreement that UP inherited from the C&NW, Metra owns the vehicles and the stations along the line, but Union Pacific employs the crew who actually operate the trains, and they also control the right-of-way along the route.

By the first quarter of 2024, the Union Pacific Railroad is expected to transfer operations of the three Union Pacific lines to Metra. The Union Pacific will continue to own and maintain the right-of-way.[10]

All stations on the line except for Ravinia Park are open daily. Ravinia Park is only open during the Ravinia Festival in the summer months.

Ridership

[edit]

Between 2014 and 2019, annual ridership declined by 8.3% from 9,328,441 passengers to 8,552,117 passengers.[11][12] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped to 2,300,363 passengers in 2020.[13][14]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
9,000,000
10,000,000
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Route

[edit]

The service shares the Union Pacific Railroad's Harvard Subdivision with the Union Pacific Northwest Line from Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago to a junction just before Clybourn station. From Clybourn, the North Line splits from the Northwest Line and traverses the Kenosha Subdivision north to Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Kenosha Subdivision continues to St. Francis, Wisconsin and a junction with the Union Pacific's Milwaukee Subdivision.[15] No passenger trains operate north of Kenosha.

The Green Bay Trail parallels the Union Pacific North Line, using the former right of way of the North Shore Line for over 51.9 miles (83.5 km) from the Chicago Loop to Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Stations

[edit]
State County Zone Location Station Connections and notes
WI Milwaukee
  Milwaukee Lake Front Depot Closed 1966
Union Station Closed April 30, 1971
National Avenue Closed between 1943 and 1956
Cudahy Cudahy Closed 1957
South Milwaukee South Milwaukee Closed between 1956 and 1961
Racine
Racine Racine Closed April 30, 1971
Kenosha 4 Kenosha Kenosha Bus interchange Kenosha Area Transit: 1, 4
Kenosha Streetcar Kenosha Streetcar
IL Lake Winthrop Harbor Winthrop Harbor
Zion Camp Logan Closed after October 28, 1956, served Camp Logan
Zion Bus interchange Pace: 571
  Beach Park Dunes Park Closed after October 28, 1956
Waukegan Asbestos Closed after October 28, 1956
4 Waukegan Bus interchange Pace: 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 568, 571, 572
North Chicago Abbott's Platform Closed 1986[16]
North Chicago Bus interchange Pace: 563, 564
Great Lakes Bus interchange Pace: 563
Lake Bluff Lake Bluff
Lake Forest Lake Forest
Highwood Fort Sheridan Bus interchange Pace: 472
Highwood Bus interchange Pace: 472
Highland Park Highland Park Bus interchange Pace: 213, 471, 472
3 Ravinia
Ravinia Park Seasonal
Braeside
Cook Glencoe Glencoe Bus interchange Pace: 213
Winnetka Hubbard Woods Bus interchange Pace: 213
Winnetka Bus interchange Pace: 213, 423
Indian Hill Bus interchange Pace: 213
Kenilworth Kenilworth Bus interchange Pace: 213
2 Wilmette Wilmette Bus interchange Pace: 213, 421, 422
Evanston Evanston Central Street Bus interchange CTA Bus: 201, 206
Bus interchange Pace: 213
Evanston Davis Street Chicago "L": Purple (at Davis)
Bus interchange CTA Bus: 93, 201, 206
Bus interchange Pace: 208, 213, 250
Bus rapid transit Pace Pulse: 101 Dempster Line
Dempster Street Closed December 1, 1958
Evanston Main Street Chicago "L": Purple (at Main)
Bus interchange CTA Bus: 206
Bus interchange Pace: 213
Calvary Closed December 1, 1958
Chicago Rogers Park Bus interchange CTA Bus: 22, 96
Kenmore Closed December 1, 1958[17]
Peterson/Ridge Bus interchange CTA Bus: 84
Rose Hill Closed December 1, 1958[17]
Summerdale Closed December 1, 1958[17]
Ravenswood Chicago "L": Brown (at Damen)
Bus interchange CTA Bus: 9, 81
  Ravenswood–Wilson Closed after July 3, 1963
Northcenter Closed December 1, 1958
Belmont Avenue Closed December 1, 1958
Deering Closed after June 13, 1943
2 Clybourn Metra Metra: ■ Union Pacific Northwest
Bus interchange CTA Bus: 9, X9, 73
  Kinzie Street Depot Closed c. 1879
Wells Street Station Closed 1911, replaced by the Chicago and Northwestern Terminal (Ogilvie Transportation Center)
1 Ogilvie
Transportation Center 		Metra Metra: ■ Union Pacific Northwest, ■ Union Pacific West
Chicago "L": Green Pink (at Clinton)
Bus interchange CTA Bus: J14, 19, 56, 60, 120, 124, 125, 126, 128, 130, 157, 192


See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ridership Reports – System Facts". Metra. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  2. ^ Metra Railfan Tips – Union Pacific/North Line Archived September 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ State of the System - Union Pacific North Line
  4. ^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010.
  5. ^ "Gurnee History". Village of Gurnee. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  6. ^ Mason, Blanche (1919). "Historical Sketch of Highland Park". Highland Park Public Library. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Giles, H. H. (1879). "Wisconsin Railroads". The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company. pp. 173–185.
  8. ^ Ebner, Michael H. "Lake County, IL". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  9. ^ "Chicago & North Western – A Capsule History". Chicago & North Western Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  10. ^ "Union Pacific Transferring Commuter Rail Services to Metra". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018" (PDF). Metra. p. 4. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  12. ^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019" (PDF). Metra. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  14. ^ RTAMS. "Metra Ridership by Line".
  15. ^ "Illinois State Rail Plan" (PDF). Illinois Department of Transportation. 2012. pp. 4–28.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Ridership Trends - Annual Report 2017 (PDF) (Report). Metra Division of Strategic Capital Planning. February 2018. p. 32. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c "Chicago & North Western Railroad: History of Milwaukee line". Edgewater Historical Society. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
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