Union Pacific West Line

Union Pacific West Line
Union Pacific West Line
	The River Forest station in River Forest, Illinois
Overview
Owner	Union Pacific Railroad (Leased to Metra)
Termini	Ogilvie Transportation Center; Elburn
Stations	19
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Metra
Operator(s)	Union Pacific Railroad; Metra
Daily ridership	27,196 (avg. weekday 2014)
Ridership	1,945,886 (2020)
Technical
Line length	43.8 miles
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map
	Legend
	44.0 mi
	70.8 km
	40.8 mi
	65.7 km
	38.1 mi
	61.3 km
	35.5 mi
	57.1 km
	29.7 mi
	47.8 km
	27.5 mi
	44.3 km
	25.0 mi
	40.2 km
	23.8 mi
	38.3 km
	22.4 mi
	36 km
	19.9 mi
	32 km
	17.8 mi
	28.6 km
	15.7 mi
	25.3 km
	14.3 mi
	23 km
	12.7 mi
	20.4 km
	11.3 mi
	18.2 km
	10.5 mi
	16.9 km
	9.7 mi
	15.6 km
	9.1 mi
	14.6 km
	8.5 mi
	13.7 km
	8.2 mi
	13.2 km
	7.7 mi
	12.4 km
	7.2 mi
	11.6 km
	6.7 mi
	10.8 km
	to Ashland/63rd
	and Cottage Grove
	4.8 mi
	7.7 km
	3.6 mi
	5.8 km
	3.0 mi
	4.8 km
	2.6 mi
	4.2 km
	north
	branch
	Wells Street
	Station
	MD-N MD-W NCS
	to Union Station
	This diagram: view; talk; ;

The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a Metra commuter rail line operated by Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Pacific West line are "Kate Shelley Rose" pink, honoring an Iowa woman who saved a Chicago & North Western Railway train from disaster in 1881. Green and yellow were already selected for the Union Pacific North Line and Union Pacific Northwest Line, respectively, so pink was chosen for this line. Therefore, the UP-W is the only Metra line that uses a color to honor a person instead of a fallen flag railroad.^[3] Until 2006, all Metra trains on this line terminated at Geneva. The line runs as part of the Union Pacific Railroad's Geneva Subdivision (ex-C&NW line to Clinton, Iowa.) The line was once known as the Chicago & Northwestern/West Line until UP took over the C&NW in 1995.

The line runs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago through the western suburbs to Elburn. This is the oldest railway route built from Chicago, the route of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad along Kinzie street.

As of September 13, 2021, Metra operates 20 inbound trains and 20 outbound trains on the Union Pacific West Line on weekdays. All inbound trains originate from Elburn and all outbound trains terminate at Elburn.

Metra operates 10 inbound trains and 10 outbound trains on the Union Pacific West Line on Saturdays. All inbound trains originate from Elburn and all outbound trains terminate at Elburn.

Metra operates nine inbound trains and nine outbound trains on the Union Pacific West Line on Sundays. All inbound trains originate from Elburn and all outbound trains terminate at Elburn.

Until the late 1940s the line had a branch to Freeport, Illinois. It diverged from the main line at West Chicago and had stations at Elgin, Marengo, Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport, and other communities.

Ridership[]

Since 2014 annual ridership has declined from 8,423,188 to 7,883,185, an overall decline of 6.4%.^[4]^[5] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped to 1,945,886 passengers in 2020.^[6]

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

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Station stops[]

Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
	Freeport	Freeport	Freeport branch
	Ridott	Ridott	Freeport branch
	Pecatonica	Pecatonica	Freeport branch
	Winnebago	Winnebago	Freeport branch
	Rockford	Rockford	Freeport branch
	Rockford	East Rockford	Freeport branch
	Cherry Valley	Cherry Valley	Freeport branch
	Belvidere	Belvidere	Freeport branch
	Garden Prairie	Garden Prairie	Freeport branch
	Marengo	Marengo	Freeport branch
	Union	Union	Freeport branch
	Huntley	Huntley	Freeport branch
	Gilberts	Gilberts	Freeport branch
	Aurora	Aurora	Aurora branch
I	Elburn	Elburn	Huskie Line: 12 Elburn Shuttle
	North Aurora	North Aurora	Aurora branch
	Elgin	Elgin (West Side)	Freeport branch
	Mooseheart	Mooseheart	Aurora branch
	La Fox	La Fox
	South Elgin	South Elgin	Freeport branch
	Batavia	Batavia	Aurora branch
	St. Charles	St. Charles	St. Charles branch
H	Geneva	Geneva	Pace: 801 Elgin–Geneva, 802 Aurora–Geneva via Lake
G	Wayne	Wayne	Freeport branch
F	West Chicago	West Chicago
F	Winfield	Winfield
E	Wheaton	Wheaton	Pace: 301 Roosevelt Rd, 711 Wheaton–Addison, 714 COD–Naperville–Wheaton Connector
	Wheaton	College Avenue	Pace: 714 COD–Naperville–Wheaton Connector
	Glen Ellyn	Glen Ellyn	Pace: 715 Central DuPage
D	Lombard	Lombard
	Villa Park	Villa Park
	Elmhurst	Elmhurst	Pace: 309 Lake St, 332 River Road–York Rd
C	Berkeley	Berkeley	Formerly named Proviso
	Bellwood	Bellwood	Pace: 313 St. Charles Rd, 330 Mannheim–LaGrange Rds
	Melrose Park	Melrose Park	Pace: 303 Forest Park–Rosemont, 309 Lake Street, 313 St. Charles Road
	Maywood	Maywood	Pace: 309 Lake St, 313 St. Charles Rd, 331 Cumberland–5th Ave
B	River Forest	River Forest	Pace: 309 Lake St, 313 St. Charles Rd
	River Forest	Lathrop	Closed December 1, 1958
	Oak Park	Oak Park	Chicago "L": Green (at Harlem/Lake) CTA Bus: 90 Harlem Pace: 307 Harlem, 309 Lake St, 313 St. Charles Rd, 318 W North Ave, 770 Brookfield Zoo Express
		Avenue	Closed December 1, 1958
		Ridgeland	Closed December 1, 1958
		Austin Boulevard	Closed December 1, 1958
	Chicago	Austin	Closed December 1, 1958
		Keeler	Employee only stop, serves adjacent maintenance facility
A		Kedzie	Chicago "L": Green (at Kedzie) CTA Bus: 52 Kedzie
A		Ogilvie Transportation Center	Metra: ■ Union Pacific Northwest, ■ Union Pacific North Chicago "L": Green Pink (at Clinton) CTA Bus: J14, 19, 56, 60, 120, 124, 125, 126, 128, 130, 157, 192

References[]

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/West
^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-02.
^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018" (PDF). Metra. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019" (PDF). Metra. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

Route map:

( • help)

Metra Union Pacific/West service schedule

Media related to Metra Union Pacific/West Line at Wikimedia Commons

[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/West

[3] "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-02.

[2018report-4] "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018" (PDF). Metra. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2019.

[2019report-5] "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019" (PDF). Metra. Retrieved 27 February 2021.

[6] "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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