What is the UP-W Line?

The Union Pacific West (UP-W) Line extends nearly 44 miles west from Chicago to Elburn. In January 2006, the line was extended eight miles from Geneva to Elburn. The UP-W Line serves 62 communities in parts of Kane, DuPage and western Cook counties. UP-W Line passengers make approximately 25,000 trips per weekday on 59 commuter trains.

Why is this project necessary?

There is an increasing demand for service in this region due to substantial residential growth. Employment in this segment is anticipated to increase more than 100 percent, and the UP-W Line improvements will provide better access to major businesses in the corridor including General Mills, DuPage Airport, Fermilab, Navistar and the future DuPage Technology Park.

How will the UP-W Line upgrade be funded?

Metra is currently seeking funding under the latest transportation bill, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), to upgrade the UP-NW Line. In November 2001, through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) transportation bill, Congress awarded Metra three Full Funding Grant Agreements for major new service projects. That funding led to the recently completed improvements on the North Central Service (NCS) and extensions to the Union Pacific West (UP-W) Line and the SouthWest Service (SWS). New service began on these lines in January of 2006, on-time and $50 million under budget. Our success under TEA-21 gives Metra confidence it will be successful in moving the SAFETEA-LU New Start projects forward through the federal process to further expand service in your community. Additional funding will be sought under the next federal multi-year transportation authorization, anticipated to begin in late 2009 or after.

What state/federal guidelines are being followed?

Before Metra can implement any new service or expand existing service, projects must undergo several feasibility and environmental studies to ensure all federal and state guidelines are met. Metra must comply with the federal New Starts process which requires documentation and rigorous studies to justify these commuter rail alternatives best address the transportation needs and issues within the corridors. The first step in this process is called Alternatives Analysis.

What is Alternatives Analysis?

Alternatives Analysis is a bridge between systems planning, 'the idea,' and Preliminary Engineering (PE), ‘how to build it.’ It's where local, regional and federal governments work together to identify the transportation issues within a corridor, define the purpose and need for the transportation improvements, and develop and evaluate potential transportation alternatives to meet that need. ?Although several of the communities along the proposed project corridors are undertaking, or have already completed, some studies of their own, Metra is mandated by law to take the proposed projects through an entire roster of studies, or Alternatives Analysis. Continuous public involvement and any information previously generated by the communities is an important part of the overall analysis, and Metra plans to build upon the data generated from these studies.

In 2007, Metra completed the Alternatives Analysis study identifying a Locally Preferred Alternative for the UP-W Line Upgrade.

What are the next steps in this process?

Following, Alternatives Analysis, Metra is undertaking an Environmental Assessment. Engineering and construction will follow. See the updated timeline for more details.

What would the UP-W Line upgrade project entail?

The UP-W project will include signal system upgrades to increase service, reduce travel times, and allow additional operational flexibility. The project will also add additional tracks and crossovers to improve capacity and restructure the bottleneck that occurs at the A-2 Crossing, the busiest rail crossing in Northeastern Illinois, where the UP-W Line crosses the Milwaukee District West (MD-W), Milwaukee District North (MD-N) and NCS lines in Chicago. Station and parking improvements are planned to accommodate increased ridership, and additional rolling stock will be procured to add capacity and increase service on the line.

How would the UP-W Line rail alternative upgrade benefit commuters?

Successful implementation of the proposed improvements would increase UP-W Line capacity thereby allowing more express train service which would improve travel times and enhance transit service for reverse commuters along the line.

How would service expand?

Metra would add six additional inbound trains and two additional reverse-commute trains during the AM peak period to accommodate increased demand for trips to the Chicago Central Business District and to address the growing demand for reverse and inter-suburban commute service. Similar levels of service would be added in the PM peak period.

Will this impact our neighborhoods?

The project is being developed to minimize impacts to communities and the environment. Any potential impacts will be documented as part of the Environmental Assessment (EA) study and will be reported to the community as part of the public involvement process of the EA.

Will there be more bus service?

The project anticipates improved bus connections to employers and major activity centers in the UP-NW Line corridor. Metra will coordinate the details of these services with Pace and employers in the corridor during the engineering and construction phases of the project.

How will commuters be kept informed?

Metra will continue to keep commuters informed via our Website at www.metraconnects.metrarail.com.

Will Metra hold public meetings about the UP-W Line upgrade?

Metra held conduct public meetings on each of the New Start projects, giving the public an opportunity to offer their input. A first round of public meetings were held in June 2006, and a second round was completed in July 2007. The boards and presentations for those meetings as well as the comments received at those meetings are found on the materials page. Additional meetings regarding the Environmental Assessment are anticipated in early 2009.

How can I support the UP-W Line upgrade?

We encourage you to support this project by staying involved and voicing your support to Metra and your elected officials. Public comments will be taken both through the above Website as well as at public meetings.

If approved, how long will this project take to complete once construction begins?

The Environmental Assessment is slated for completion in 2009. Preliminary Engineering will begin in 2009 and last until 2010. After final design and construction, service is slated to begin in late 2014. See the updated timeline for more details.