Chicago’s Metra commuter rail carries nearly 75 million annual passenger trips over 12 major suburban lines in the six-county northeastern Illinois region.  The Canadian National freight railroad runs adjacent to the commuter rail line serving the southern portion of the region, the Metra Electric District. With a planned new major regional airport and suburbs expected to grow by 1.5 million within the next 15 years, Metra is faced with the need for expansion.  

In answer to this increasing challenge, PB is performing a feasibility study for the extension of Metra Rail’s passenger service from University Park to the City of Kankakee, Illinois along the Canadian National railroad right-of-way.  This feasibility study is being performed for an intergovernmental task force comprised of Kankakee and Will Counties, and the municipalities of Aroma Park, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Kankakee, Manteno, Monee, and Peotone. The Task Force members and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are funding the study.

The project will examine the feasibility of providing commuter rail service to Kankakee County, located 38.6 kilometers (24 miles) south of University Park, and 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) outside of Metra’s 6-county legislated region of operation.  PB will evaluate the feasibility of linking Kankakee County into the existing Metra system, and will examine several different engineering and planning scenarios to determine the most efficient and practical plan for a future rail extension.

Begun in February 2004, the 12-month study is scheduled to be completed in February 2005.