4 Metra Electric station upgrades complete with more underway, prioritizing ADA accessibility

As part of Metra’s commitment to Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs, the agency is investing more than $800 million over the next decade to upgrade numerous stations along the Metra Electric Line, which runs between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and south suburban University Park. Four station renovations have been completed so far, enhancing the customer experience with an emphasis on ADA accessibility improvements.

These improvements are a step toward creating a fully accessible transit system, one of the goals in the RTA’s regional transit strategic plan Transit is the Answer, and show the many benefits of investing in transit.

In addition to accessibility upgrades, the stations will see a host of improvements and enhancements, including new enclosed entrances, heated waiting areas, elevators, platforms with full-length canopies, benches, security improvements including lighting and cameras, digital displays with train-tracking information, ticket vending machines and more.

The stations targeted for improvement include:

103rd Street – Complete, opened March 2025
79th Street – Complete, opened December 2024
Homewood – Complete, opened December 2024
147th Street – Complete, opened October 2024
87th Street - work underway
95th Street – work underway
Millennium Station (South Water entrance) – design complete
59th/60th Street – in design
111th Street – in design
Harvey – in design
Van Buren Street – in design
Olympia Fields
University Park

Metra is also improving substations that power the Metra Electric Line, which will boost reliability and capacity. The Matteson Substation has been identified as a high-priority location with construction in progress, and other locations identified under this project include Jackson Substation (in construction), Homewood Substation (in design), followed by the Harvey and Vollmer substations. The total budget for this project is more than $100 million.

“This project aims to bring modern and accessible public transit facilities to these communities,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski in a news release. “This effort is part of our commitment to riders to prioritize station improvements and promote transit ridership by creating welcoming and accessible gateways to their communities.”

The Service Boards continue to deliver upgraded, fully accessible facilities throughout the region that benefit both the system’s riders as well as the diverse workforce in the communities in which they are located.

RTA recently highlighted 2024 Metra and CTA station openings. Future blog posts will cover additional recent transit improvements, including Pace Pulse Dempster service between Evanston and O’Hare airport.