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28-525: Unlike other Metra lines, the Heritage Corridor runs during weekday rush hours only in the peak direction–to Chicago in the morning and Joliet in the afternoon, with the trip from Joliet to Union Station taking about 1 hour and 7 minutes. The Rock Island District also serves Joliet with 21 trains. As of February 15, 2024, Metra operates six trains (three in each direction) on the Heritage Corridor on weekdays, with each train serving all stations on

56-585: Is a Metra commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois , southwest to Joliet . Metra does not refer to its lines by color, but the timetable accents for the Rock Island District line are "Rocket Red" in honor of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 's Rocket passenger trains. The Suburban Line was built in 1870 as a steam dummy line, splitting from the main line just north of 99th Street, running west along 99th and turning south to

84-645: Is a terminal railroad in the Chicago area, formerly giving various other companies access to (Chicago's) Grand Central Station . It also served to connect those railroads for freight transfers, and is now controlled by CSX Corporation , the successor to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . By 1886, the Wisconsin Central Railroad had formed a new railway company, called the Chicago and Great Western Railroad (C&GW, not to be confused with

112-613: The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway at McCook, Illinois to the south and south-east to Hammond, Indiana and a connection with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O). In March 1890, another subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad bought the C&;GW along with several other WC lines in the Chicago area, consolidated them all as the Chicago & Northern Pacific Railroad (C&NP). The next month,

140-841: The COVID-19 pandemic , ridership dropped to 177,838 passengers in 2020 and to 82,197 passengers in 2021. Metra has offered "Rails, Trails, and Ales" excursion service on Saturdays in the fall of 2021; 2023; and 2024, and the summer of 2022. In 2021, two trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from September 18 to October 16. In 2022, three trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from July 2 to September 3. In 2023, three trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from September 9 to October 14. In 2024, three trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from September 7 to October 12. Rock Island District The Rock Island District ( RI )

168-743: The Chicago Great Western Railway ) to build a new line from a connection with the WC at Forest Park into the city, and to construct the Grand Central Station, which opened in December 1890. In June 1887, a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad called the Chicago & Calumet Terminal Railway (C&CT) consolidated several terminal railroads in the Chicago area with lines running between

196-695: The North Central Service and the SouthWest Service , all stations on the route are fully ADA-accessible. The line runs from Union Station in downtown Chicago through southwestern suburbs to Joliet. In March 2016, the public timetable shows four Chicago to Joliet trains each weekday. An additional train runs inbound during the afternoon rush hour but as an empty equipment move or deadhead. Amtrak 's Texas Eagle and Lincoln Service use these tracks from Union Station to Joliet , as do Canadian National freight trains, with CN being

224-470: The bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad for $ 35 million in December 1982 (equivalent to $ 111 million in 2023). The Regional Transportation Authority had signed a contract with the Rock Island in 1976 to fund service, and in 1980 the Chicago and North Western Railway began operating the Rock Island District (the Rock Island also ceased operations that year.) In spring 1981

252-557: The C&NW stepped away, and the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) was formed to take over operations. Through freight trains on the line are operated by CSX and Iowa Interstate Railroad on a trackage rights agreement. In addition, Chicago Rail Link has rights to operate local freight service on the whole district, and it also uses the line between Gresham Wye and Blue Island to connect with

280-719: The Chicago Terminal Transfer merged the Chicago & Calumet Terminal. The B&O began using Grand Central Station in 1892, when a connection was made between the CTT and the B&;O at South Chicago . When the Pere Marquette Railroad was completed to Porter, Indiana in 1903, it also used the CTT into Grand Central Station. On January 6, 1910, the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad

308-544: The Chicago neighborhood of Englewood , eliminated delays for the Rock Island. The overpass replaced a diamond crossing with the Norfolk Southern 's Chicago Line . The overpass proposed by Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), which cost $ 142 million to construct, was completed in October 2014. In recent years, Metra has expressed a desire to electrify and modernize

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336-601: The Iowa Interstate and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroads. A new station at 35th Street and Federal Street opened on April 3, 2011 to serve U.S. Cellular Field and the Illinois Institute of Technology . It was named 35th Street/'Lou' Jones/Bronzeville Station after Lovana Jones who was an Illinois State Representative in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The Englewood Flyover, an overpass located in

364-467: The Rock Island District. The six express trains that operate on both Saturday and Sunday run express from 35th Street to Blue Island-Vermont Street via the main line before making all stops to Joliet, bypassing the suburban branch entirely. Local trains run as well, making all stops on the suburban branch and terminating at Blue Island-Vermont Street. This cuts about 20 minutes off the trips from Blue Island to downtown. On August 23, 2015, Metra announced that

392-656: The Rock Island, as well as the Metra Electric District , were cut in half for all passengers as part of a pilot program. From 2014-2019 annual ridership declined from 8,544,753 to 7,338,133, an overall decline of 14.1%. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , ridership dropped to 1,952,547 passengers in 2020 and 1,669,273 passengers in 2021. The entire branch is in Cook County, Illinois . Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad ( reporting mark BOCT )

420-604: The WC had itself leased to the Northern Pacific. As they were both controlled by the same railroad, the C&NP and the C&CT were linked together with new construction and trackage rights. The lease arrangement between the Wisconsin Central and the Northern Pacific worked until the Panic of 1893 , when the WC was freed from the lease, and the C&NP was again placed under the control of the WC. Weakened by

448-415: The Wisconsin Central in 1909) and the Chicago Great Western Railway access to Grand Central Station. The Baltimore and Ohio had two long distance train stations on the line, on the periphery of Chicago, as passing into the city border en route to Grand Central Station. The B&O's grand Capitol Limited and its other Chicago-bound trains stopped at the stations. The B&O's South Chicago Station

476-753: The line if funding became available. In October of 2023, Metra announced the order of 16 lightweight Stadler FLIRT Akku electric multiple unit trainsets that would likely be used on the Beverly Branch. They could be used to increase frequency and speed. As of September 7, 2021, Metra operates 80 trains (40 inbound and 40 outbound) on the Rock Island District on weekdays, with 21 trains providing roundtrip service to and from Joliet , three to and from Tinley Park - 80th Avenue , and 16 to and from Blue Island-Vermont Street . Between Gresham and Blue Island, all trains terminating at Blue Island as well as four evening through-trains to and from Joliet operate via

504-496: The new station is estimated to be around $ 4.9 million. The station was opened to the public on February 5, 2018. Metra has included the possibility of extending the Heritage Corridor in their Cost Benefit Analysis report. If this were to happen, the Heritage Corridor would continue south from Joliet to Wilmington , with an additional station in Elwood . Between 2014 and 2019 annual ridership remained steady at roughly 730,000. Due to

532-452: The other six Joliet through-trains in each direction remain on the mainline. On Sundays, Metra operates 28 trains (14 roundtrips), eight to and from Joliet, and six to and from Blue Island. All six Blue Island short-turn trains as well as two through-trains to and from Joliet operate over the suburban branch, while the other six Joliet through-trains in each direction remain on the mainline. In June 2015, Metra began weekend express service on

560-469: The owner of the tracks on which the corridor runs. The Texas Eagle only stops at Chicago and Joliet, while the Lincoln Service also stops at Summit . The Joliet Transportation Center replaced Joliet Union Station on April 11, 2018. On May 16, 2017, Metra announced that the new station for Romeoville had officially broken ground near the intersection of 135th St and New Avenue. The cost of

588-601: The present line at the S-curve just south of 99th. The crossing of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway midway along 99th was known as Dummy Crossing. In the early 1890s the line was extended north to 89th Street in conjunction with the expansion of the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad , and the portion on 99th was removed. The track is owned by Metra , bought from

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616-511: The prolonged economic downturn, the C&NP was bankrupt by October 1893. In July 1897, a new company called the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad (CTT) bought the C&NP from the Wisconsin Central. While the WC (and successor Soo Line Railroad ) no longer had its own direct connection to the city, it continued to use the line to access Grand Central Station until 1899, and between 1912 and 1965. In May 1897,

644-414: The route. All inbound trains originate from Joliet in the morning, and all outbound trains terminate at Joliet in the afternoon. Except for occasional seasonal excursion services, there is no Saturday service. There is currently no off-peak, Sunday, or holiday service on the Heritage Corridor. The Heritage Corridor has the lowest train frequency and fewest number of stations of any other Metra line. Like

672-425: The suburban branch, while all other trains remain on the mainline. On Saturdays, Metra operates 33 trains (16 inbound and 17 outbound) on the line, with 10 roundtrips to and from Joliet, six roundtrips to and from Blue Island, and an additional outbound train to Joliet. The Blue Island short-turn trains, as well as four inbound and five outbound through-trains to and from Joliet operate over the suburban branch, while

700-698: The weekend express service would become permanent upon completion of the trial period on November 29, 2015. The Rock Island District runs a few empty equipment move (deadhead) trains, most during weekdays. Inbound deadheads are scheduled between the Joliet, Mokena-Front Street, and Tinley Park stations and run to Blue Island-Vermont Street. There have been proposals to extend the line from Joliet to LaSalle-Peru in LaSalle County with intermediate stations at Rockdale , Minooka , Morris , Seneca , Marseilles , Ottawa , and several other towns. A feasibility study

728-474: Was completed in 2003. As of 2022, an extension only as far as Minooka has been considered feasible in the near future, and there are no currently active plans to carry out the extension. After the passage of the Rebuild Illinois, $ 20 million was allocated for the long planned construction of a new Auburn Park station. Construction is expected to start in 2020. In the beginning of 2021, fares on

756-494: Was created to purchase the CTT at foreclosure, giving B&O control of both the terminal railway system, as well as Grand Central Station. The railroad reached a peak size in the 1920s of 78 route-miles and 365 track-miles. The railroad was strategically located in Chicago; connections made at Forest Park and trackage rights allowed the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway ("Soo Line") (which had leased

784-586: Was located approximately at 94th Street and Commercial Avenue, slightly to the southwest of the Calumet River 's opening to Lake Michigan . Additionally, the Pere Marquette Railway 's Night Express to Muskegon and Grand Rapids, Michigan and its Resort Special to Bay View, Michigan, also used the B&OCT lines through the city, as well as the two stations on the approach to Grand Central Station. The B&O's 63rd Street Station , in

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