Winnetka station
Winnetka is a station on Metra's Union Pacific/North Line located in Winnetka, Illinois. Winnetka, located at 754 Elm Street in Winnetka, is 16.6 miles (26.7 km) away from Ogilvie Transportation Center, the inbound terminus of the Union Pacific/North Line.[2] In Metra's zone-based fare structure, Winnetka is located within zone D. As of 2018, Winnetka is the 68th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 754 weekday boardings.[1]
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 Winnetka Metra Station | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 754 Elm Street Winnetka, Illinois 60093 | |||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42.1052°N 87.7329°W | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Village of Winnetka | |||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  Pace BusesGreen Bay Bike Trail | |||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Open cut | |||||||||||||||||
| Disabled access | Yes | |||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | D | |||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1940 | |||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 754 (average weekday)[1]  2.3% | |||||||||||||||||
| Rank | 68 out of 236[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||
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Winnetka station is located in a below-grade trench. The platforms are accessible via stairs from Elm and Oak Streets and a passenger bridge. An elevator for handicapped access is also located on the passenger bridge. The station consists of two side platforms which serve two tracks. A station house is located at street level; the station house is open from 5:15 A.M. to 1:15 P.M., and tickets are sold on weekdays. Parking is available in a lot adjacent to the station house. The Green Bay Trail, a hiking and bicycle trail, runs east of and parallel to the railroad tracks at Winnetka and can be accessed from the inbound platform.
Winnetka was originally built at grade level when it served the Chicago and North Western Railway. As an increasing amount of railroad traffic came through Winnetka, the railroad crossings became unsafe, and 29 people had been killed at railroad crossings by 1937 despite safety efforts by the city and the railroad. After the deaths of two prominent Winnetka women at the Pine Street crossing on October 20, 1937, Winnetkans demanded that the grade crossings be removed. The city elected to put the tracks in a below-grade trench to avoid dividing the city with an elevated railroad. With the help of funding from the Public Works Administration, the tracks were lowered into a trench by 1943. Winnetka and Hubbard Woods stations were located at street level with access to station platforms by stairs from a pedestrian walkway across the tracks, and Indian Hill became an elevated station.[3]
References
- "Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018" (PDF). Metra. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2019.
- Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/North Line
- "Winnetka Historical Society: The Big Ditch". Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
