BNSF Line

BNSF Railway Line
BNSF Railway Line
	An inbound Metra train arrives in Naperville.
Overview
Owner	BNSF Railway (Leased to Metra)
Termini	Union Station; Aurora;
Stations	26
Service
Type	Commuter Rail
System	Metra
Operator(s)	BNSF Railway
Technical
Line length	37.5 miles (60.4 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	HC to Joliet
	SWS to Manhattan
	1.8 mi
	2.9 km
	3.8 mi
	6.1 km
	7.0 mi
	11.3 km
	7.5 mi
	12.1 km
	8.5 mi
	13.7 km
	9.1 mi
	14.6 km
	9.6 mi
	15.4 km
	10.1 mi
	16.3 km
	11.1 mi
	17.9 km
	11.8 mi
	19 km
	12.3 mi
	19.8 km
	13.1 mi
	21.1 km
	13.8 mi
	22.2 km
	14.2 mi
	22.9 km
	15.5 mi
	24.9 km
	16.4 mi
	26.4 km
	16.9 mi
	27.2 km
	17.8 mi
	28.6 km
	18.3 mi
	29.5 km
	19.5 mi
	31.4 km
	20.4 mi
	32.8 km
	21.2 mi
	34.1 km
	22.6 mi
	36.4 km
	24.5 mi
	39.4 km
	28.5 mi
	45.9 km
	31.6 mi
	50.9 km
	33.4 mi
	53.8 km
	36.5 mi
	58.7 km
	37.5 mi
	60.4 km
	Emeryville, Quincy,
	and Los Angeles
Key
	Mileage source All stations are accessible except; Halsted Street, Western Avenue, and Congress Park.
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The BNSF Railway Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. In 2010, the BNSF Railway Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership (average 64,600) of the 11 Metra lines.^[3] (Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the BNSF line are "Cascade Green," like the paint of the Burlington Northern Railroad.^[4]) In April 2014, the public timetable (published March 11, 2012)^[5] showed 47 trains leaving Chicago each weekday, of which 31 run to Aurora. Of the 16 trains that do not reach Aurora, 3 terminate at Westmont, 5 at Route 59, 6 at Fairview Avenue, 1 at Brookfield, and 1 at Downers Grove-Main St.

The east end is Union Station in downtown Chicago. The line traverses Chicago and its western and far western suburbs to Aurora. BNSF Railway operates it under a "purchase of service agreement" with Metra; management and crews are BNSF employees and Metra owns the equipment. The June 2007 timetable shows a 70 mph maximum allowed speed for passenger trains.

Metra has studied the feasibility of extending the line beyond Aurora, possibly as far as Plano, Illinois.^[6]

Quite an assortment of locomotives run on the BNSF Railway. The EMD F40PH, MPI MP36PH-3S, and EMD F40PHM-2 all run on the line, but the F40PHM-2 dominates the fleet.

History

The railroad between Chicago and Aurora was constructed in 1864 by the Chicago and Aurora Railroad, which later merged into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The CB&Q operated the commuter service until the railroad became part of the Burlington Northern in 1970. Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1995 and the name of the railroad became Burlington Northern Santa Fe. It later changed its name to the abbreviation, BNSF.

With three tracks, fast and frequent Amtrak and Metra passenger trains, and BNSF freight trains, the line nicknamed the "race track" is a favorite of rail fans.^[7]

The Clyde station at South Austin Boulevard and West 29th Street in Cicero was closed on April 1, 2007 due to low ridership and its dilapidation. In the months before its closure, it was used by about 50 passengers a day.^[8]

Station stops

Union Station
Halsted Street (16th & Halsted) (Rush Hour Service Only)
Western Avenue (18th & Western)
Cicero (26th & Cicero)
Clyde (Closed)
LaVergne (Rush Hour Service Only)
Berwyn
Harlem Avenue
Riverside
Hollywood (Zoo Stop)
Brookfield
Congress Park (Rush Hour Service Only)
La Grange
Stone Avenue
Western Springs
Highlands (Rush Hour Service Only)
Hinsdale
West Hinsdale (Rush Hour Service Only)
Clarendon Hills
Westmont
Fairview Avenue (Downers Grove)
Downers Grove – Main Street
Belmont (Downers Grove)
Lisle
Naperville
Route 59
Aurora Transportation Center

References

^ State of the System - BNSF
^ http://metrarail.com/content/dam/metra/documents/ridership_reports/PassgrOps_20141021.pdf
^ "Ridership Reports -System Facts". Metra. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009.
^ "BNSF Railway Full Timetable". Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
^ "A step closer on local Metra station". Oswego Ledger-Sentinel. March 12, 2009. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Mann, Leslie (March 23, 2011). "When that lonesome whistle blows, rail fans know where to line up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
^ Ruzich, Joseph (February 21, 2007). "Cicero's Metra stop to receive makeover". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2013.

External links

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/BNSF Railway (Metra)

KML is from Wikidata

Metra BNSF Railway service schedule

[1] State of the System - BNSF

[2] ttp://metrarail.com/content/dam/metra/documents/ridership_reports/PassgrOps_20141021.pdf

[autogenerated1-3] "Ridership Reports -System Facts". Metra. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

[4] "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009.

[5] "BNSF Railway Full Timetable". Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. Retrieved April 9, 2014.

[6] "A step closer on local Metra station". Oswego Ledger-Sentinel. March 12, 2009. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[7] Mann, Leslie (March 23, 2011). "When that lonesome whistle blows, rail fans know where to line up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2013.

[8] Ruzich, Joseph (February 21, 2007). "Cicero's Metra stop to receive makeover". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2013.

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