Homewood station

For other uses, seeHomewood station (disambiguation).

Homewood, IL
Homewood station in March 2017. The formerIllinois Central Railroadstation is on the left, theMetraplatform in the center and theAmtrakplatform on the right.
General information
Location	18015 Park Avenue Homewood, Illinois United States
Coordinates	41.5624°N 87.6686°W/41.5624; -87.6686
Owned by	CN/Metra
Line(s)	CNChicago Subdivision (Amtrak) University Park Sub District (Metra)
Platforms	2Island platforms
Tracks	4 (2 Amtrak, 2 Metra Electric)
Connections	Pace
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak:HMW
Fare zone	3 (Metra)
History
Opened	1923(1923)
Electrified	Overhead line,1,500 V DC(Metra)
Passengers
FY 2023	35,220 annually(Amtrak)
2018	1,171 (average weekday) 10.5% (Metra)
Rank	32 out of 236 (Metra)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Kankakee towardNew Orleans City of New Orleans Chicago Terminus Kankakee towardCarbondale IlliniandSaluki Preceding station Metra Following station Flossmoor towardUniversity Park Metra Electric Main Line Calumet towardMillennium Station
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Chicago Terminus James Whitcomb RileyandGeorge Washington 1971–1974 Kankakee (Penn Central) towardWashington, D.C.orNewport News Rantoul towardChampaign–Urbana Campus 1971–1972 Chicago–Central Terminus Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station Matteson towardNew Orleans Main Line Harvey towardChicago Flossmoor towardRichton Electric Suburban Main Line Calumet towardRandolph Street
Track layout CONO,Illini and Saluki north toChicago Union Station MEnorth toMillennium Dixie Hwy. MEsouth toUniversity Park CONOsouth toNew Orleans Illini and Salukisouth toCarbondale
Location

Homewood stationis anAmtrakintercity andMetracommutertrain stationinHomewood, Illinois.It is also the location of theHomewood Railroad Park Museum.

Served by theMetra Electric District,Homewood is 23.5 miles (37.8 km) from that line's northern terminus atMillennium Station.It is six stops away from the line's southern terminus atUniversity Park.In Metra's zone-based fare system, Homewood is located in zone 3. As of 2018,Homewood is the 32nd busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,171 weekday boardings.It is also 25 miles (40 km) fromUnion Station,the northern terminus of the three Amtrak services which stop here.

History

In 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad began construction of their new rail line which branched south of Chicago to what is now the Village of Homewood. The first passenger train to run on this line ran from Chicago to Kankakee, IL on August 5, 1853, and stopped in present day Homewood. Also in 1853, the Illinois Central built a one-and-a-half story depot to serve to area. When the depot was built, the nearest town to the new depot was the large village of Thornton, IL, about three miles to the east of the depot, and the depot was named the "Illinois Central Thornton Depot" for sixteen years. In 1869, the depot was officially renamed to the Homewood Station.

TheIllinois Central Railroadbuilt the current Homewood Depot in 1923 to serve thePanama LimitedandSeminole Limited.The station house, now used by Amtrak, was built in amission revivalstyle in order to complement the architecture of the clubhouse of the nearbyRavisloe Country Club.

Three years after the station opened, commuter services began. Throughout the years, the station also served such intercity trains as theCity of New Orleans,Creole,andGreen Diamond.In 1971,Amtrakassumed control of the Illinois Central's passenger operations and continued to stop at Homewood. Metra purchased the commuter services in 1987. In 2003 the Homewood Rail Heritage Committee approved the installation of a train watching platform for railfans similar to that of theRochelle Railroad ParkinRochelle, Illinois.As with many suburban Metra stations, bus connections are provided byPace Transit Systems.

On the Metra Electric, it is a regular stop on the main line. On Amtrak, it is served by the regionalIlliniandSalukiand the long-distanceCity of New Orleans.

2020s renovation

The station is undergoing renovations. The renovations will improve the facilitates and bring the station complex into compliance with theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990.Prior to the renovation, among the accessibility issues was a lack of an accessible path to the platforms from the west-side of the tracks (where Amtrak's station building is located).

The first part of the project is a $15 million renovation by Amtrak of its facilities at the station. This project is utilizing federal funds. The Amtrak station closed in August 2020 for the renovations.Much of the architectural features of the Amtrak portion of the station will be retained, as the facility is on the Illinois Register of Historical Places. It will be expanded with a new structure.Amtrak will construct demolish the current boarding platform and build a new covered island platform to serve the two tracks that its trains utilize at the station.

After Amtrak completes its renovation of its facilities, Metra will, separately, begin a $14 million renovation of their facilities at the station. Metra's plans are to replace their station structure at Harwood Avenue and Ridge Road with a new structure, and to renovate the track-access tunnel. The project will also see the adjacent Pace bus terminal reconfigured It will be funded, through a combined $9 million funds from theFederal Transit AdministrationandChicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning,with a further $4 million coming from Metra, $585,000 coming from Homewood, and $300,000 coming fromCook County.Metra's renovation of their facilities at the Homewood station was announced in 2020, and is part of a five-year capital investment plan involving the renovation of nine stations (including Homewood) on the Metra Electric District.

Bus connections

Pace

• 356 Harvey/Homewood/Tinley Park
• 359 Robbins/South Kedzie Avenue (weekdays only)

External links

Media related toHomewood (Amtrak station)at Wikimedia Commons

• Homewood, IL – Amtrak
• Homewood, IL – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Metra – Stations – Homewood
• Homewood Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Homewood Railroad Park (NRHS: Blackhawk Chapter)
• Chicago Railfan image (Homewood Station)