METRA Wrightwood Station and other SWS questions...

Everyone: I did a Google Maps search of the SWS line after noticing a new METRA station at Wrightwood (79th/Kedzie/SW Highway) that was moved W of Kedzie Avenue onto land adjacent that was previously vacant...When was it built? The 80s built platform to the E of Kedzie Avenue was totally removed and the staircase down to the NE corner 79/Kedzie was removed and that area fenced in...
The platform to the E of Kedzie Avenue was built sometime in the 80s on the former Landers station site...this station basically had a decent "walk-on" ridership from the surrounding neighborhoods...but had virtually no parking.
The only place to park that could be used was the large Burger King parking lot adjacent to S. Sawyer Avenue...my relatives lived just one block away at 78th/Sawyer Avenue until 1988...I recall that you could see trains passing from the SE front window of that house...and looking over the neighborhood at other changes in that area was quite interesting...I even noticed that the N&W circle logo signs were removed from the overpass at 79/Kedzie but you can see where they were...this was a walk down "Memory Lane" for me on many ways...

With the new buildings and improvements at both Wrightwood and Ashburn-I noticed that station was moved slightly west also with improved parking-are the waiting rooms at both staffed or otherwise useable?
I noticed the Oak Lawn station (the busiest on SWS and traditionally going back to N&W days) was moved E from 96/Cook to near 95/Tulley...it looks like a good move on METRA's part...and the old building looks still intact...
I now understand why more trains do not run S of Orland Park-143rd Street-I noticed the single track S of that point...and looking at Orland Park/179th Street I noticed the yard...I noticed that a connection at New Lenox between
SWS and the RI District would not be practical or moving the RI station E...a passing siding at Laraway Road...and the terminus in Manhattan noticing the end of the SWS tracks there.

Was there ever a second track S of 143rd Street and did METRA single track that former N&W/Wabash ROW?
With METRA expanding service how is the ridership today and will the proposed LaSalle Street Station shift affect SWS ridership?
This is definitely a METRA success story remembering that this service descended from a single train operation in the 70s to RTA's takeover at the end of that decade that added the second train...
and with the demand METRA added more trains and extended service to what we have there today...

Thoughts and memories from MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone: I did a Google Maps search of the SWS line after noticing a new METRA station at Wrightwood (79th/Kedzie/SW Highway) that was moved W of Kedzie Avenue onto land adjacent that was previously vacant...When was it built?

The new Wrightwood station was moved 0.2 of a mile west of its previous location, and was completed in 2004. It officially went into service effective with the 12/20/04 issue of the SWS schedule...

MACTRAXX wrote:Was there ever a second track S of 143rd Street and did METRA single track that former N&W/Wabash ROW?

In conjunction with upgrading the entire line to CTC, Metra also added about 3 miles of additional double track (extending track 2 westward), and built a new interlocking plant (known today as CP "Palos") between Palos Park and 143rd during the "new start project" for SWS. The upgrades were complete about nine months before trains began running to Manhattan, while the revisions to SWS were included in a 3/1/05 update to the Metra section of CORA. Historically, I don't think the Wabash ever double-tracked south of 143rd St., but cannot confirm that for sure...

MACTRAXX wrote:With the new buildings and improvements at both Wrightwood and Ashburn-I noticed that station was moved slightly west also with improved parking-are the waiting rooms at both staffed or otherwise usable?

Neither Wrightwood or Ashburn are staffed with a ticket agent, the only station along SWS outside of CUS to have a ticket agent is 153rd Street... even though Oak Lawn does have the highest ridership and I believe the new station was built with a ticket office, no agent has been placed there.

MACTRAXX wrote:With METRA expanding service how is the ridership today and will the proposed LaSalle Street Station shift affect SWS ridership?

Ridership on SWS is down slightly which does not come as a surprise with the economy. The latest numbers are from June where ridership on the line was down 0.4% compared to June of last year and compared with 2008 ridership is down 3.4%. Fortunately, MED & RI's 7%+ losses have not continued to SWS. However compared to 2005 prior to expanded service, ridership has gone up about 25%

As for the relocation to LaSalle Street.. I do think this will ultimately improve SWS ridership, as I would suspect the travel times would decrease and on-time performance would improve. The only downside to moving SWS to LaSalle Street is, LaSalle Street Station itself. The waiting area can barely hold RI passengers now, so this would have to be expanded.

And where are you going to put the trains at LaSalle St? There's no room for what they have now. And the two mains between LaSalle and 75th are going to be awfully crowded.

Hello Mactraxx , the Wrightwood /Ashburn neighborhood was my old stomping grounds. back in the 90s and early 2000 I lived on 79th & Washtenaw. As Doepack stated the station was in the 12/20/04 schedule but actually opened for service a month or so before that. I remember that new station being open when I went to the thanksgiving day parade in 04'. However was under construction when I rode the last Amtrak International April 04.My remaining Family members moved out of the neighborhood in 05/06. I appreciated the SWS terminating @ CUS for the number of times I rode SWS from Wrightwood my train would pull up directly beside and share the platform with the International ( needless to say I never left the platform unless the Amtrak crew was not around) I was allowed to hop from one to the other.

The new Wrightwood station does have a good amount of parking, which is a plus! If you parked at the Burger king across the street chances are you got towed, I watched it happen very often. Many people using the SWS from wrightwood use to park on Sawyer, Spalding, or Troy. I use to just walk it from home. Also during the remodel between the Ashburn and Wrightwood stations there was a run around/ siding track added to the north side of the main. and all the switches were replaced from hand thrown to motorized. I believe only the ones that are after the main switch leading into the NS yard ( across form the new Wrightwood platform) are still hand operated as well as the ones put into the run around/siding are hand thrown. Im not sure about past 143rd st ether but one other major change was added to the SWS in "the new start project" the addition of the Palos heights station. before the project it was just a grassy field.

Im still trying to figure out the Lasalle street move it seems quite absurd to me, as MetraRI has stated and other inconvenience of Lasalle St. station is justification not to move the SWS service, however I understand the traffic jam situation currently on the southside of CUS so I wont play devils advocate. I believe if SWS service does get the move to Lasalle a small yard will be constructed just south of Roosevelt Rd. to hold the additional train sets. Its actually abandoned RR land that was to become a park, however until today it still has not been overhauled into one.

It was a site to see, back in the day I would walk my two dobermans along that stretch of grassy land adjacent to the tracks between Wrightwood and Ashburn every weekday and watch the NS guys throw the switches themselves to do switching operations from the yard, and do it in a rush in the morning and evenings before the Metras came rolling through.

bones wrote:And where are you going to put the trains at LaSalle St? There's no room for what they have now. And the two mains between LaSalle and 75th are going to be awfully crowded.

From what I understand.. a third main is planned from Gresham to 16th Street as well as expanding 47th Street yard. I doubt anything will happen before 2015.

buddah wrote:Im still trying to figure out the Lasalle street move it seems quite absurd to me, as MetraRI has stated and other inconvenience of Lasalle St. station is justification not to move the SWS service, however I understand the traffic jam situation currently on the southside of CUS so I wont play devils advocate. I believe if SWS service does get the move to Lasalle a small yard will be constructed just south of Roosevelt Rd. to hold the additional train sets. Its actually abandoned RR land that was to become a park, however until today it still has not been overhauled into one.

The extension of Ping Tom Park is actively being developed. I don't see anyone allowing a yard to be placed in that area as the land is too valuable (ironic, isn't it?). Maybe cars could be kept at Global 1? Oh wait, there isn't a turn-out south of the 21st street bridge to G1, is there?



Yes, this image only shows south of the SCAL. I think it's all going to be residential north of SCAL; I had some renderings at one point but seem to have lost them.

Doepack,MET-RI and Buddah: Thanks for the replies about the relocation of Wrightwood station-I last visited the area almost exactly 10 years ago-mid September 2000 to be exact-and I should have mentioned this in my original post.

As many know here the single train that N&W ran was transferred to Union Station in late 1976 from the last remaining remnant of Dearborn Station at the corner of Polk and Clark Streets...and for the next three years the solid ridership grew
enough for the RTA to take over the service in 1979 introducing then-new F40PH locomotives and bilevel cars...

I remember that parking was a problem for commuters-I recall that the apartment buildings next to the former station location had "Residents Only" parking signs posted warning that violators were subject to be towed...in the Burger King lot I recall that commuters usually parked away from the BK building-like along Sawyer Avenue-to avoid hassle but as now mentioned BK now does subject violators to tow...another memory I have is crossing those busy streets to get to the station: I always had to cross SW Highway and either Kedzie Avenue or 79th Street depending on how I got to or left the station-it usually was Kedzie Avenue but sometimes I would walk the track behind the train and then would have to cross 79th Street-it was always two of those roads...

Buddah: I also recall that back in the days before NS fenced off large sections of Landers Yard the walkers from Albany,Troy and Whipple Streets and that area walking across the yard tracks to get to the station (provided there was no switching activity) before train time...I also wonder now if commuters parked over in that area as well as on Sawyer and Spaulding Avenues to access the train...

Does anyone recall exactly in the 80s when the 75/Western stop was discontinued? I noticed via Google Maps Streetview that the staircase up to track level there looks like it is still intact...I remember a gravel platform at track level and a walkway along one of the tracks on the bridge that was level with the bottom step on the METRA bilevel cars or for that matter the bottom stair on the old N&W cars...the N&W conductors used a step-box with the old cars and I believe they used them into the early RTA days...

Thanks for the information on the SWS route from all...because of the service offered back in my regular visiting days I have still not ridden this line S of Ashburn Station...

From what I was able to see moving Wrightwood and Ashburn stations was a good move by METRA...and how SWS has again become a METRA success story...

More thoughts and memories from MACTRAXX