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| Southwest Service (Metra) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Southwest Service |
| Type | Commuter rail |
| System | Metra |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Start | Chicago Union Station |
| End | Joliet |
| Stations | 12 |
| Owner | BNSF Railway and Metra |
| Operator | Metra |
| Line length | 40 mi |
| Electrification | None |
Southwest Service (Metra) The Southwest Service is a commuter rail line serving the Chicago metropolitan area, connecting Chicago Union Station with Joliet via the Illinois southwest corridor. Operated by Metra, the line provides weekday and weekend passenger service along tracks with freight significance to carriers such as BNSF Railway and intersects with regional hubs linked to Chicago Transit Authority rapid transit lines and Pace bus routes. It supports commuter access to downtown Chicago employment centers and suburban nodes including Oak Lawn, Bolingbrook, and Romeoville.
The corridor's origins trace to the 19th century development of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and later consolidation under Burlington Northern Railroad and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. Growth of suburban Cook County and Will County after World War II elevated demand for commuter services, prompting Regional Transportation Authority and Metra involvement in the late 20th century. The Southwest Service began as part of Metra's system expansions to integrate former freight lines under commuter operations, contemporaneous with developments on lines such as the BNSF Line, Rock Island District, and Milwaukee District West Line. Over time, coordination with freight operators including BNSF Railway and regulatory frameworks like the Surface Transportation Board influenced scheduling, dispatching, and infrastructure investment. Recent decades saw station modernizations akin to projects on the North Central Service, Milwaukee District North Line, and Heritage Corridor to improve accessibility in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The route departs Chicago Union Station, proceeds southwest through Lower West Side trackage rights areas, and traverses suburban municipalities including Bridgeview, Summit, and Lemont before reaching Joliet. Operational coordination requires dispatch agreements with BNSF Railway and compliance with Federal Railroad Administration regulations on safety and Positive Train Control deployments. Trainsets operate primarily during peak commuter windows with limited off-peak and weekend frequencies, comparable to schedules on the Milwaukee District West Line and South Shore Line patterns. Connections at Chicago Union Station link riders to intercity services such as Amtrak routes including the Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle, and local transfers to CTA lines like the Blue Line and Red Line via proximate stations and shuttle services.
Stations along the corridor include Chicago Union Station, Western Avenue, Cicero, Oak Lawn, and suburban stops serving Hodgkins, Willow Springs, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, and Joliet Transportation Center. Several stations have undergone renovations inspired by transit projects such as upgrades on the Rock Island District and Metra Electric District to add elevators, high-level platforms, and sheltered waiting areas. Intermodal connections facilitate transfers to Pace routes and regional rail lines, and proximity to regional roads like Interstate 55 supports park-and-ride lots that mirror infrastructure at stations on the Milwaukee District North Line.
Trains on the Southwest Service typically comprise Siemens Charger diesel locomotives and Nippon Sharyo Gallery Cars or MP36PH-3C units historically used across Metra operations, with cab control cars to enable push-pull service similar to consists on the Rock Island District and BNSF Line. Rolling stock maintenance aligns with standards used by Metra's fleet programs and suppliers such as Stadler Rail and Brookville Equipment in other regional projects. Compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 platform-height standards has driven use of coach types compatible with high-level boarding where available. Propulsion remains diesel; discussions of alternative propulsion seen on lines like the South Shore Line and Caltrain inform fleet planning.
Ridership patterns reflect commuter peaks tied to employment centers in Chicago and suburban business parks in Will County and Cook County. Performance metrics—on-time performance, capacity utilization, and safety incidents—are tracked by Metra alongside federal reporting to the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration. Compared with bus rapid transit projects and other Metra lines such as the Milwaukee District West Line, the Southwest Service contends with freight congestion, which affects schedule adherence similar to challenges on routes shared with CSX Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad elsewhere in the region.
Planned improvements echo regional initiatives like the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program and include infrastructure investments to expand frequencies, upgrade signaling to full Positive Train Control compliance, and enhance stations for accessibility and intermodal connectivity. Proposals have considered increased weekday and weekend service, coordination with BNSF Railway for additional track capacity, and potential capital funding sources such as state transportation grants and federal discretionary programs comparable to funding used on the East-west Passenger Rail Project and CREATE Program. Long-term planning examines connections to commuter strategies on corridors including the West Line (Metra) and regional transit integration aligned with Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning objectives.
Category:Metra lines