Union Pacific Northwest Line

Route map
	Legend
	63.2 mi
	101.7 km
	Former service
	to Williams Bay
	76.4 mi
	123 km
Williams Bay text
	70.4 mi
	113.3 km
	64.9 mi
	104.4 km
	Nippersink Creek
	(north branch)
	61.6 mi
	99.1 km
	Wisconsin
	Illinois
	Nippersink Creek
	(north branch)
	59.9 mi
	96.4 km
	Milwaukee Road North Line
	to Walworth
	Milwaukee Road North Line
	to Fox Lake & Union Station
	53.8 mi
	86.6 km
	52.8 mi
	85 km
	Johnsburg
	proposed
	63.1 mi
	101.5 km
	Kishwaukee River
	(north branch)
	55.7 mi
	89.6 km
	Woodstock Yard
	planned
	51.6 mi
	83 km
	50.6 mi
	81.4 km
	47.3 mi
	76.1 km
	Prairie Grove
	proposed
	45.7 mi
	73.5 km
	43.2 mi
	69.5 km
	41.7 mi
	67.1 km
	38.6 mi
	62.1 km
	37.3 mi
	60 km
	31.9 mi
	51.3 km
	26.4 mi
	42.5 km
	24.4 mi
	39.3 km
	22.8 mi
	36.7 km
	20.0 mi
	32.2 km
	18.6 mi
	29.9 km
	to Antioch
	to Union Station
	17.1 mi
	27.5 km
	15.0 mi
	24.1 km
	13.5 mi
	21.7 km
	12.6 mi
	20.3 km
	11.4 mi
	18.3 km
	10.1 mi
	16.3 km
	9.1 mi
	14.6 km
	to Fox Lake
	to Union Station
	12.3 mi
	19.8 km
	10.8 mi
	17.4 km
	9.8 mi
	15.8 km
	Weber Subdivision
	to UP-N
	7.6 mi
	12.2 km
	7.1 mi
	11.4 km
	7.0 mi
	11.3 km
	5.9 mi
	9.5 km
	5.1 mi
	8.2 km
	4.1 mi
	6.6 km
	2.9 mi
	4.7 km
	MD-N MD-W NCS/Amtrak
	to Union Station

Union Pacific Northwest Line
Union Pacific Northwest Line
	A Union Pacific Northwest Line train led by an EMD F40PH in the Norwood Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
Overview
Service type	Commuter Rail
Locale	Cook and McHenry counties, Illinois
Current operator(s)	Metra; Union Pacific Railroad;
Ridership	38,600 (Avg. Weekday 2014); 18,800 (Avg. Weekend 2014)
Annual ridership	4,618,099 (2023)
Route
Termini	Ogilvie Transportation Center; Harvard, McHenry
Stops	22 (to Harvard); 20 (to McHenry); 23 (total)
Line(s) used	Harvard Subdivision; McHenry Subdivision;
Technical
Track owner(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	63.2 mi
	101.7 km
	Former service
	to Williams Bay
	76.4 mi
	123 km
Williams Bay text
	70.4 mi
	113.3 km
	64.9 mi
	104.4 km
	Nippersink Creek
	(north branch)
	61.6 mi
	99.1 km
	Wisconsin
	Illinois
	Nippersink Creek
	(north branch)
	59.9 mi
	96.4 km
	Milwaukee Road North Line
	to Walworth
	Milwaukee Road North Line
	to Fox Lake & Union Station
	53.8 mi
	86.6 km
	52.8 mi
	85 km
	Johnsburg
	proposed
	63.1 mi
	101.5 km
	Kishwaukee River
	(north branch)
	55.7 mi
	89.6 km
	Woodstock Yard
	planned
	51.6 mi
	83 km
	50.6 mi
	81.4 km
	47.3 mi
	76.1 km
	Prairie Grove
	proposed
	45.7 mi
	73.5 km
	43.2 mi
	69.5 km
	41.7 mi
	67.1 km
	38.6 mi
	62.1 km
	37.3 mi
	60 km
	31.9 mi
	51.3 km
	26.4 mi
	42.5 km
	24.4 mi
	39.3 km
	22.8 mi
	36.7 km
	20.0 mi
	32.2 km
	18.6 mi
	29.9 km
	to Antioch
	to Union Station
	17.1 mi
	27.5 km
	15.0 mi
	24.1 km
	13.5 mi
	21.7 km
	12.6 mi
	20.3 km
	11.4 mi
	18.3 km
	10.1 mi
	16.3 km
	9.1 mi
	14.6 km
	to Fox Lake
	to Union Station
	12.3 mi
	19.8 km
	10.8 mi
	17.4 km
	9.8 mi
	15.8 km
	Weber Subdivision
	to UP-N
	7.6 mi
	12.2 km
	7.1 mi
	11.4 km
	7.0 mi
	11.3 km
	5.9 mi
	9.5 km
	5.1 mi
	8.2 km
	4.1 mi
	6.6 km

The Union Pacific Northwest Line (UP-NW) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not refer to any of its lines by colors, the timetable accents for the Union Pacific Northwest Line are bright "Viking Yellow," honoring the Chicago & North Western Railway's Viking passenger train.^[4]

The line runs from Ogilvie Transportation Center to Harvard, Illinois. However, most trains terminate in Crystal Lake, Illinois. A branch line to McHenry, Illinois operates during weekday rush hours in the peak direction. Overall, this is Metra's longest route and one of three routes with branches (the others being the Rock Island District and Metra Electric District). The line is Metra's second busiest with an average of 38,600 boardings on a weekday. It is second only to the BNSF Line.

As of February 16, 2024, Metra operates 78 trains (39 in each direction) on the line on weekdays. Of these, 14 inbound trains originate from Harvard, three from McHenry, 13 from Crystal Lake, four from Barrington, one from Palatine, and four from Des Plaines. Five outbound trains terminate at Des Plaines, three at Palatine, three at Barrington, 12 at Crystal Lake, three at McHenry, and 13 at Harvard.

Metra operates 34 trains (17 in each direction) on the line on Saturdays. Of these, 10 inbound trains originate from Harvard, five from Crystal Lake, one from Barrington, and one from Arlington Heights. Two outbound trains terminate at Barrington, five at Crystal Lake, and 10 at Harvard.

Metra operates 21 trains (10 inbound, 11 outbound) on the line on Sundays. Of these, seven inbound trains originate from Harvard, two from Crystal Lake, and one from Arlington Heights. Three outbound trains terminate at Crystal Lake and eight terminate at Harvard.

There is no service at Gladstone Park station or on the McHenry branch on weekends or holidays. All other stations are open daily.

The main line is triple-tracked from Clybourn to just southeast of Barrington, with a bidirectional express track, and double tracked from Barrington to Harvard. The McHenry branch is single-tracked. Historically, double track was maintained from Harvard to Baraboo, Wisconsin. A now-gone portion of the Union Pacific Northwest Line diverged at Harvard and passed through Beloit, Wisconsin, and reconnected to the main line at Evansville junction to allow a separate passenger and freight line. Around the time the Beloit line was abandoned, the railroad single-tracked the line from Harvard to Janesville.

Metra has included the possibility of extending the McHenry branch to Johnsburg in their Cost Benefit Analysis report. If this were to happen, the branch would open an infill station in Prairie Grove. Additionally, an infill station would open in Ridgefield between Crystal Lake and Woodstock along the line to Harvard.^[5]

By the first quarter of 2024, the Union Pacific Railroad is expected to transfer operations of the three Union Pacific lines to Metra. The Union Pacific will continue to own and maintain the right-of-way.^[6]

Ridership

Between 2014 and 2019, annual ridership declined from 11,609,358 to 10,384,356, an overall decline of 10.6%.^[7]^[8] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped to 2,602,403 passengers in 2020.^[9]^[10]

2,500,000

5,000,000

7,500,000

10,000,000

12,500,000

15,000,000

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Stations

Map of this section's coordinates, or show using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

State	County	Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
WI	Rock		Evansville	Evansville	Closed 1965^{[citation needed]}
			Janesville	Janesville	Closed
			Clinton	Clinton	Closed 1966^{[citation needed]}
	Walworth		Sharon	Sharon	Closed 1966^{[citation needed]}
IL	McHenry	4	Harvard	Harvard	Pace: 808 42°25′11.6″N 88°37′3.0″W / 42.419889°N 88.617500°W / 42.419889; -88.617500 (Harvard station)
			Hartland	Hartland	Closed 1984^[11]
			Woodstock	Woodstock	Pace: 807, 808 42°19′1″N 88°26′53″W / 42.31694°N 88.44806°W / 42.31694; -88.44806 (Woodstock station)
			Ridgefield	Ridgefield	Closed, proposed new stop
		4	Crystal Lake	Crystal Lake	Pace: 550, 806, 808 42°14′38.8″N 88°19′1.9″W / 42.244111°N 88.317194°W / 42.244111; -88.317194 (Crystal Lake station)
				McHenry branch begins/ends
				Pingree Road	42°14′3.1″N 88°17′52.8″W / 42.234194°N 88.298000°W / 42.234194; -88.298000 (Pingree Road station)
			Cary	Cary	42°12′32.4″N 88°14′29.4″W / 42.209000°N 88.241500°W / 42.209000; -88.241500 (Cary station)
			Fox River Grove	Fox River Grove	Formerly named Chicago Highlands 42°11′52.4″N 88°13′9.8″W / 42.197889°N 88.219389°W / 42.197889; -88.219389 (Fox River Grove station)
	Cook		Barrington	Barrington	42°9′10.4″N 88°7′55.2″W / 42.152889°N 88.132000°W / 42.152889; -88.132000 (Barrington station)
			Palatine	Palatine	42°6′47.2″N 88°2′54.2″W / 42.113111°N 88.048389°W / 42.113111; -88.048389 (Palatine station)
		3	Arlington Heights	Arlington Park	42°5′43.1″N 88°0′33.1″W / 42.095306°N 88.009194°W / 42.095306; -88.009194 (Arlington Park station)
			Arlington Heights	Arlington Heights	42°5′3.5″N 87°59′1.0″W / 42.084306°N 87.983611°W / 42.084306; -87.983611 (Arlington Heights station)
			Mount Prospect	Mount Prospect	Pace: 234 42°3′47.2″N 87°56′10.0″W / 42.063111°N 87.936111°W / 42.063111; -87.936111 (Mount Prospect station)
			Des Plaines	Cumberland	Pace: 208, 221, 234 42°3′8.6″N 87°54′43.9″W / 42.052389°N 87.912194°W / 42.052389; -87.912194 (Cumberland station)
			Des Plaines	Des Plaines	Pace: 208, 209, 226, 230, 234, 250 Pace Pulse: 101 Dempster Line 42°2′28″N 87°53′13″W / 42.04111°N 87.88694°W / 42.04111; -87.88694 (Des Plaines station)
		2	Park Ridge	Dee Road	Pace: 209, 226, 240 42°1′26.8″N 87°51′22.3″W / 42.024111°N 87.856194°W / 42.024111; -87.856194 (Dee Road station)
			Park Ridge	Park Ridge	Pace: 209, 241, 290 CTA Bus: 68 42°0′36.7″N 87°49′53.8″W / 42.010194°N 87.831611°W / 42.010194; -87.831611 (Park Ridge station)
			Skokie	Skokie	Skokie branch; Closed December 1, 1958
			Lincolnwood	Lincolnwood	Skokie branch; Closed December 1, 1958
			Chicago	Sauganash	Skokie branch; Closed December 1, 1958
				Peterson	Weber branch; Closed December 1, 1958
				Edison Park	CTA Bus: 68 42°0′9.0″N 87°49′4.8″W / 42.002500°N 87.818000°W / 42.002500; -87.818000 (Edison Park station)
				Norwood Park	CTA Bus: 68 41°59′30.5″N 87°47′56.0″W / 41.991806°N 87.798889°W / 41.991806; -87.798889 (Norwood Park station)
				Gladstone Park	CTA Bus: 68 41°58′47.3″N 87°46′40.4″W / 41.979806°N 87.777889°W / 41.979806; -87.777889 (Gladstone Park station)
				Jefferson Park	Chicago "L": Blue CTA Bus: 56, 68, 81, 81W, 85, 85A, 88, 91, 92 Pace: 225, 226, 270 Pace Pulse: 100 Milwaukee Line 41°58′15.64″N 87°45′45.18″W / 41.9710111°N 87.7625500°W / 41.9710111; -87.7625500 (Jefferson Park Transit Center)
				Mayfair	Closed December 1, 1958
				Kostner	Closed December 1, 1958
				Irving Park	Chicago "L": Blue (at Irving Park) CTA Bus: 53, N53, 54A, 80 41°57′9.0″N 87°43′48.4″W / 41.952500°N 87.730111°W / 41.952500; -87.730111 (Irving Park station)
				Parkview	Closed December 1, 1958
				Avondale	Closed December 1, 1958
				Maplewood	Closed December 1, 1958
		2		Clybourn	Metra: ■ Union Pacific North CTA Bus: 9, X9, 73 41°55′1.9″N 87°40′5.5″W / 41.917194°N 87.668194°W / 41.917194; -87.668194 (Clybourn station)
		1		Ogilvie Transportation Center	Metra: ■ Union Pacific North, ■ Union Pacific West Chicago "L": Green Pink (at Clinton) CTA Bus: J14, 19, 56, 60, 120, 124, 125, 126, 128, 130, 157, 192 41°52′57.7″N 87°38′25.1″W / 41.882694°N 87.640306°W / 41.882694; -87.640306 (Ogilvie Transportation Center)

McHenry branch

The branch, which formerly had service north to Williams Bay, branches off from the main line north of Pingree Road.

State	County	Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
WI	Walworth
			Williams Bay	Williams Bay	Closed 1966^{[citation needed]}
			Lake Geneva	Lake Geneva	Closed 1975
			Pell Lake	Pell Lake	Closed 1975
			Genoa City	Genoa City	Closed 1975
IL	McHenry	4
			Richmond	Richmond	Closed 1980
			Ringwood	Ringwood	Closed 1980^{[citation needed]}
			Johnsburg	Johnsburg	Proposed new stop
			McHenry	McHenry	Pace: 806, 807 42°20′36.2″N 88°16′33.6″W / 42.343389°N 88.276000°W / 42.343389; -88.276000 (McHenry station)
			Prairie Grove	Prairie Grove	Proposed new stop

References

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ State of the System - Union Pacific Northwest
^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-02.
^ "Systemwide Cost Benefit Analysis of Major Capital Improvements" (PDF). Retrieved May 7, 2022.
^ "Union Pacific Transferring Commuter Rail Services to Metra". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018" (PDF). Metra. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019" (PDF). Metra. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
^ RTAMS. "Metra Ridership by Line".
^ Ridership Trends - Annual Report 2017 (PDF) (Report). Metra Division of Strategic Capital Planning. February 2018. p. 32. Retrieved December 2, 2018.

External links

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Union Pacific / Northwest Line

KML is from Wikidata

Metra Union Pacific/Northwest Archived 2016-06-28 at the Wayback Machine service schedule

Media related to Metra Union Pacific/Northwest Line at Wikimedia Commons

[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[3] State of the System - Union Pacific Northwest

[4] "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-02.

[5] "Systemwide Cost Benefit Analysis of Major Capital Improvements" (PDF). Retrieved May 7, 2022.

[6] "Union Pacific Transferring Commuter Rail Services to Metra". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

[2018report-7] "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018" (PDF). Metra. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2019.

[2019report-8] "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019" (PDF). Metra. Retrieved 27 February 2021.

[9] "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-04.

[10] RTAMS. "Metra Ridership by Line".

[11] Ridership Trends - Annual Report 2017 (PDF) (Report). Metra Division of Strategic Capital Planning. February 2018. p. 32. Retrieved December 2, 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]