LEADERS ANNOUNCE $14.4 MILLION TO BUILD PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL AND NEW METRA STATION
WHO: Village of Glen Ellyn President Diane McGinley and the Village of Glen Ellyn Board of Trustees, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (District 6) and other officials
WHAT: Announcement and celebration of $14.4 million in federal funds to build a new train station in
downtown Glen Ellyn, including construction of a pedestrian tunnel just west of the new train station
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 25 at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Current Glen Ellyn Metra Station, 551 Crescent Blvd. *On-street parking may be available and additional parking can be found in the parking lots to the
east and west of the train station, 551 Crescent Blvd.
BACKGROUND:
In October, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) notified the Village of an award of
$14.4 million in funding for the Glen Ellyn Metra Station. CMAP allocates these federal funds, which
are made available through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement
program.
The currently estimated $20 million project proposes constructing a new ADA compliant pedestrian
tunnel/underpass that will greatly improve station and downtown safety. Commuters currently use the
at-grade crossings to access the station from the parking lots and residences on the south side of the
tracks. The project will also address significant ADA issues at the current facility. The project includes
designated ADA drop-off and pick-up areas on either side of the tracks, ADA accessible washrooms
and accessible ramps and sidewalks. It also improves overall multimodal access by increasing
accessibility for Pace bus service and expands bicycle parking from 92 spaces to 200 spaces.
The Glen Ellyn Metra Station is the second busiest stop on the Union Pacific West (UP-W) line. The
proposed project would increase capacity in order to accommodate current and future ridership.
The station improvements would also serve as a catalyst for future transit-oriented development in
the downtown area.
