Suburban Transit Access Route (Metra)
Encyclopedia
The Suburban Transit Access Route (or STAR Line) is a proposed railway project in northwest and outer suburban Chicago, Illinois, USA. On January 30, 2003, Metra
announced plans to build a new service line that would introduce a new fleet of Diesel multiple unit
trains (DMUs) to connect nearly 100 communities in the region and form Metra's only suburb-to-suburb service. Currently all of Metra's services are oriented on suburb-to-city travel.
The route of the STAR line is planned to travel along the EJ&E
right of way and in the median of the Northwest Tollway
(Interstate 90
). The tollway median was a proposed extension of the CTA Blue Line westward to Schaumburg. But these plans cancelled it. Very high ridership is expected due to its unique travel theme: around 80000 passengers a day The line will be 55 miles in length.
The preliminary cost estimate for the STAR Line was $1.1 billion. The project was authorized under the most recent federal transportation funding bill, SAFETEA-LU, in 2005. The project is currently undergoing Alternatives Analysis as the next step in the process to secure federal funding for the project.
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
announced plans to build a new service line that would introduce a new fleet of Diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
trains (DMUs) to connect nearly 100 communities in the region and form Metra's only suburb-to-suburb service. Currently all of Metra's services are oriented on suburb-to-city travel.
The route of the STAR line is planned to travel along the EJ&E
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway
The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana...
right of way and in the median of the Northwest Tollway
Northwest Tollway
The Jane Addams Memorial Tollway in Illinois is a 79-mile segment of Interstate 90 from Interstate 190 in far northwest Chicago to Illinois Route 75, one mile south of the Wisconsin state line. For 16 miles , Interstate 90 is concurrent with Interstate 39 and U.S. Route 51...
(Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
). The tollway median was a proposed extension of the CTA Blue Line westward to Schaumburg. But these plans cancelled it. Very high ridership is expected due to its unique travel theme: around 80000 passengers a day The line will be 55 miles in length.
The preliminary cost estimate for the STAR Line was $1.1 billion. The project was authorized under the most recent federal transportation funding bill, SAFETEA-LU, in 2005. The project is currently undergoing Alternatives Analysis as the next step in the process to secure federal funding for the project.
Proposed Stations
- O'Hare TransferO'Hare Transfer (Metra)O'Hare Transfer is a commuter railroad station along Metra's North Central Service that serves Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The station is away from Union Station, the southern terminus of the line...
Chicago - Elmhurst Rd. Des Plaines/Mt. Prospect/Elk Grove Village
- Busse Rd. Elk Grove Village
- Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights/Elk Grove Village
- Golf Rd. Rolling Meadows
- IKEA Schaumburg
- Roselle Rd. Schaumburg
- Barrington Rd. Hoffman Estates
- Prairie Stone Hoffman Estates
- Spaulding Elgin/Bartlett
- North Av. West Chicago
- West Chicago/Geneva
- Warrenville
- Aurora/Batavia
- Eola Aurora/Naperville
- Naperville
- Plainfield
- Division St. Joliet
- Joliet