Kendall County: Metra Holds Public Meetings On Rail Extension

OSWEGO, IL — The Metra Kendall Extension Study continues to chug along this year, and on Monday, Dec. 2 and Tuesday, Dec. 3 it made its latest stops. Study project staff met with residents of Kendall and DeKalb Counties at 'open house' meetings to discuss the possibility of Metra service extending into their areas. At present, The Metra BNSF line that connects western suburbs to downtown Chicago, ends in Aurora. The study is conducting the cost/benefit analyses involved in extending that line out to Oswego, Yorkville or even Sandwich, and public feedback is part of the equation.

"What we're doing is the engineering and the environmental studies... We're going to finish that work next summer and when we do, we'll turn that analysis over to the backers of this project," Metra Media Relations Manager Michael Gillis said. "Those are, you know, people in these towns along Kendall County, and it will be up to them to figure out whether they want to proceed with it, and if so, how they're going to fund it. Both in terms of how they're going to pay to build it and how they're going to pay to operate and maintain it."

Among the attendees at the Tuesday open house in Oswego, a common opinion was that an extended train line would be nice - the tax cost of building and operating it, less so. All Metra service is currently operated by the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), which serves Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. The potential extension would go beyond this boundary, meaning its construction and operating costs would fall to Kendall and DeKalb Counties directly.

"The hard part is the funding, and that's going to have to be solved by backers of the project," Gillis said. "They know, and we've told them, our priority is the six-county RTA region... If this is going to happen, it's going to have to come from resources outside of what Metra currently has."

This sticker shock is enough that some residents, like John Brodemus, questioned whether the project is worth it - especially for those who do not go to Chicago or use public transportation often.

"I think that ultimately it probably would be a good thing, the problem is the funding for it... are the [Metra] non-users willing to go in, to chip in for your convenience?" Brodemus mused.

Others claimed the potential tax increase was more than worth the extended service. One attendee voiced firm support for the extension, citing the growing population of Kendall County - the fastest growing county in the state - the potential savings in gas and parking fees, and the environmental benefits of getting commuters off the highway, among other issues.

"It's long overdue," she said.

Sandwich Alderman Kevin Kelleher said he thought a Metra extension would be a boon for his town, and suggested the Metra line should go all the way to Sandwich, the farthest west that service extension is being proposed. He said new Metra stations, and the new train yards that would have to be built to support them, would stimulate the local economy and increase citizens' quality of life.

"I want it to come out to Sandwich and see economic development on the whole corridor... it would bring a lot of revenue to the town, it would make it more accessible," Kelleher said. He even suggested sites for development: "We have the Sandwich Fairgrounds which is on the west end of town, and it's the perfect location for a [train] yard."

Whatever residents' opinions or predictions, Gillis and other Metra staff pointed out that the Extension Study - nevermind actual construction - was far from finished. It is expected to continue through the summer of 2020, and involve a number of further investigations into logistics, Metra ridership trends, environmental impacts, expenditure and public opinion. More open houses like the ones on Monday and Tuesday will be held in the Spring, and only after the study concludes will the decision to build the extension - or not - be passed on to the county stakeholders.

"It's a matter of gathering data to help the people who will have to make the decision, make an educated decision," Gillis said.

For more information on the Kendall Metra Extension, including a map of proposed station sites, please visit the Kendall Extension Study website.