It’s official: Metra announced today that the new Peterson/Ridge station will open to the public this month on May 20th!
The station opening will include four new trains that will offer weekday service on the UP North Line. These added trains will begin service on May 20th, and fill gaps in rush hour service to provide more reliable transit options during those times and reduce crowding on rush hours trains. The current UP-N schedule will shift to be adjusting slightly to accommodate the new stop and the new trains; you can check out the updated UP-N schedule at Metra’s website, or on the PDF at the bottom of this article.
We’re thrilled to be welcoming a new transit option to the 40th Ward that will better connect our community to downtown and other neighborhoods across the city! As most of our neighbors know, this station has been a long-time coming. The station was originally proposed over a decade ago, and it has taken the collective and dedicated efforts of many city and state legislators to get us to this point.
We also want to thank the neighbors who have generously given of their time to brainstorm about how the station can best meet the community’s needs. In particular, we’d like to thank the Good City Group for their work in hosting community walks around the station site to gather feedback from neighbors on how the station can best serve our neighborhood. They also convened a community meeting on the landscaping around the station, which culminated in community members getting to have a direct say in recommending native plants for the station’s landscaping.
We also want to acknowledge that the work is not yet done! As we begin to see the results of this investment in transit, we are also committed to continuing to invest in the safety of its riders. Our office is working with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) on a holistic bike and pedestrian safety plan for the area surrounding the station. We look forward to sharing more details on that planning further along in the process.
We also look forward to welcoming or expanding the several new Residential Permit Parking zones near the station, which we have requested due to neighbor feedback. CDOT is currently surveying the area before installing new poles and signs; you can find out more about that process on our recent RPP Q&A.
In the meantime, we will continue to share updates via our newsletter. Please also save the date for the station dedication ceremony, which will take place on June 11th at 10am. We hope to see you there to celebrate this momentous new addition to the 40th Ward!