Metra passenger rail service set to begin some construction next year

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The plan to construct a passenger rail service connecting Rockford to Chicago has been decades in the making and has finally started.

Last year, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) came to Rockford to explain how the passenger rail service would work and ensure community members of the definite plan. IDOT returned to the Stateline Tuesday to explain the current state of the project.

“We have done one thing that the public may have seen over the last year doing diagnostics on the crossing between Elgin and Rockford,” IDOT communications manager Scott Speegle said. “We had crews of folks out there looking at the at the crossings and the track conditions to determine what improvements need to be made.”

Speegle confirmed that the previous 2027 deadline for completion still stands. Currently, the team has done inspection on the tracks and has met with city members to determine the best location for a station.

The train will be run by Metra and will have two roundtrips per day, one in the morning and one in the evening, with stops in Belvidere, Huntley and Elgin before reaching Chicago.

Community members were invited to offer their concerns and questions with the team. One Rockford resident of 80 years said he’s looking forward to the opportunities for new people to visit Rockford.

“I think I’m most excited about the fact that it’s hard for a lot of young families nowadays driving in with their cars into Chicago, where now they can take the train and enjoy the family and fun with their children,” resident Terry Coffman said. “Not only is it a good time for all of us to go into the suburbs of Chicago, but it’s also getting people in the suburbs of Chicago to transition, to come out to Rockford, too.”

Not all who live here are thrilled for the new service, however. Some residents said they left today with unanswered questions and others said the project doesn’t seem fully developed.

“I think I’ll believe it when I see it,” resident Joe Whinnery said. “I realize there’s a lot of politics involved. It’s happened before and it’s a good idea, but let’s postpone it. There’s a lot of things that have to be involved before passenger one gets on track.”

Speegle shared what we can expect in the next year.

“We will begin construction of different parts of the project,” Speegle said. “We’re very hopeful to have some shovels in the ground at some place in the in the corridor during 2025 and then through ’26 and ’27 to finish up.”

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