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The 79th Street/Chatham Station on the Metra Electric Line, which has been closed since 2023 for a complete rehabilitation, will reopen on Dec. 16, and the 87th Street/Woodruff Station will be closed on the same day for similar work.
To carry out the work more efficiently, the $33.9 million contract to renovate the 79th, 87th and 103rd Street stations was awarded to a single vendor, IHC Construction of Elgin, and the work is being staged so that no more than two of the stations are closed at a time:
- The 79th Street Station closed first in the summer of 2023 and work will be complete Dec. 16.
- 103rd Street has been closed and under construction since last fall and is expected to reopen next spring.
- 87th Street will close Dec. 16 and is expected to reopen in late 2025.
When completed, all three stations will have enclosed, ADA-accessible street-level entrances and lobbies with elevators; new stairs and headhouses; new composite deck platforms; and new lighting and signage. The work on all three stations is part of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar plan to reconstruct numerous stations on the line, including making them accessible to persons with disabilities. Similar work was recently completed at the 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard Station and will soon be done on the line’s Homewood Station.
“We are committed to prioritizing station improvements and promoting transit ridership by creating welcoming and accessible gateways to the communities we serve,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski.
Although the 79th Street Station was built to be fully ADA accessible, the station may not always be accessible initially because construction work at nearby stations may require periodic track shifts and temporary, inaccessible boarding procedures during the midday Monday through Friday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Riders are advised to check the Service Alerts on metra.com. to verify that the station is accessible prior to travel.
Riders who now board at the 87th Street Station can use the nearby 83rd Street and 91st Street Stations as alternatives during construction. All three stations are in the same fare zone (Zone 2) and are served by the same trains.
