Rock Island District
Info
Type	Commuter Rail
System	Metra
Termini	Lasalle Street Station Joliet
Stations	25
Operation
Owner	Metra
Operator(s)	Metra
Technical
Line length	40.2 (6.7 Suburban Branch from Gresham Jct. to Blue Island)
Route map LaSalle Street Lovana S. "Lou" Jones/Bronzeville Station (opening 2010) Gresham Brainerd 91st Street - Beverly Hills 95th Street - Beverly Hills 95th Street - Longwood 99th Street - Beverly Hills 103rd Street - Beverly Hills 103rd Street - Washington Heights 107th Street - Beverly Hills 111th Street - Morgan Park 115th Street - Morgan Park 119th Street - Blue Island 123rd Street - Blue Island (Flag Stop) Prairie Street - Blue Island (Flag Stop) Blue Island - Vermont Street Robbins (Flag Stop) Midlothian Oak Forest Tinley Park Tinley Park - 80th Avenue Mokena - Hickory Creek Mokena - Front Street New Lenox Joliet

The Rock Island District (RI) is a commuter rail line operated by Metra from Chicago, Illinois, United States, southwest to Joliet. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Rock Island District line are printed in "Rocket Red". This refers to the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad's Rocket series of passenger trains.^[1]

The trackage is owned by Metra, bought from the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad for $35 million in December 1982. The Regional Transportation Authority had signed a contract with the Rock Island in 1976 to fund service, and in 1980 the Chicago and North Western Railway began operating the Rock Island District. In spring 1981 the C&NW stepped away, and the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) was formed to take over operations.

The Rock Island District consists of a main line over the Rock Island's former main line to Joliet. The slightly longer Suburban Line loops to the west between Gresham and Blue Island, carrying most trains; the two stations on that part of the main line are served only during rush hours.

The Suburban Line was built in 1870 as a steam dummy line, splitting from the main line just north of 99th Street, running west along 99th and turning south to merge with the current line at the S-curve just south of 99th. The crossing of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway midway along 99th was known as Dummy Crossing. In the early 1890s the line was extended north in conjunction with the expansion of the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad, and the portion on 99th was removed.

A new station at 35th Street and Federal Street will open in 2010 to serve U.S. Cellular Field and the Illinois Institute of Technology. It will be named Lovana S. "Lou" Jones/Bronzeville Station after Lovana Jones who was an Illinois State Representative in the Bronzeville neighborhood. ^[2]

Contents 1 Station stops 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Station stops

Rock Island District trains make the following station stops (not all trains stop at all stations):

• LaSalle Street
• Lovana S. "Lou" Jones/Bronzeville station (opening 2010)^[3]
• Gresham
• Brainerd
• 91st Street - Beverly Hills
• 95th Street - Beverly Hills
• 99th Street - Beverly Hills
• 103rd Street - Beverly Hills
• 107th Street - Beverly Hills
• 111th Street - Morgan Park
• 115th Street - Morgan Park
• 119th Street - Blue Island
• 123rd Street - Blue Island (Flag Stop)
• Prairie Street - Blue Island (Flag Stop)
• Blue Island - Vermont Street
• Robbins (Flag Stop)
• Midlothian
• Oak Forest
• Tinley Park
• Tinley Park - 80th Avenue
• Mokena - Hickory Creek
• Mokena - Front Street
• New Lenox
• Joliet

A limited number of rush-hour express trains skip all stops between Gresham and Blue Island - Vermont Street, instead making the following stops:

• Gresham
• 95th Street - Longwood
• 103rd Street - Washington Heights
• Blue Island - Vermont Street

[edit] See also

• Beverly/Morgan Railroad District

[edit] References

• J. David Ingles, Metra: "Best Commuter Train", Trains July 1993

[edit] External links

• Metra / Rock Island schedules

v • d • e Metra Lines BNSF Railway Line  · Heritage Corridor  · Metra Electric Line  · Milwaukee District/North Line  · Milwaukee District/West Line  · North Central Service  · Rock Island District  · SouthWest Service  · Union Pacific/North Line  · Union Pacific/Northwest Line  · Union Pacific/West Line Proposed lines SouthEast Service  · Suburban Transit Access Route NICTD Service South Shore Line