Harvard station is a

Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...

commuter rail station in

Harvard, Illinois Harvard is a city located in McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 9,469 at the 2020 census. The city is 63 miles from the Chicago Loop and it is the last stop on the Union Pacific Northwest Line. History The original owners of th ...

. It is the terminus of the

Union Pacific Northwest Line The Union Pacific Northwest Line (UP-NW) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not refer to any of its lines by colors, the timetable ...

. Harvard is the farthest Metra station from Chicago at from Chicago; the next furthest stop, on the

North Central Service The North Central Service (NCS) is a Metra commuter rail line running from Union Station (Chicago), Union Station in downtown Chicago through northwestern and far northern suburbs to Antioch, Illinois, Antioch, Illinois. In December 2022, the pub ...

, is over 10 miles closer to Chicago at . The station contains a parking lot operated by the City of Harvard. A coach yard is adjacent to the station and is used to store trains during weekends and overnight hours. Harvard was the only Metra station located in the M zone, until all fare zones beyond J were retired by Metra in 2018. Trains that traveled to Chicago passed through an entire fare zone to reach . No stations were located in zone L. Originally, Hartland was the only station located in zone L, however, the stop was closed in 1984. Harvard was then located in fare zone J until February 2024, when the fare structure was simplified across the system. Harvard is now in Zone 4. It is the westernmost station of the Metra system; the next most westerly stop is on the

Union Pacific West Line The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a Metra commuter rail line operated by Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Paci ...

. Harvard is the last station to use more than one track, as further beyond this station, the UP line is single tracked until reaching

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 65,615, making it the List of cities in Wisconsin, tenth-most populous city in Wis ...

. Being Chicago's most northwesterly commuter rail station, the Harvard station attracts commuters from the Rockford and Belvidere region of northern

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

as well as south-central

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. , Harvard is the 151st busiest of the 236 non-downtown stations in the Metra system, with an average of 265 weekday boardings. As of February 16, 2024, Harvard is served by 27 trains (14 inbound, 13 outbound) on weekdays, by 20 trains (10 in each direction) on Saturdays, and by 15 trains (seven inbound, eight outbound) on Sundays.

Bus connections

Pace *808 Crystal Lake/Harvard

References

External links

*
Metra - Harvard StationStation from Ayer Street from Google Maps Street View
Metra stations in Illinois Former Chicago and North Western Railway stations Harvard, Illinois Railway stations in the United States opened in 1993 Railway stations in McHenry County, Illinois {{Illinois-railstation-stub