McHenry is a station on
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 ...
's
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 ...
, located in
McHenry, Illinois
McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is located about 46 miles northwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,135. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County, which once included adj ...
. The station is the terminus of the McHenry Branch of the Northwest Line; inbound trains operate as far as
Ogilvie Transportation Center
The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (), on the site of the former Chicago and North Western Terminal, is a commuter rail train station, terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois. For the last century, this site has served as the primary t ...
in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. The station is also the only station on the McHenry Branch after it splits off at , although the line previously extended to
Williams Bay, Wisconsin
Williams Bay is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of three municipalities on Geneva Lake. The population was 2,953 at the 2020 census. On June 22, 2024 the town was hit by an EF-1 tornado, there were no injuri ...
. Proposals exist to expand service on the line by adding stations in Prairie Grove and Johnsburg. It is the fifth furthest Metra Station from Chicago after , , , and , at . Most Northwest Line trains operate along the Harvard branch to Harvard or rather than the McHenry Branch. The station only has one track and one platform due to the low number of trains that serve the station. Two storage tracks are used to store two trains during overnight hours as well as weekends and holidays. The station is located at grade level. There is one
grade crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The t ...
of a road at the station, which is placed under a
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...
horn
quiet zone. , McHenry is the 198th busiest of the 236 non-downtown stations in the Metra system, with an average of 85 weekday boardings.
As of February 16, 2024, McHenry is served by six trains (three in each direction) on weekdays. There is no weekend or holiday service on the McHenry branch.
Station layout
McHenry station consists of one platform and two tracks. One track is used by revenue trains while the other is used as siding for out-of-service trains. The tracks, despite no current use, continue to Barnard Mill Road in the Village of
Ringwood, Illinois
Ringwood is a northwest suburban village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is a Commuter town, commuter village, another city part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 844 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
at the
Dow Chemical
The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...
plant, where the
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...
McHenry Subdivision ends. The tracks were pulled up between
Richmond, Illinois
Richmond is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States, 65 miles northwest of Chicago. It is a commuter village within the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 2,089 at the 2020 census.
History
Carpenter William A. McConnell w ...
and Ringwood in 1980 when service was cut back. However, UP left trackage for local freight trains that served industries in and around McHenry, all of which are long gone. The only freight customer remaining on the McHenry Subdivision is Terra Cotta Industries in Prairie Grove, 4 miles south of McHenry station.
Pace bus connections
As of October 2018:
* 806
Crystal Lake/
Fox Lake
* 807
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
/McHenry via
Wonder Lake
References
External links
Metra station page - McHenryStation from Main Street from Google Maps Street View
Metra stations in Illinois
Former Chicago and North Western Railway stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1910
McHenry, Illinois
Railway stations in McHenry County, Illinois
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