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 accents for the Union Pacific/Northwest line are bright "Viking Yellow," honoring the Chicago & North Western Railway's Viking passenger train.[3]

Union Pacific / Northwest Line
A Union Pacific / Northwest Line train led by an EMD F40PH in Norwood Park, Illinois
Overview
Service type	Commuter Rail
Locale	Cook, Lake and McHenry counties, Illinois
Current operator(s)	Metra Union Pacific Railroad
Ridership	38,600 (Avg. Weekday 2014)[1] 18,800 (Avg. Weekend 2014)[2]
Route
Start	Ogilvie Transportation Center
Stops	23
End	Harvard, McHenry
Line(s) used	Harvard Subdivision McHenry Subdivision
Technical
Track owner(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
Route map 63.2 mi 101.7 km former service to Williams Bay 1 76.4 mi 123 km Williams Bay closed 1966 text 70.4 mi 113.3 km Lake Geneva closed 1975 White River 64.9 mi 104.4 km Pell Lake closed 1975 Nippersink Creek (north branch) 61.6 mi 99.1 km Genoa City closed 1975 Wisconsin Illinois Nippersink Creek (north branch) 59.9 mi 96.4 km Richmond closed 1980 Milwaukee Road North Line to Walworth Milwaukee Road North Line to Fox Lake and Union Station 53.8 mi 86.6 km Ringwood closed 1980 52.8 mi 85 km Johnsburg proposed Boone Creek 63.2 mi 101.7 km Harvard Mokeler Creek Kishwaukee River (north branch) 55.7 mi 89.6 km Hartland closed 51.7 mi 83.2 km Woodstock 50.5 mi 81.3 km McHenry 47.3 mi 76.1 km Prairie Grove proposed 45.7 mi 73.5 km Ridgefield closed 43.3 mi 69.7 km Crystal Lake 42.1 mi 67.8 km Pingree Road 38.3 mi 61.6 km Cary Fox River 37.3 mi 60 km Fox River Grove 31.9 mi 51.3 km Barrington 26.8 mi 43.1 km Palatine 24.4 mi 39.3 km Arlington Park 22.9 mi 36.9 km Arlington Heights 20.0 mi 32.2 km Mount Prospect 18.2 mi 29.3 km Cumberland NCS to Antioch NCS to Union Station 16.7 mi 26.9 km Des Plaines Des Plaines River 15.1 mi 24.3 km Dee Road 13.5 mi 21.7 km Park Ridge 12.6 mi 20.3 km Edison Park 11.4 mi 18.3 km Norwood Park 10.1 mi 16.3 km Gladstone Park Blue to O'Hare / I-90 9.1 mi 14.6 km Jefferson Park | Jefferson Park MD-N to Fox Lake Skokie closed Lincolnwood closed MD-N to Union Station Sauganash closed Weber Subdivision to UP-N Peterson Avenue closed River Jct. Chicago River (north branch) 7.6 mi 12.2 km Mayfair closed 7.1 mi 11.4 km Kostner Avenue closed 6.9 mi 11.1 km Irving Park | Irving Park Blue to Forest Park / 5.9 mi 9.5 km Parkview closed 5.1 mi 8.2 km Avondale closed 4.1 mi 6.6 km Maplewood closed UP-N to Kenosha 2.9 mi 4.7 km Clybourn UP-W to Elburn Chicago River (north branch) Wells Street Station (1855-1911) MD-W NCS MD-N Green Pink 0.0 Ogilvie MD-W NCS MD-N to Union Station

The line runs from Ogilvie Transportation Center to Harvard, Illinois, with a branch line to McHenry, Illinois that operates during weekday rush hours. Overall, this is Metra's longest route and one of three routes with branches (the others being the Rock Island District and Metra Electric District). The terminus of the McHenry branch originally was in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, but was cut back to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in 1965, Lake Geneva to Richmond, Illinois in 1975, and Richmond to McHenry in 1980.[4]

As of April 2013, the public timetable indicated 33 trains leaving Chicago each weekday, with 3 terminating at McHenry, 14 terminating at Crystal Lake, 4 terminating at Barrington, 11 at Harvard, and 1 at Des Plaines.

The line has many riders from southern Wisconsin due to its proximity to places like Madison and Janesville. The railroad in its entirety passes through Madison and Janesville, with the current official ending of the track located 4 miles North of Evansville Wisconsin, at or near milepost 124 (measured from Ogilvie Transportation Center). Although passenger service does not serve the Madison subvision at this time, the ownership of this portion of the railroad shifts after the end milepost 124, and the rail that was maintained to passenger severity now operates for freight car storage under State of Wisconsin ownership. The track then continues for over 70 miles until it terminates in Reedsburg Wi, at milepost 191. Wisconsin Department of Transportation has funded studies on extending the line from Harvard into Janesville, with potential stops along the way.[5] This line is also used by a handful of commuters from the Rockford area.[6] There has been talk of rebuilding the KD Line from Rockford to Harvard. A 1.6-mile (2.6 km) extension of the McHenry branch to Johnsburg is proposed as part of CMAP’s Go to 2040 Priority Projects. This service enhancement would include the addition of two new stations: Prairie Grove on the McHenry branch and Ridgefield on the Harvard branch.[7]

The Union Pacific / Northwest Line is Metra's second busiest line, with an average of 38,600 boardings on a weekday. It is second only to the BNSF Railway Line.

The line is triple-tracked from Clybourn to just southeast of Barrington, with a bidirectional express track, and double tracked from Barrington to Harvard. The McHenry branch is single-tracked. Historically, double track was maintained from Harvard to Baraboo, Wisconsin. A now-gone portion of the Union Pacific / Northwest Line diverged at Harvard and passed through Beloit, Wisconsin, and reconnected to the main line at Evansville junction to allow a separate passenger and freight line. Around the time the Beloit line was abandoned, the railroad single-tracked the line from Harvard to Janesville.