On July 21, Metra held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly rehabilitated Blue Island-Vermont Street Station depot on the Rock Island Line.
“Events like these highlight the important role that our partners play in helping maintain Metra’s state of good repair and making our rail system one that is customer friendly, accessible and safe, and in the case of this project, we were also able preserve an important part of Blue Island’s history,” said Metra Executive Director and CEO Jim Derwinski.
The ribbon-cutting marks the completion of a yearlong project to restore the historic masonry structure that dates to 1868. The $3.7 million project included a complete interior renovation, renovation of the roof, including the replacement of gutters and downspouts, the reconstruction of the original chimneys, rehabilitation of wooden eave supports, replacement of all doors and windows, custom brick replacement and masonry staining, asbestos and lead-based paint abatement, new landscaping and site improvements, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements and repairs to meet ADA compliance for accessible routes and new wayfinding and intermodal signs.
The work was funded by the Federal Transit Administration, Metra funds and a grant from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Northern Illinois Innovation, Coordination, and Enhancement (ICE) program. IHC Construction of Elgin, which committed to meeting a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goal of 25 percent, was the primary contractor for the construction. Another $700,000 will cover construction management and flagging costs.
“On behalf of the city of Blue Island, we are grateful to Metra and their collaborating partners for making this important investment in our city,” said Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto. “I specifically want to commend the Metra staff, who have been excellent partners to work with through this process. This renovation is consistent with our mission to modernize Blue Island while maintaining its historic appeal.”
“The renovation of the Blue Island Station is a just one example of how Metra – through both capital investments like this one and operational improvements – is offering more and more residents of this community and the region great reasons to pick transit over driving,” said RTA of Northern Illinois Chairman Kirk Dillard.
Located 16.4 miles from LaSalle Street Station, the Blue Island-Vermont St. Station serves as a station on the Rock Island mainline and as the southern end of the line’s Beverly Branch. Under the current Metra schedule, the station is served by 74 trains each weekday and 33 trains on both Saturday and Sunday.
