Kensington/115th Street station

Kensington/115th Street is a commuter rail station on the far south side of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park and Blue Island. The station is located at 115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the Pullman & West Pullman, Chicago neighborhoods. It is the last station for Blue Island Branch trains before those split off of the main line for Blue Island. As of 2018, the station is the 37th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,136 weekday boardings.[1] The South Shore Line diverges to Indiana immediately south of this station. It had previously stopped at this station prior to February 15, 2012, with the reconfiguration of the junction to minimize congestion.[2]

Kensington/115th Street
General information
Location	115th Street & Cottage Grove Avenue Pullman, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41.686462°N 87.612027°W / 41.686462; -87.612027
Owned by	Metra
Line(s)	University Park Sub District
Platforms	1 Island platform (formerly 2)
Tracks	3
Connections	CTA Bus
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	C (Metra)
History
Opened	1916
Electrified	1926 (1500 V DC)
Passengers
2018	1,136 (average weekday)[1]  1.4%
Rank	37 out of 236[1]
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station Riverdale toward University Park Metra Electric Main Line 111th Street (Pullman) toward Millennium Station State Street toward Blue Island Metra Electric Blue Island Branch
Former services Preceding station NICTD Following station 63rd Street toward Millennium Station South Shore Line Hegewisch toward South Bend Airport Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station Harvey toward New Orleans Main Line 63rd Street toward Chicago 130th Street (Wildwood) toward Richton Electric Suburban Main Line 111th Street toward Randolph Street State Street–Rose Lawn toward Blue Island Electric Suburban Blue Island Branch Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Hammond toward Detroit Michigan Central Railroad Main Line 63rd Street toward Chicago Harvey toward Cincinnati Chicago – Cincinnati
Track layout ME/SSL north to Millennium 113th St. ME platform SSL does not stop 115th St. Kensington Ave. ME south to University Park or Blue Island SSL east to South Bend Airport
Location

In 1991, an advocacy group formed to press Metra to make necessary cosmetic and safety upgrades to this station, one of the busiest on the Metra Electric line. Dubbed "Operation Restore Kensington," the group pressured railroad officials to work closely with the city to upgrade parking, enhance station lighting, landscaping and security, and persuade local vendors to open concession stands in the station. For its efforts, O.R.K. monitored the railroad's efforts to build a brand new station and assisted with the railroad's efforts to increase station parking facilities. O.R.K. was disbanded in the 1990s.

The station was also served by Illinois Central intercity-trains from Chicago to points south.[3]

A station typology adopted by the Chicago Plan Commission on October 16, 2014, assigns the Kensington/115th Street station a typology of Local Activity Center. A Local Activity Center typology is primarily characterized by the Metra station being the central focus of a built-up and identifiable neighborhood.[4]

Photo of the original Kensington station