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.[4]

Union Pacific Northwest Line
A Union Pacific Northwest Line train led by an EMD F40PH in the Norwood Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
Overview
Service type	Commuter Rail
Locale	Cook and McHenry counties, Illinois
Current operator(s)	Metra Union Pacific Railroad
Ridership	38,600 (Avg. Weekday 2014)[1] 18,800 (Avg. Weekend 2014)[2]
Annual ridership	3,281,427 (2022)
Route
Termini	Ogilvie Transportation Center Harvard, McHenry
Stops	22 (to Harvard) 20 (to McHenry) 23 (total)
Line(s) used	Harvard Subdivision McHenry Subdivision
Technical
Track owner(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
Route map Union Pacific Northwest Line highlighted in yellow Show interactive map 63.2 mi 101.7 km Former service to Williams Bay 1 76.4 mi 123 km Williams Bay text 70.4 mi 113.3 km Lake Geneva White River 64.9 mi 104.4 km Pell Lake Nippersink Creek (north branch) 61.6 mi 99.1 km Genoa City Wisconsin Illinois Nippersink Creek (north branch) 59.9 mi 96.4 km Richmond Milwaukee Road North Line to Walworth Milwaukee Road North Line to Fox Lake and Union Station 53.8 mi 86.6 km Ringwood 52.8 mi 85 km Johnsburg proposed Boone Creek 63.1 mi 101.5 km Harvard Mokeler Creek Kishwaukee River (north branch) 55.7 mi 89.6 km Hartland Woodstock Yard planned 51.6 mi 83 km Woodstock 50.6 mi 81.4 km McHenry 47.3 mi 76.1 km Prairie Grove proposed 45.7 mi 73.5 km Ridgefield Crystal Lake Yard 43.2 mi 69.5 km Crystal Lake 41.7 mi 67.1 km Pingree Road 38.6 mi 62.1 km Cary Fox River 37.3 mi 60 km Fox River Grove EJ&E Railway 31.9 mi 51.3 km Barrington 26.4 mi 42.5 km Palatine 24.4 mi 39.3 km Arlington Park 22.8 mi 36.7 km Arlington Heights 20.0 mi 32.2 km Mount Prospect 18.6 mi 29.9 km Cumberland NCS to Antioch Union Pacific Railroad NCS to Union Station 17.1 mi 27.5 km Des Plaines Des Plaines River I-294 15.0 mi 24.1 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 Lincolnwood MD-N to Union Station Sauganash Weber Subdivision to UP-N Peterson Avenue River Jct. Chicago River (north branch) 7.6 mi 12.2 km Mayfair 7.1 mi 11.4 km Kostner Avenue 7.0 mi 11.3 km Irving Park | Irving Park Blue | I-90 / I-94 5.9 mi 9.5 km Parkview 5.1 mi 8.2 km Avondale 4.1 mi 6.6 km Maplewood UP-N to Kenosha 2.9 mi 4.7 km Clybourn UP-W to Elburn Blue Kinzie Street Depot Chicago River (north branch) Wells Street Station MD-W NCS MD-N Green Pink Blue 0.0 Ogilvie MD-W NCS MD-N to Union Station Mileage source[3] Show route diagram map

The line runs from Ogilvie Transportation Center to Harvard, Illinois. However, most trains terminate in Crystal Lake, Illinois. A branch line to McHenry, Illinois operates during weekday rush hours in the peak direction. 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 line is Metra's second busiest with an average of 38,600 boardings on a weekday. It is second only to the BNSF Line.

As of May 30, 2023, Metra operates 78 trains (39 in each direction) on the line on weekdays. Of these, 14 inbound trains originate from Harvard, three from McHenry, 13 from Crystal Lake, four from Barrington, one from Palatine, and four from Des Plaines. Five outbound trains terminate at Des Plaines, three at Palatine, three at Barrington, 12 at Crystal Lake, three at McHenry, and 13 at Harvard.

Metra operates 34 trains (17 in each direction) on the line on Saturdays. Of these, 10 inbound trains originate from Harvard, five from Crystal Lake, one from Barrington, and one from Arlington Heights. Two outbound trains terminate at Barrington, five at Crystal Lake, and 10 at Harvard.

Metra operates 21 trains (10 inbound, 11 outbound) on the line on Sundays. Of these, seven inbound trains originate from Harvard, two from Crystal Lake, and one from Arlington Heights. Three outbound trains terminate at Crystal Lake and eight terminate at Harvard.

There is no service at Gladstone Park station or on the McHenry branch on weekends or holidays. All other stations are open daily.

The main 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.

Metra has included the possibility of extending the McHenry branch to Johnsburg in their Cost Benefit Analysis report. If this were to happen, the branch would open an infill station in Prairie Grove. Additionally, an infill station would open between Crystal Lake and Woodstock along the line to Harvard.[5]

By the first quarter of 2024, the Union Pacific Railroad is expected to transfer operations of the three Union Pacific lines to Metra. The Union Pacific will continue to own and maintain the right-of-way.[6]