Blue Island/Vermont Street is the station at the southern end of Rock Island District where the Suburban Line splits off from the main line, taking a slightly less direct route and making fequent stops every 4 blcoks in the Beverly Hills Neighborhood on it's 6.7 mile long line to Gresham Junction. The station is also the transfer point between zonal express trains, that only regularly operate on the Rock Island Line. During rush hours and for nearly all weekend service running every 2 hours (this began in June 2015), local trains run between Blue Island and La Salle Street Station, with express trains to/from Joliet, running non-stop from here generally to 35th St./"Lou" Jones Station, the stop before La Salle Street. The express trains saves approximately 20 minutes of travel time compared to riding local trains. During off-peak hours on weekdays (and the first and last, plus a few Saturdays only 'extra trains' on weekends), trains to Joliet run local via the suburban branch and make all stops, expect for the two stops on the main line, which recieve train service only during weekday rush hours. Just north of the station, along the suburban line, is a train yard for the trains that terminate at Blue Island.
The station has a unique track layout. The suburban line splits off the mainline just south of the station, so the station is really for two stations parrallel to each other for the two-track lines. There is a single 60 foot wide area between the two lines. This island area runs between the grade-crossings of Vermont Street (to the north) to Grove Street, which ends at a parking lot across the suburban tracks. Each line has two-tracks in the station area so 4 Concrete pedestrian crossings allow passengers to board trains on the outside tracks, from the inside tracks which contain the station platforms. These crossings all lead directly to the main parking lot along the suburban line. The brick station house is located between the two train lines, towards Grove Street, the Vermont Street end of the station area has a small employee only parking lot, directly between the two platforms.
The Blue Island terminus of the Metra Electric line is located across Vermont Street north of this station, along the main line track. All Photos taken on 4 August, 2012
Robbins 
