Kenosha, Wis. (Metra Union Pacific North Line)

Kenosha, Wisconsin is the terminus of Metra's Union Pacific North Line. The station is the most northern Metra Station and only one located out of State in the State of Wisconsin. The only reason service continues the 6 miles from Winthrop Harbor into Wisconsin and the City of Kenosha is because with the founding of the RTA which created Metra it was considered to be cheaper to use the small yard in Kenosha instead of ending service at the boarder. The lack of subsidies from the State of Wisconsin means most Union Pacific North Line trains terminate at Waukegan. Kenosha, although a city of nearly 100,000 people (and the two intermediate stops of Winthrop Harbor and Zion) sees very limited service from just 9 weekday round trips (mostly during peak hours), 5 on Saturdays, and 3 on Sundays. The schedule makes day trips from Chicago to Kenosha (such as to ride the Kenosha Streetcar) in particular hard to plan for example on Saturdays there are no inbound trains between 8:34am and 6:15pm, with similarly poor times on Sundays.

The station consists of an Island platform located on an embankment that separates downtown from residential neighborhoods. This island platform is along a wye where an east-west branch line begins. There is a small yard along this wye parrallel to the station where Metra trains are stored overnight. Passenger access is from the northern end of the platform where a small canopy covers enough space for about a car. From here a staircase and elevator at the extreme northern end of the platform lead down to a pedestrian tunnel. This pedestrian tunnel leads west to a grade-crossing across 3 of the yard tracks to the corner of 13th Court and 54th Street to the Metra employee lot/yard office (fenced off) and a residential neighborhood. The underpass has a few mosaic murals designed in 1997 under Mayor John Antaramain's Youth Employment in the Arts Initiative.

The main entrance is to the east, where the Kenosha Train station is. Passengers have minimal amenities that a small covered entrance area with some benches beneath an exterior clock tower. The rest of the station is now a private business. It's a modern grey and stone gabled roof building. This leads out to a small parking area, a drop off loop. The Streetcar stop is just beyond the small Park & Ride lot along 11th Avenue.
All Photos taken on 30 October, 2011

Getting off a just arrived terminating Metra Train

The clock on top of the depot

A Kenosha Platform sign

Down the stairs to street level

The western exit

A Mosaic at the western exit

The entrance to the western end of the tunnel

The depot now home to Sparti's Express

The station entrance from the downtown side

The station's streetcar stop with a shelter

The streetcar stop is across the small parking lot from the station

A mosaic by the elevator entrance inside the tunnel to the platform

Doors at the elevators to Metra trains

The western walkway leads across part of the train yard

Another Metra train is stored up on the embankment

The single level car on this train is Private Club Car #553, the last private Commuter Railroad Car left in the US. It's spending its weekend in Kinosha. Passengers can spend $900 a year (plus a Metra monthly pass) to commutte in this car