The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a commuter rail line operated by Metra in the Chicago metropolitan area. The line runs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago to Elburn, Illinois. Until its extension in 2006, the UP-W terminated in Geneva, Illinois. Since May 2025, the service is operated directly by Metra. Previously, it was operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) under a purchase-of-service agreement. UP continues to own the tracks and manage dispatching as part of its Geneva Subdivision.

The line was previously owned and operated by the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW), until it merged with UP in 1995. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Pacific West line are "Kate Shelley Rose" pink, honoring an Iowa woman who saved a Chicago & North Western Railway train from disaster in 1881. Therefore, the UP-W is the only Metra line that uses a color to honor a person instead of a fallen flag railroad.

History This is the oldest railway route built from Chicago, the route of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad along Kinzie Street.

Until the late 1940s the line had a branch to Freeport, Illinois. It diverged from the main line at West Chicago and had stations at Elgin, Marengo, Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport, and other communities. The line was once known as the Chicago & North Western/West Line until UP took over the C&NW in 1995.

All Metra trains on this line terminated at Geneva until 2006, when the line was extended to Elburn, its present terminus. The line runs as part of the Union Pacific Railroad's Geneva Subdivision (ex-C&NW line to Clinton, Iowa).

Service As of February 16, 2024, Metra operates 58 trains (29 in each direction) on the Union Pacific West Line on weekdays. Of these, 23 inbound trains originate from Elburn, two from , three from , and one from . Two outbound trains terminate at Geneva, three at La Fox, and the remaining 24 terminate at Elburn.

On weekends, all trains run the full route to Elburn, with Metra operating 10 roundtrip trains on Saturday and nine on Sundays and holidays.

Union Pacific is building a third track from West Chicago through all of Geneva. The project started in September 2022 and is expected to be finished in July 2024. The improvements are designed to ensure smoother traffic flow and reduce conflicts between commuter and freight trains.

Beginning in 2023, the Union Pacific Railroad announced that commuter operations on all three of the Union Pacific lines would be transferred to Metra; the Union Pacific would continue to own and maintain the right-of-way. The transfer was initially expected to occur by Q1 2024; however, it was delayed by a year to May 16, 2025.

There have been ongoing efforts to extend the UP-W to DeKalb, Illinois, which is home to Northern Illinois University (NIU). DeKalb is located outside the service area of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Metra's oversight body. The most recent completed feasibility study was presented to the DeKalb City Council in May 2023. In November 2024, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) provided the City a grant to conduct further studies. Federal funds for additional studies were announced by U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood in April 2026. In the meantime, DeKalb Public Transit operates its Route 12 to the Elburn station and has seen significant ridership increases.

Ridership Since 2014 annual ridership has declined from 8,423,188 to 7,883,185, an overall decline of 6.4%. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped to 1,945,886 passengers in 2020 and to 1,486,536 passengers in 2021. The line's 4,037,778 riders in 2025 made it the fourth busiest Metra line.

Station stops CountyZoneLocationStationConnections and notesKane4Elburn DeKalb Public Transit: 12La FoxSt. CharlesSt. CharlesSt. Charles branch4Geneva Pace: 801, 802DuPageWest ChicagoWinfieldWheaton Pace: 301, 711, 714 Pace: 714Glen Ellyn Pace: 7153LombardVilla ParkElmhurst Pace: 309, 332Cook2BerkeleyFormerly named ProvisoBellwood Pace: 313, 330Melrose Park Pace: 303, 309, 313Maywood Pace: 309, 313, 331River Forest Pace: 309, 313LathropClosed December 1, 1958Oak Park Chicago "L": (at ) CTA buses: Pace: 307, 309, 313, 318, 770 AvenueClosed December 1, 1958RidgelandClosed December 1, 1958Austin BoulevardClosed December 1, 1958ChicagoAustinClosed December 1, 1958KeelerEmployee only stop, serves adjacent maintenance facility2 Chicago "L": (at ) CTA buses: 1OgilvieTransportationCenter : , Chicago "L": (at ) CTA buses:

Freeport Branch This branch line ran from West Chicago to Freeport, Illinois. Service was discontinued in the late 1940s. Metra is planning to revive service from Big Timber Road to Rockford on the Milwaukee District West Line, but there are no plans to restore passenger service elsewhere on the former Freeport branch. CountyLocationStationConnectionsStephensonFreeportFreeportIllinois Central trainsRidottRidottWinnebagoPecatonicaPecatonicaWinnebagoWinnebagoRockfordRockfordKD LineEast RockfordCherry ValleyCherry ValleyBooneBelvidereBelvidereTrains to Spring Valley and JanesvilleGarden PrairieGarden PrairieMcHenryMarengoMarengoUnionUnionIllinois Railway MuseumHuntleyHuntleyKaneGilbertsGilbertsElginElgin (West Side)Trains to Crystal Lake, Milwaukee Road trainsSouth ElginSouth ElginDuPageWayneWayne

References

External links

Metra Union Pacific/West service schedule