West Hinsdale Metra Station To Be Closed For 2 Months

HINSDALE, IL — Metra will close the West Hinsdale Station on its BNSF Line for about two months starting Aug. 1 to accommodate the replacement of the station’s boarding platforms, Metra announced Thursday. Trains will not stop at the station for the duration of the work.

Because of low ridership across the Metra system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was made to close the station during construction instead of the railroad’s usual practice of restricting access to portions of the platforms during the project’s various stages, according to a Metra news release. The goal of the station shutdown is to cut the project timeline in half, from four months to two months, thereby reducing the impact on riders, Metra said.

Metra BNSF passengers who normally board at West Hinsdale are asked to use either the downtown Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills stations for the duration of the construction project. Recent observations at the station indicate that about 20 passengers are currently using the West Hinsdale Station on weekdays, according to the news release.

Workers will replace the existing platforms with asphalt and new ADA-compliant tactile strips on the platform edges. Work will begin on the outbound (north) platform and then shift to the inbound (south) platform, Metra said. The project will also preserve as many of the existing wrought iron fencing panels east of Stough Street as possible and replace the existing fence posts.

Residents near the station should expect to hear train horns sounding more frequently as required under Federal Railroad Administration safety regulations when workers are on or next to the tracks, Metra said. The commuter parking spaces at the station will be used to stage construction equipment and materials.

This article originally appeared on the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Patch