DeKalb city leaders say Metra feasibility study ridership estimates could support commuter train line extension

DeKALB – The city of DeKalb recently released early results of its Metra commuter train feasibility study that reportedly estimates more than 10,000 people commute daily between DeKalb and along the greater Chicago Metra rail line cities.

The study is meant to help determine whether a train route could connect DeKalb County to Chicago.

DeKalb city leaders have been vocal of late as to their support of a possible train extension into DeKalb, saying the expansion would aid enrollment levels at Northern Illinois University and put the city in a better position to compete economically with other counties surrounding Chicago.

“This is exciting stuff,” Mayor Cohen Barnes said during Monday’s DeKalb City Council meeting, where Matt Orenchuk of Sam Schwartz Consulting presented what he said were the study’s initial findings.

The five-month study began in January and is expected to conclude in May. No official report has been made public yet, though City Manager Bill Nicklas said NIU and the city will host opportunities for the public his spring to review the findings before the Council makes any decisions.

In January, the DeKalb City Council approved a $98,379 contract with Chicago-based Sam Schwartz Consulting LLC for the city to undergo a Metra feasibility study. The city also has taken other steps, including devoting a downtown lot to free parking for those wishing to take the transit bus to Elburn instead of parking at the Elburn train station. Elburn bus trips also have increased in frequency.

Citing the study’s early findings, DeKalb city officials say a key piece of data estimates about 10,800 people travel daily between DeKalb County and communities along the Union Pacific West rail line, the primary line that services the Metra rail from Chicago.

“When you do a feasibility study like this the first thing you want do is really understand your travel market, who’s traveling, where and how and what time and what days of the week?” Orenchuk said. “That’s the first thing that we took on. We wanted to look at all of DeKalb County and look at how many people are traveling from DeKalb into Chicago, and not just the Chicago metropolitan area but the communities along the Union Pacific West line. So if you’re going to extend the rail to the west you wanna know how many people are traveling to those communities including the city of Chicago.”

Orenchuk said the numbers suggest there’s a robust market for Metra extensions.

1st Ward Alderwoman Carolyn Morris asked Orenchuk how the consultant came up with 10,800 estimated riders. Orenchuk said the firm uses a common urban planning tool to collect data.

“We use a software program called Replica. It is a model that models trips, it’s part of Google,” Orenchuk said. “And it uses a blend of cellphone data and other census information to determine how people are traveling.”

City officials have said NIU students, faculty and staff also would make up a substantial share of potential ridership for a Metra line in DeKalb.

“We wanted to look at all of DeKalb County and look at how many people are traveling from DeKalb into Chicago, and not just the Chicago metropolitan area but the communities along the Union Pacific West line.”

—  Matt Orenchuk of Sam Schwartz Consulting

City leaders said they could count that in their ridership data to show that extending a line from the Elburn train station to DeKalb is viable for the long-term life of another rail line.

“We are very excited to see such a large number of people already traveling in the UP-West corridor,” Nicklas said. “A commuter rail extension would provide these commuters with a safe, reliable option for traveling to employment, entertainment and higher education destinations, including those here in DeKalb.”

While the study hasn’t been published – city officials said they expect a final report by May – DeKalb published what officials said were key findings of the first phase of the study April 6.

The study, done in partnership with NIU, is looking at potential ridership, capital costs and operating requirements, documents show.

Officials have said NIU students, along with employees, potentially would make up a significant portion of Metra ridership.

The first two phases of the study look at potential ridership in DeKalb County and establish a case for more diversified transportation in the area, including businesses and what may be major traffic generators to entice more Metra service, documents show.

The Elburn Metra train station, about 18 miles east of DeKalb, connects to Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago. The line, which stops at multiple Chicago metropolitan areas along the way, runs about 23 round-trip trains between Elburn and Chicago on weekdays, 10 on Saturdays and nine on Sundays, documents show.

No set schedule has yet been recommended if DeKalb were to receive a Metra line, documents show, although current considerations include four to 16 round trips each weekday, and potential weekend service. NIU would have significant influence over when and where transit stops would be made.

A sticking point among DeKalb city leaders have pointed to of late is that NIU is the largest public university in the state that doesn’t have a commuter train service.

According to the city officials, early study findings show that 64% of students enrolled at NIU come from the six-county Chicago Metropolitan Area. Of that, 14% come from communities directly services by the Union Pacific-West line. According to the city, 17% of NIU employees also live along that train route.

“NIU provided ZIP code information so we could look at where students are coming from,” Orenchuk said.

A week ago, DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes visited NIU with Gov. JB Pritzker, who was in town to tout his new college funding plan as part of his $49.6 billion fiscal 2024 budget meant to propose a significant hike in higher education funding for Illinois schools.

During his remarks, Barnes said he believes now is the opportune time for a Metra expansion in DeKalb and that he had the governor’s support.

The third phase of the Metra feasibility study is expected to present plans to help pay for it. Although a cost number hasn’t been published yet, city officials released more information on infrastructure plans.

Extending a Metra Union Pacific-West line to DeKalb from Elburn would require construction and use of a 15-mile track which would be owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad, documents show. In order for Metra to operate on that track, Union Pacific would need to give permission.

City officials said federal and state grants exist to help pay for the project, and options are being considered as part of the study.

Metra also would need to institute an annual cost to operate and maintain the service, which would require a contract with the city of DeKalb, documents show. The city also would need to create a renewable funding source to pay for the annual costs.

According to city documents, significant infrastructure upgrades likely will be required to grant Metra the right to operate service in DeKalb. The study also will present details on future infrastructure needs and capital costs.

“I know this is just the preliminary, this is just what we’ve seen, but we figured there was ridership available to make this feasible to move to phase two,″ Barnes said. “And it sounds like we’ve got a lot of people that would probably like to hop on a train from the city of DeKalb and head east, So I’m excited to see the final results.”