59th Street/University of Chicago is a railway station that serves the Metra Electric Line in Chicago, Illinois. The station is on 59th street, originally the University of Chicago's southern border, and the Midway Plaisance. To the north, trains run to Millennium Station downtown, to the south they run to University Park, Illinois.

As of 2018, the station is the 63rd busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 812 weekday boardings.[2] Before the 55th–56th–57th Street station to the immediate north was rebuilt into a major station in 2002, all express trains served 59th Street and the station had a staffed ticket window.

In June 2026 Metra announced that all weekday trains will stop at 59th/University of Chicago. The increased service aligns with the opening of the Obama Presidential Center across the street.[3]

Future

Metra plans to rebuild the station, which will incorporate ADA accessibility and reopen the 60th Street entrance south of the Midway Plaisance. In 2011, the University of Chicago committed $2.5 million on the planned rebuild.[4][5][6] Due to the station being in proximity to historic places, in 2021, Metra and the Federal Transit Administration began a federal review process in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.[7] In December 2022, the project received $37.6 million in federal grant.[8][9][10]

Construction was initially scheduled to begin in 2020[4] but was delayed to the summer of 2026. The project is anticipated to cost $78 million, and the renovation will be finished in early 2030.[11]

Bus connections

CTA

  •  2  Hyde Park Express
  •  6  Jackson Park Express
  •  15  Jeffery Local
  •  28  Stony Island

References

  1. ↑ "CHICAGO WELCOMES ELECTRIFIED ROADS; Illinois Central Line Does Away With Coal-Burners on Its Suburban Trains". The New York Times. August 8, 1926. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018" (PDF). Metra. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2019.
  3. ↑ Evans, Maxwell (June 5, 2026). "Metra Electric Line To See Service Boost Starting June 15". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Evans, Maxwell (August 30, 2019). "Overhaul Of 59th Street Metra Station Will Bring Back Long-Closed Entrance, Add Accessibility". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ "University, City create Memorandum of Understanding to promote economic development on South Side of Chicago". University of Chicago News. August 26, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2025. In addition, [the University] commits to spending $2.5 million to work with Metra on improving the 59th Street Metra Station and opening a 60th Street Station;
  6. ↑ Studenkov, Igor (August 27, 2019). "Metra to Reopen A Closed Station Entrance in Hyde Park, Make Chicago State University a Scheduled Stop". Streetsblog Chicago. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  7. ↑ Monaghan, Marc (March 2, 2021). "Metra and FTA begin federal review process for 59th Street station project". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  8. ↑ Yin, Alice (December 19, 2022). "CTA, Metra to get $185 million in federal funding to make stations more accessible". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 16, 2025. Then another $37.6 million will improve accessibility at the 59th/60th Street Station on the Metra Electric line, including reconstructing the street entrances and platform enhancements.
  9. ↑ Evans, Maxwell (December 20, 2022). "Metra Gets Nearly $40 Million To Boost Accessibility At 59th Street Station". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  10. ↑ Pharo, Zoe; Monaghan, Marc (December 21, 2022). "Metra receives federal funds for 59th Street station accessibility renovations and modernization". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ Pharo, Zoe (August 29, 2025). "59th Street Metra station rehabilitation to finish in 2030". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/59th/60th_Street/University_of_Chicago_station