STATION 1 DES PLAINES OAKTON STREET METRA STATION FEASIBILITY STUDY The City of Des Plaines has partnered with AECOM and The Lakota Group to prepare a feasibility study for a potential new North Central Service Line (NCS) station in the area around Mannheim Road and Oakton Street. While both the Union Pacific Northwest (UP-NW) and NCS lines run through Des Plaines, only the UP-NW has stations at Cumberland and Downtown Des Plaines. The City believes that a new commuter rail station in this area could: » Serve as a catalyst for transit-oriented development and redevelopment of vacant parcels in the area. » Add a much needed public transportation option in this area where only 2.5% of workers use public transportation and 75% of workers get to work in single-occupant vehicles. » Provide multi-modal connectivity to the new Pace PULSE Dempster Line. » Offer an alternative way to access O’Hare Airport. PROJECT BACKGROUND + INTENT The NCS Line that currently runs through Des Plaines was once a part of the Wisconsin Railroad Line and at one point had two stations in Des Plaines. According to the Cook County Chronicle, these stations were closed in 1930 and 1965 respectively, before Metra opened the NCS line. When Metra began operations on the NCS line, it reopened many previous stations, but the Des Plaines stations were not included. The City of Des Plaines has been interested in adding a station on the NCS line for several years, and this study is the first step for Metra to determine if a station at this location is feasible. The study seeks answers to the following questions: » Can a location be identified that can physically accommodate a station, station parking, and associated amenities? » Will the station be compatible with current railroad operations? » Will there be a sufficient number of potential users? » Will impacts to traffic, storm water, and other factors be manageable? » Can the station be realistically funded? » How would a station help to stimulate economic development within the area? PROJECT TIMELINE: 2018-2019 Site Selection Community Existing Project Kick- Field and Station Engagement Plan Conditions Off Meeting Reconnaissance Spacing Memo and Outreach Memo SEPTEMBER 2018 PROJECT - JANUARY 2019 START Community Market Travel Ridership Stakeholder Community Design Assessment Demand Survey Interviews Open House Charrette Memo Memo JANUARY 2019 - MARCH 2019 Financial and Public Operational Draft Final Presentation/ Final Impacts Memo Report Open House Report MARCH 2019 - MAY 2019 STATION 1 PROJECT OVERVIEW & STUDY AREA FOREST AVENUE STATION LOCATION The immediate station location in consideration is the north side of Oakton Street, BOSTON between Mannheim Road and Center Street. This was determined as the best FIS MARET location following an initial site screening analysis, the process for which is outlined in greater detail in Station 3: Station Spacing Overview. The Oaks shopping center to the west of the potential station includes Butera WICKE AVENUE Market, Goodwill, and the former Cardinal Fitness. The area east of the potential station includes a ComEd utility easement and vacant parcels adjacent to what was BUTERA once Romano’s Restaurant. MARKET A Des Plaines Fire Station is located on the south side of Oakton, just west of the railroad tracks, which requires careful consideration of public safety concerns. Questions regarding the impact that a station may have on the Fire Station are LINCOLN AVENUE explored further in Station 2: Community Input & Frequently Asked Questions. TE OAS SOI MANNHEIM ROAD CENTER STREET CETER ATFORMS IITIA PARI & LOADI PED CROSSING OAKTON STREET FIRE STATIO ACE SE STOPS View west down Oakton Street View east down Oakton Street STATION AREA The area surrounding the potential Oakton Street Metra Station includes many single family residential neighborhoods, as well as the Oakton Street business district to the east. The retail areas near the intersection of Oakton Street and Lee Street/Mannheim Road include many big box stores and shopping centers with a number of vacancies. A number of schools and churches also surround the area, including Maine West High School. STATION 2 COMMUNITY INPUT & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS TRA EN L S C E H R T V T R A I EN L S C O OUTREACH METHODS C E E R H N T V R I F C O E E Y OAKTON STREET N A D S U IB ST F ILITY METRA STATION E Y A D OAKTON STREET S I TU BILITY S METRA STATION The public outreach process began in January, after the selection process identified Wednesday, February 6, 5-p.m. Des Plaines Public Library COMMUNITY INFORMATION PACKET Wednesday,1501 February llinwood 6, Ave 5-p.m. COMMUNITYOPEN HOUSE Des PlainesDes Plaines,Public Library IL 60016 Oakton Street as the preferred location for a station (see Station 3: Station Spacing INFORMATION PACKET 1501 llinwood Ave OPEN HOUSE O cus tenDes Plaines, Oakt IL 60016 tree Mtr t N Centr ervic Ps T f the project, O initial findings, cus and opportunities ten for feedback. Oakt Projecttree Mtr consultants t and city staff Overview). A project website—www.DesPlainesOaktonMetraStation.com—was N Centr ervic v Ps Tw s f tudy the project, initial findings, and opportunities for feedback. Project consultants and city staff v w s tudy created to house information about the study. A Facebook page was created and WE NEED YOUR INPUT! Pas ak omplet e WEunderst NEED ten YOUR er Oakt INPUT!tree Mtr t Ps Pas ak omplet e targeted to those living within a five mile radius of the proposed station to help underst ten er Tak Oakt tree e Mtr t Ps surveymonkey.com/r/oaktonmetrastation Tak e spread the word to area residents. An information sheet was disseminated to city surveymonkey.com/r/oaktonmetrastation LEARN MORE AT DesPlaines Oakton MetraStation.com LEARN MORE AT DesPlaines Oakton MetraStation.com council members and interested stakeholders. Flyers were hung around Des Plaines, T P Oakt tree Mtr t N Centr ervic Feasibilit t or b C Ps e AECOM T ot oup 1 T P Oakt tree Mtr t N Centr ervic Feasibilit t or b C Ps e AECOM T ot oup including area Metra Stations, with information about the open house and the 1 community ridership survey. Through these platforms, a number of key questions have emerged, which are addressed in the following exhibits. Comments received through the website and Facebook page include the following: “This would be a win-win for all. The “How would the fire “A nice idea. Drawback is Oakton traffic Blue line is convenient but takes an trucks get around a which is already horrendous especially at hour to get to The loop. World class train stopped in the rush hour. Need to restore second traffic airports need to be connected to the station. That area lane each direction from tracks to River city they are in.” isn’t like downtown Rd. Provide more off street parking for where there infinite those businesses benefitting with the “I’ve seen no mention of possible effects number of crossings existing single lane configuration.” on already heavily traveled Lee St. It’s a to get around.” fact that many people already avoid Des “It’s embarrassing that the City has a Plaines due to heavy traffic, confusion commuter train line that goes through caused by one way streets and complex town but has no stops. Build a station.” intersections.” FAQ Where does the NCS line go? How does that compare to the UP-NW line that currently serves Des Plaines? Metra NCS Line Map Metra UP-NW Line Map The table below outlines how a potential Oakton Street Station on the NCS line would compare to nearby Metra stations on the UP-NW line: OAKTON DES PLAINES DEE ROAD STREET Line UP-NW UP-NW NCS Distance to 17.1 miles 15.0 miles 19.2 miles Downtown Metra Fare D C D Zone Downtown Ogilvie Ogilvie Union Station Inbound Trains per Weekday AM Peak 12 8 5 Midday 6 6 2 PM Peak 4 4 2 (reverse) Evening 5 3 0 The NCS line runs from Antioch to Chicago Union The UP-NW line runs from Harvard/McHenry to Outbound Trains per Weekday AM Peak 5 5 2 Station, with 18 stations in total. Stations include: Chicago Ogilvie Transportation Center, with 23 stations (reverse) • Antioch • Wheeling in total. Stations include: Midday 6 6 2 • Lake Villa • Prospect Heights • Harvard • Cumberland PM Peak 9 6 4 • Round Lake Beach • O’Hare Transfer • McHenry • Des Plaines Evening 6 6 2 Total Trains • Woodstock • Dee Road 53 44 19 • Washington St (Grayslake) • Rosemont per Weekday • Prairie Crossing • Schiller Park • Crystal Lake • Park Ridge Travel Time to/from Downtown • Mundelein • Franklin Park • Pingree Road • Edison Park Minimum 24 min 27 min 35 min • Vernon Hills • River Grove • Cary • Norwood Park Maximum 42 min 37 min 44 min • Fox River Grove • Gladstone Park 2016 Weekday • Prairie View • Western Avenue 1,142 515 - Boardings • Barrington • Jefferson Park • Buffalo Grove • Chicago Union Station Fares to Downtown Chicago • Palatine • Irving Park Monthly $181.25 $159.50 $181.25 • Arlington Heights • Clybourn 10-Ride $59.50 $52.25 $59.50 • Mt. Prospect • Chicago Ogilvie One-way $6.25 $5.50 $6.25 Transportation Center STATION 2 COMMUNITY INPUT & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FAQ What would the impact be on traffic nearby? Would this impact the Des Plaines Fire Station service? An NCS station on the north side of Oakton Street may have some impact on the amount of time that gates are down at the Oakton Street/NCS-CN grade PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS SUGGESTS crossing, which could affect local traffic conditions and emergency vehicle A STATION AT THIS LOCATION response time reaching locations east of the tracks.