Clarendon Hills station
Clarendon Hills Station in May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 1 South Prospect Avenue Clarendon Hills, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°47′50″N 87°57′13″W / 41.7971°N 87.9535°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Metra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | BNSF Chicago Subdivision | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | Pace Buses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes, partial[note 1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 799 (average weekday)[1] 0.9% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | 66 out of 236[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Clarendon Hills is a station on Metra's BNSF Line in Clarendon Hills, Illinois. The station is 18.3 rail miles (29.5 km) from Chicago Union Station, the east end of Metra service on this line.[2] In Metra's zone-based fare system, Clarendon Hills is in zone 3. As of 2018, Clarendon Hills is the 66th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 799 weekday boardings.[1]
The inbound station building (south of the tracks) was staffed until June 11, 2018. It later was replaced with an unstaffed building.[3] Groundbreaking was on Jan 6, 2020; ribbon-cutting was on Nov 7, 2022. The outbound side has only two small covered shelters, one of which also provides bicycle racks and the other is a weather-protected warming center.[4] Clarendon Hills' central business district is directly southwest of the station.
As of September 8, 2025, Clarendon Hills is served by 59 trains (30 inbound, 29 outbound) on weekdays, and by 36 trains (18 in each direction) on weekends and holidays.[5]
Accident
Clarendon Hills was the site of a collision at 8:16 AM on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, between inbound Metra train no. 1242[6] and the cab of a box truck stopped on the tracks. It was not immediately known why the truck was stopped, as there had been sufficient room for it to safely clear the crossing. One person, a 72-year-old woman aboard the train, was ejected from the first car and killed. At least four people were injured, including the train engineer and a conductor. The driver and two passengers of the truck had escaped prior to the impact and were not injured.
The preliminary NTSB report was issued June 15, 2022.[7] A 661-page Project Summary containing 59 docket items was released to the public by the NTSB on May 17, 2023.[8] It reported that there were nearly 1,500 feet (0.46 km) of clear viewing of the crossing from a train rounding the curve east of Westmont station. The track speed limit is 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h); the train was moving at 69.8 miles per hour (112.3 km/h). The initial brake action was initiated within 2 seconds and full emergency brakes had been applied within 9 seconds. The train had been slowed to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) at the moment of impact 18 seconds after the first view. It finally stopped 29 seconds later another 1,508 feet (0.46 km) down the track.
The schedule in effect on the day of the collision shows train no. 1242 as a local train, making all stops between Aurora and Chicago and departing from Clarendon Hills at 8:00 AM.[9] However, on the day of the incident the assigned trainset had suffered a mechanical failure;[10] a replacement trainset originated at Downers Grove Main Street station with orders to bypass all stations between Fairview Avenue and LaGrange Road to get back on schedule.[11]
Following the incident, inbound service was curtailed for the rest of the day, with outbound evening rush service being reduced;[12] Clarendon Hills station was open only to discharge passengers.[13] Alternative options for passengers included Hinsdale and Westmont stations, or the Union Pacific West Line. The following day Metra ran a modified Saturday schedule, with all local trains serving all stops except Clarendon Hills. Express trains were on the schedule, bypassing Clarendon Hills and other stops skipped by normal weekend express runs.[14] The station reopened on May 13 with regularly scheduled service,[15] and the Prospect Avenue grade crossing has since reopened.
References
- ^ At partially accessible stations, customers using mobility devices can access and use trains; however, the stations may not have other accessibility features such as accessible bathrooms, Braille signage, visual display announcements, etc.
- ^ a b c "Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018" (PDF). Metra. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2019.
- ^ Metra Railfan Tips - BNSF Railway Line
- ^ "Clarendon Hills Downtown Revitalization to Feature Community-sensitive Train Station". Legat Architects. February 13, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ Lassen, David (January 3, 2023). "Railfanning Chicago: Clarendon Hills". Trains Newsletter. Kalmbach. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "BNSF Line effective 09/08/2025" (PDF). metrarail.com. Metra. September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 11, 2022). "Metra Alert BNSF - Train #1242, will terminate at Clarendon Hills due to striking a vehicle. Other inbound trains will accommodate the Customers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Grade Crossing Crash". National Transportation Safety Board. June 15, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "Project Summary: Highway Investigation". National Transportation Safety Board. May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ "Metra BNSF Schedules". Metra Rail. May 11, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 11, 2022). "Metra Alert BNSF - Inbound Train #1242, will originate at Main Street due to an earlier mechanical failure. The next train making station stops from Aurora to Belmont will be train #1236" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 11, 2022). "Metra Alert BNSF - Train #1242 expressing after Fairview Ave. to LaGrange Road, due to earlier mechanical failure. Train #1244, scheduled to arrive Chicago at 8:56 a.m., will accommodate passengers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 11, 2022). "🚨 BNSF UPDATE: The following OB trains from CUS will operate tonight making regular sched stops: 3:00pm, 3:10pm, 3:30pm, 3:35pm, 4:00pm, 4:05pm, 4:10pm, 4:50pm, 5:10pm, 5:20pm, 5:30pm, 5:35pm, 6:00pm, 6:05pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm, 7:33pm, 8:33pm, 9:33pm, 10:33pm, 11:33pm and 12:33am" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 11, 2022). "Metra Alert BNSF - Trains will not pick up Customers at Claredon Hills. Please use Westmont or Hinsdale as alternate boarding stations. Outbound trains will allow Customers to detrain at Claredon Hills tonight" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 12, 2022). "UPDATE: For Thurs, May 12, 2022, BNSF will operate on a modified Saturday schedule. All LOCAL trains will make all stops with the exception of Clarendon Hills. Express trains will remain as scheduled. Delays are expected near the incident site. Schedule:" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @metraBNSF (May 12, 2022). "🚨 UPDATE for Friday, May 13: BNSF will operate its normal weekday schedule on May 13. Trains will make scheduled stops at Clarendon Hills. Prospect Ave xing at Clarendon Hills will be closed until further notice. Passengers can use the pedestrian crossing near the depot" (Tweet) – via Twitter.