Metra is Recommending Services Expand to Yorkville

Oswego might not be the last stop on the proposed Metra rail line anymore.

Metra officials have recently recommended expanding Metra service to Yorkville, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Currently Metra is doing an environmental and engineering study of extending the BNSF to Oswego, said Village Administrator Steve Jones. The survey is about 12 months out from completion, said Jones.

Due to the possible decision to extend Metra service out to Yorkville, there are four potential areas where a rail yard could be built. Right now, Aurora is the last stop for the BNSF line.  The proposed rail line could include stops in Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville.

Metra board members gave their approval to spending an additional $440,000 for an ongoing study, previously at $1.8 million, to determine the cost of extending the BNSF Line to Yorkville.

Kendall County and its communities would need to come up with funds to build the 8.6-mile-long extension from Aurora, along with the cost of stations and operating costs, Metra officials told the Tribune.

Jones said by early 2014 financial information should be available for the Village to see. “We have to see the calculation of how this would be paid for,” he said. “There could be additional variables.”