# Homewood station

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Railroad station in Homewood, Illinois

Homewood, IL Homewood Amtrak platform in January 2025. The Metra tracks and platform are on the left. General information Location 18015 Park Avenue Homewood, Illinois United States Coordinates 41°33′45″N 87°40′07″W / 41.5624°N 87.6686°W / 41.5624; -87.6686 Owned by CN/Metra[1] Lines CN Chicago Subdivision (Amtrak) University Park Sub District (Metra) Platforms 2 Island platforms Tracks 4 (2 Amtrak, 2 Metra Electric) Connections Pace Construction Parking Yes Accessible Yes Other information Station code Amtrak: HMW Fare zone 3 (Metra) History Opened 1923; 103 years ago (1923) Electrified 1926[2] (Metra) Passengers FY 2025 46,211 annually[3] (Amtrak) 2018 1,171 (avg. weekday)[4] 10.5% (Metra) Rank 32 out of 236 (Metra)[4] Services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Kankakee toward New Orleans City of New Orleans Chicago Terminus Kankakee toward Carbondale Illini and Saluki Preceding station Metra Following station Flossmoor toward University Park Metra Electric Main Line Calumet toward Millennium Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Chicago Terminus James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington 1971–1974 Kankakee (Penn Central) toward Washington, D.C. or Newport News Rantoul toward Champaign–Urbana Campus 1971–1972 Chicago–Central Terminus Kankakee (Penn Central) toward St. Petersburg or Miami Floridian (rerouted 1972) Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station Matteson toward New Orleans Main Line Harvey toward Chicago Flossmoor toward Richton Electric Suburban Main Line Calumet toward Randolph Street Track layout Legend CONO, Illini and Saluki north to Chicago Union Station north to Millennium 10 Dixie Highway south to University Park CONO south to New Orleans Illini and Saluki south to Carbondale Location

**Homewood station** is an [Amtrak](/source/Amtrak) intercity and [Metra](/source/Metra) commuter [train station](/source/Train_station) in [Homewood, Illinois](/source/Homewood%2C_Illinois). It is also the location of the **Homewood Railroad Park Museum**.

Served by the [Metra Electric District](/source/Metra_Electric_District), Homewood is 23.5 miles (37.8 km) from that line's northern terminus at [Millennium Station](/source/Millennium_Station).[5] It is six stops away from the line's southern terminus at [University Park](/source/University_Park_station). In Metra's zone-based fare system, Homewood is located in zone 3. As of 2018[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Homewood_station&action=edit), Homewood is the 32nd busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,171 weekday boardings.[4] It is also 25 miles (40 km) from [Union Station](/source/Chicago_Union_Station), the northern terminus of the three Amtrak services which stop here.

## History

In 1851, the [Illinois Central Railroad](/source/Illinois_Central_Railroad) began construction of their new rail line which branched south of Chicago to what is now the Village of Homewood. The first passenger train to run on this line ran from Chicago to Kankakee, IL on August 5, 1853, and stopped in present day Homewood. Also in 1853, the Illinois Central built a one-and-a-half story depot to serve to area. When the depot was built, the nearest town to the new depot was the large village of Thornton, IL, about three miles to the east of the depot, and the depot was named the "Illinois Central Thornton Depot" for sixteen years. In 1869, the depot was officially renamed to the Homewood Station.

The Illinois Central Railroad built the current Homewood Depot in 1923 to serve the *[Panama Limited](/source/Panama_Limited)* and *[Seminole Limited](/source/Seminole_Limited)*.[1][6] The station house, now used by Amtrak, was built in a [mission revival](/source/Mission_revival) style in order to complement the architecture of the clubhouse of the nearby [Ravisloe Country Club](/source/Ravisloe_Country_Club).[6]

Three years after the station opened, commuter services began. Throughout the years, the station also served such intercity trains as the *[City of New Orleans](/source/City_of_New_Orleans_(train))*, *Creole*, and *[Green Diamond](/source/Green_Diamond)*. In 1971, [Amtrak](/source/Amtrak) assumed control of the Illinois Central's passenger operations and continued to stop at Homewood. Metra purchased the commuter services in 1987. In 2003 the Homewood Rail Heritage Committee approved the installation of a train watching platform for railfans similar to that of the [Rochelle Railroad Park](/source/Rochelle_Railroad_Park) in [Rochelle, Illinois](/source/Rochelle%2C_Illinois). As with many suburban Metra stations, bus connections are provided by [Pace Transit Systems](/source/Pace_(transit)).

On the Metra Electric, it is a regular stop on the main line. On Amtrak, it is served by the regional [*Illini* and *Saluki*](/source/Illini_and_Saluki) and the long-distance *City of New Orleans.*

### 2020s renovation

The station underwent renovations in the early 2020s. The renovations improved facilities and brought the station complex into compliance with the [Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990](/source/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990). Prior to the renovation, among the accessibility issues was a lack of an accessible path to the platforms from the west-side of the tracks (where Amtrak's station building is located).[6][7]

The first part of the project was a $15 million renovation by Amtrak of its facilities at the station. This project utilized federal funds. The Amtrak station closed in August 2020 for the renovations.[6] Much of the architectural features of the Amtrak portion of the station were retained, as the facility is on the Illinois Register of Historical Places. It was expanded with a new structure.[6] Amtrak demolished the former boarding platform and built a new covered island platform to serve the two tracks that its trains utilize at the station.[6][7]

After Amtrak completed its renovation of its facilities, Metra separately began a $14 million renovation of their facilities at the station. Metra replaced their station structure at Harwood Avenue and Ridge Road with a new structure, and renovated the track-access tunnel. It was funded through a combined $9 million funds from the [Federal Transit Administration](/source/Federal_Transit_Administration) and [Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning](/source/Chicago_Metropolitan_Agency_for_Planning), with a further $4 million coming from Metra, $585,000 coming from Homewood, and $300,000 coming from [Cook County](/source/Cook_County%2C_Illinois). Metra's renovation of their facilities at the Homewood station was announced in 2020, and was part of a five-year capital investment plan involving the renovation of nine stations (including Homewood) on the Metra Electric District.[6][8]

## Bus connections

**[Pace](/source/Pace_(transit))**

- 356 Harvey/Homewood/Tinley Park

- 359 Robbins/South Kedzie Avenue (weekdays only)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-great_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-great_1-1) [Great American Stations](http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/HMW/Station_view). Accessed March 21, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["CHICAGO WELCOMES ELECTRIFIED ROADS; Illinois Central Line Does Away With Coal-Burners on Its Suburban Trains"](https://www.nytimes.com/1926/08/08/archives/chicago-welcomes-electrified-roads-illinois-central-line-does-away.html). *The New York Times*. August 8, 1926. Retrieved February 24, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-AmtrakRidershipIL_3-0)** ["Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal year 2025: State of Illinois"](https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheets/ILLINOIS25.pdf) (PDF). [Amtrak](/source/Amtrak). January 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_4-2) ["Commuter Rail System Station Boarding/Alighting Count: Summary Results Fall 2018"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190526034459/https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/2018_summary_results_report_final.pdf) (PDF). *Metra*. April 2019. Archived from [the original](https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/2018_summary_results_report_final.pdf) (PDF) on May 26, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Metra Railfan Tips – Metra Electric Line](http://web.me.com/willvdv/chirailfan/mmelec.html)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Overhaul_6-6) Nolan, Mike (September 28, 2020). ["Homewood's historic Amtrak train station overhaul underway; Metra station is next"](https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-metra-amtrak-homewood-station-improvements-st-0929-20200928-vx4otkiiuvazlh4ltzyfbg4dge-story.html). [Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune). Retrieved September 29, 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref--"patrchcelebrate"_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref--"patrchcelebrate"_7-1) Sheikah, Yasmeen (September 28, 2020). ["Officials Celebrate $29 Million Amtrak And Metra Station Project"](https://patch.com/illinois/tinleypark/officials-celebrate-29-million-amtrak-metra-station-project). *Tinley Park, IL Patch*. Retrieved June 13, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Mahoney, Adam (September 28, 2020). ["Homewood rail station shared by Amtrak, Metra set for $29 million upgrade"](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/9/28/21473711/29-million-improvementshomewood-amtrak-metra-ada-cook-county). *Chicago Sun-Times*. Retrieved June 13, 2022.

## External links

Media related to [Homewood (Amtrak station)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Homewood_(Amtrak_station)) at Wikimedia Commons

- [Homewood, IL – Amtrak](https://www.amtrak.com/stations/hmw)

- [Homewood, IL – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)](https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/HMW)

- [Metra – Stations – Homewood](http://metrarail.com/maps-schedules/train-lines/me/stations/HOMEWOOD)

- [Homewood Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)](http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/homewood.htm)

- [Homewood Railroad Park (NRHS: Blackhawk Chapter)](https://web.archive.org/web/20100127002901/http://www.blackhawknrhs.org/homewood.htm)

- [Chicago Railfan image (Homewood Station)](http://web.me.com/willvdv/chirailfan/pmelec5.jpg)

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v t e Amtrak stations in Illinois Active stations Alton Bloomington–Normal Carbondale Carlinville Centralia Champaign–Urbana Chicago Du Quoin Dwight Effingham Galesburg Gilman Glenview Homewood Joliet Kankakee Kewanee La Grange Road Lincoln Macomb Mattoon Mendota Naperville Plano Pontiac Princeton Quincy Rantoul Springfield Summit Former stations Aurora Belleville Cairo Chicago (Central) Chillicothe Decatur Dwight (C&A) East Dubuque East Peoria Elmhurst Eureka Freeport Galena Galesburg (SF Depot) Joliet (Union) Monmouth Rockford Streator Warren Future stations Geneseo Moline Springfield–Sangamon

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Homewood station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homewood_station) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homewood_station?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.