- Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2021 01:51 PM
CHICAGO – The Auburn Park Station that State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago) has long fought for came a step closer to reality today with Metra announcing it has approved a $28.2 million construction contract.
“The people of the South Side deserve better access to public transportation,” said Collins, who secured $30 million in state funding for the project. “Our communities have long suffered from disinvestment and unequal access to basic amenities. I promised that I would manifest real change, and I intend to keep that promise by seeing this station open.”
The new station, which will be located at 79th Street in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, will run on Metra’s Rock Island Line. The station will be fully accessible, include bicycle racks, an 84-space parking lot, and a vendor building with glass storefronts. It also will incorporate landscaped greenspace, a chemical-free snow melt system, and a living green wall along the existing retaining wall.
“I want to make sure the surrounding Black community remains engaged in this project,” Collins said. “We’ve been waiting more than a decade for this station, and members of the community need to be kept informed and given the opportunity to express ideas, opinions, and concerns.”
The new station will provide a direct rail link to downtown Chicago as well as the southwest suburbs, supporting economic development and creating construction jobs while it is built.
