Metra will host an open house on March 18 to provide updates on its plan to construct a new layover rail yard in McHenry County near Woodstock.
The open house will be held Tuesday, March 18, 2025, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Woodstock Opera House Community Room, 121 West Van Buren Street in Woodstock.
The new yard near Woodstock would consolidate operations from the current Barrington and Crystal Lake yards into a larger, modernized layover facility. The objectives are to generate operational cost savings, bring an estimated 100 new jobs to the area, support expanded rail service and serve anticipated demand, provide expanded train storage, improve operational efficiencies, encourage transit-supportive land use in station areas and promote sustainable travel patterns in McHenry County.
Metra will present the preferred site for the project, results from the environmental screening process, preliminary design considerations, and project next steps. Metra is seeking input from the public and stakeholders within the project area and county on the preferred location.
“Metra's efforts to modernize our operations with a new layover rail yard near Woodstock are a major step forward for our riders, staff, and the local community,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski. “With a preferred location identified, I’m excited for the next steps for this project and I look forward to collaborating with the community and stakeholders to bring this vision to life.”
Public comment on the preferred site may be submitted to Metra by email at woodstockyardproject@metrarr.com, or by mail at Metra, Attn: Woodstock Layover Yard Project, 547 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661. Comments will be accepted through Friday, April 18, 2025.
For more information about the Woodstock Layover Yard project, click here.
