Plans to Renovate Cary Metra Station Move Forward

The Metra Board of Directors approved a $2.4 million contract Wednesday to renovate the Cary station on the Union Pacific Northwest line. Chicago-based Accel Construction Services Group, LLC was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the contracted work, which will include construction of a new depot with a ticket agent office, according to a Metra news release. Accel is a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firm, under rules developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that minority- and women-owned businesses had the opportunity to participate in contracting opportunities.

The new station facility will include heated flooring, a covered waiting area, a platform shelter, electronic parking fee collection boxes, new platform and directional signs, new decorative metal fences and landscaping, Metra officials said.

“This is one of the most significant station projects we will undertake in 2018,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski “We’re pleased to provide our customers with a station that has all the amenities they expect and deserve.”

Metra will fund $2 million of the project cost with Federal Transit Administration grant monies, while the village of Cary will provide the remaining $375,000. The Board, during Wednesday’s meeting, also approved an intergovernmental agreement with the village of Cary to proceed with the project, according to a news release.

“Once completed, this project will have the added benefit of improving both commuter safety and comfort with the new enclosed facilities now situated along the inbound platform, and it will serve as a reminder of the successful intergovernmental partnership with Metra,” said Cary Mayor Mark Kownick. “With historical design elements, it is our hope that the new depot building will become a prominent gateway to the downtown district and a landmark for the village of Cary.”

The new station, which serves about 940 Metra customers each weekday, will be located on the inbound platform on the north side of the tracks. The old facility, located on the south side of the tracks at 100 W. Main St., will remain open until the new depot is completed.

Work will begin this summer and is expected to last a year.