Elmhurst Train Station Cost Spikes Again

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst's cost estimate for a new Metra train station rose dramatically yet again.

According to Elmhurst's proposed budget for next year, the station is projected to cost $44.1 million, which is nearly $4 million more than a year ago.

In summer 2020, officials estimated the cost at $25 million. That's a difference of nearly $20 million in 3½ years.

If the cost estimate merely increased with the rate of inflation, the station would now be projected to cost $29.6 million.

During the City Council's budget meeting on Monday, Alderwoman Noel Talluto asked about the costs.

"At what stage in the process can we stop this train if we wanted to?" she asked.

In response, City Manager Jim Grabowski said the city expected to find out more about the status of the project this week. The project's planning, he said, is about 90 percent done.

Before the pandemic, the cost estimate was as low as $20 million, Grabowski said.

The budget states construction is expected to start next year.

Officials have blamed the cost increases on inflation, soil issues and delays in getting state approvals.

In 2020, Elmhurst had planned to go out to bid for the project in spring 2021.

The station project is expected to include warming shelters, a pedestrian tunnel, a platform reconstruction and surface parking improvements.

The current station, which is considered undersized for its ridership, is the fourth busiest in the Metra system. It was built in the 1960s and updated in the 1980s.

The city has a number of partners in the project – the Department of Transportation, Metra, Union Pacific and the Pace bus agency.